Share

Bernie: F1 no place for women drivers

London - Women drivers are not physically able to drive quickly enough in Formula 1, the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggested at a conference in London on Tuesday (April 19 2016).

Not taken seriously

The 85-year-old told an audience at Advertising Week Europe: "I don't know whether a woman would physically be able to drive an F1 car quickly and they wouldn't be taken seriously."

But he predicted a rise in female chief executives, saying: "Women are more competent and they don't have massive egos."

There are currently no female drivers in F1, with test driver Susie Wolff, who retired in November 2015, the last woman to be employed in a driving capacity by an F1 team.

A photo posted by Susie Wolff (@susie_wolff) on

Women in management

But women have enjoyed greater success at boardroom level, with Claire Williams notably the current deputy team principal at Williams.

In a wide-ranging interview with F1's non-executive director Martin Sorrell, the outspoken Ecclestone also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "should be running Europe".

He said that comments he had made in praise of Adolf Hitler's leadership methods in a 2009 interview were taken out of context, but reiterated that the Nazi leader "got the job done".

He also declared that he was "100 percent" in favour of Britain leaving the European Union ahead of the June 23 referendum on the matter and said that immigrants had not made a contribution to British life.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()