Motorsport: No, Carmen Jorda, women should do as they please

Opportunities for women in motorsport are lacking, but they’re more than capable racers. Carmen Jorda’s comments are not representative and should never be.

Fresh from her Formula E test in Mexico City over the weekend, former Formula 1 development driver Carmen Jorda made headlines on Monday for her controversial comments regarding women in motorsport.

Jorda, a member of the FIA’s Women In Motorsport Commission, was quoted by ESPN saying that the less physical demands of Formula E should be more attractive to women racers than Formula 1.

Here is what she had to say.

"“It’s a less physical car than in Formula One because of the downforce and because of the power steering as well. So yes, for sure. The challenge that we women have in Formula Two and Formula One is a physical issue and I think in Formula E, we won’t have it.“It’s not for me to decide what’s good for women or not in the sport. But in my experience I can say Formula One — not all the other championships, karting, Formula Three, GT, I think women are capable of good results in all those series — in Formula One and Formula Two there is a barrier that is a physical issue. I think there is a big issue for women and that’s why there aren’t any in those championships.”"

The comments and her subsequent defense of those comments were met with anger by fans and drivers, male and female. Notable names to come out against Jorda’s comments include IndyCar‘s Pippa Mann and Leena Gade (James Hinchcliffe’s new race engineer) and 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button.

Jorda, a former development driver for Lotus and Renault, defended herself on Twitter by imploring readers to view her comments in context. She has since deleted the plea.

By claiming the lack of physical demands, reduced downforce levels, and the inclusion of power steering in Formula E cars, make the series more appealing to women drivers, Jorda opened herself to backlash.

The current generation of F1 cars has power steering and the downforce created is less taxing on drivers. It should be noted that the current generation IndyCars do not have power steering and the new aero kit is said to have less downforce to improve racing on ovals.

Yet a number of women have had successful and competitive careers in IndyCar. Among them are driver and team owner Sarah Fisher, 2008 Indy Japan 300 winner Danica Patrick, and perennial Indianapolis 500 driver Mann.

Whether or not Jorda meant to disparage women from reaching the top levels of motorsport without exception is unknown. However, her comments are especially disconcerting given her official role with the FIA and being considered an ambassador for women in motorsport.

This is also not the first comment by the 29-year-old to spark a gender debate in motorsport. Jorda gave her support for an all-female race series in the past. The former F1 development driver’s support for such a series was decried as sexist.