Sky Sports commentator Danica Patrick faces backlash after controversial comments on women in motorsport

Former professional racing driver Danica Patrick has come under fire from Formula 1 fans after making some controversial comments around women in motorsport. The comments came during a new experiment from Sky Sports F1, titled Sky F1 Juniors which aimed to bring a kid-friendly broadcast of the sport to younger audiences.

During last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Danica Patrick, a former NASCAR and IndyCar driver was on hand to give guidance alongside the broadcast crew made up of teenage presenters. Patrick regularly features in the Sky Sports F1 commentary team to add driver insight into their presenting.

However, Patrick came under fire after discouraging the idea that women could one day race in Formula 1 due to their “feminine mind”. Fans were quick to pull the driver up on her comments which were made during the child-friendly broadcast.

During the broadcast, teenage presenter Scarlett asked Patrick when we could expect a woman racing in F1. Although the driver’s answer started out reasonably, Patrick’s answer took a disappointing turn.

Patrick said: “As I’ve always said in my whole career, it takes 100 guys to come through to find a good one, and then it takes 100 girls. That takes a long time to find a good one, right?

It’s just, the odds are not in favour of there always being one or being many of them.” And then it started to unravel.

“And at the end of the day, I think that the nature of the sport is masculine. It’s aggressive.You have to, you know, handle the car – not only just the car because that’s skill, but the mindset that it takes to be really good is something that’s not normal in a feminine mind, a female mind.

“You have to be like, for me, I know if somebody tries to bow up to make it difficult on me, I would go into like an aggressive kill mode, right? You just want to go after them, and that’s just not a natural feminine thought. I say that because I’ve asked my friends about it, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, that’s not how I think.’”

Fans have been quick to pick up on Patrick’s comments with many left disappointed that the Indy Car driver has such negative opinions on women in Formula 1. Patrick has continued to make headlines for her podcast that has also caused controversy, hosting a discussion on the possibility of aliens editing human DNA to limit lifespans.

Patrick is known for controversial opinions on health, wellbeing and various sociological concerns, including thoughts on extraterrestrials or gravity technology helping to build the pyramids.

Many have been left disappointed that Patrick shared her controversial views on women in motorsport on a broadcast designed for young children, with the hopes of encouraging more people into Stem.