“Danica Patrick, your internalized misogyny is showing” - Former NASCAR driver under scrutiny for her latest comments

Former IndyCar and NASCAR racer Danica Patrick was once hailed as among the most prominent and successful female drivers in motorsport. She now finds herself at the centre of a controversy following her recent comments about the potential for female drivers in Formula 1.

Patrick, who is currently a part of the Sky F1 broadcast team, expressed scepticism about the likelihood of women breaking into the male-dominated world of F1. She suggested that the skill set and mindset required for success in the sport are not natural for females.

Her response when asked by a young girl about seeing more women in F1 left many viewers disappointed. Her answer suggested that the nature of motorsport is inherently masculine and aggressive. It implied that the mindset required to excel in F1 does not align with a feminine mind or a female way of thinking.

She mentioned how she would go into an "aggressive kill mode" when facing challenges on the track and asserted that such a mindset is not a natural thought process for women.

In response to her remarks, social media platforms were flooded with negative reactions from motorsport fans, particularly those aspiring to see more women in the sport. Many expressed their disappointment, feeling that her comments perpetuated harmful stereotypes and hindered the progress of aspiring female drivers.

Here are some of the major reactions from Twitter (now X) regarding Danica Patrick's comments:

"Women like her don’t help us younger women who want to one day be involved in the sport."

"Danica Patrick, your internalized misogyny is showing."

"Danica Patrick does not deserve to be in the F1 paddock at all," wrote a user.

What exactly did Danica Patrick say about women in F1?

During a Sky F1 broadcast segment called 'F1 Juniors', Danica Patrick engaged with a young girl's question about seeing more women competing in Formula 1. She answered:

"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?"

She continued:

“It’s just, the odds are not in favour of there always being one or being many of them. 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."

While Patrick's achievements in NASCAR and racing cannot be overlooked, her comments have ignited a much-needed conversation about the role of women in motorsport.

In an era when NASCAR and F1 are actively working to inspire and support the next generation of female drivers, comments that reinforce gender stereotypes can be seen as counterproductive.