In search of the first F1 world champion

07/05/2022 – 00:03

more than equal to

Silverstone, UK /PRNewswire/

Present >= More Than Equal: A Path for Women Who Want to Compete and Win at the Forefront of Motorsport

Yesterday at Silverstone, more than parity was launched – a new initiative that brings together the best scouts, fitness coaches, psychologists, nutritionists, racing coaches, drivers… all with the goal of creating the first female Formula 1 world champion.

Since the first race, the 1950 British Grand Prix, 771 drivers from 41 different countries have participated in at least one of the more than 1,050 FIA World Championship races. Only 5 women participated in the Grand Prix and only 2 qualified and started racing. For a sport that has always been open to women, the male dominance rate is 99.8%.

Grand Prize Winner Thirteen Times David Coulthard MBE and businessman Karel Komarek Founding & Funding >= More than Equality with the aim of understanding and reducing the specific barriers women face in Formula 1, as well as providing better exploration and early and ongoing support.

The team hears many reasons why women in Formula 1 haven’t achieved more: strength, endurance, racing aggressiveness… but none of them have proven to be an insurmountable obstacle.

Principal Partner of >= More than Equality is Hintsa Performance, a global leader in high performance training for individuals. Formula 1 drivers supported by the company have won 16 world championships among them. General Manager Anastina Hinsa She shares her opinion: “We see our mission in identifying the talent and developing the mental and physical strength needed to win the Drivers’ Championship. VO2 max, Neck and Core Strength, Leg Strength, Heat Endurance… We see and measure many of the key factors that make a World Champion, and there is no factor that a woman cannot match. “

So what’s really stopping her? Principal partners within >= more than equal agree:

• There are no female role models for drivers, thus there are very few girls in karting
• Not recognizing and nurturing the female talent as early as the male talent
• Early track failure resulting in all sponsors and endorsements shifting to male drivers

> = Kate Bevan a member of the more than equal advisory board and a former Formula 1 expert, is a good judge at that. “I got into Formula 1 in 2003 and watched women try and fail for a myriad of reasons. I know women can do that and win, we just need to look deeper and give support earlier.”

Coulthard describes his motivation for founding >= more than equal: “I’ve always believed that my sister Lynsey Jackson had more natural racing talent than me, but I was backed on the road to Formula 1, she wasn’t. To be successful, the talent must be nurtured early on and I want to Every Lynsay gets the same opportunities as the guys in pursuit of promotion and victory in Formula One.”

Co-founder Kumarek added: “From my business experience, I know there is still a lot to do when it comes to gender equality. >= “More than equality” is a bold but achievable goal, and I hope it opens the eyes of more people. People’s eyes are on the potential of women everywhere – in sport, in business and in society.”

F1 broadcaster and motorsport champion for diversity and inclusion Ariana Bravo He was the host for today’s event at Silverstone. “For women, the word ‘driving’ has a double meaning. A drive to drown out the ‘why not’ hype by developing power and racing technologies that lead to wins from a very young age. I’m a staunch supporter of women in motorsport, and it’s exciting to see a new initiative that I think is It will help pave the way for the development of women’s racing talent so that they can reach their full potential in Formula 1.”

The four main components of the program:

• The World Scout of Women’s Talents. > = More than Equal will work with a global network of scouting agents to search for high potential female talent in karting and racing, both on and off the track. The best will be included in the programme.
• Build physical strength, winning mentality and mental resilience. Hintsa performance coaches will first conduct empirical measurements to identify talent across a wide range of ages. Luxury is key to future performance and drivers are prepared early for mental toughness and self-confidence. The team will also lead a customized physical training and nutrition program for young and aspiring female drivers of >= more than equal, similar to services offered to existing female athletes and Formula 1 drivers.
• Increase speed through trained racing skills. David Coulthard will partner with top racing coaches to develop racing strategies that play the role of strength in women. Add to that track time, which is essential to developing racing talents and showing success. >= The ‘More Than Equal’ program will work with teams and a rapidly evolving ecosystem of women riders to maximize time on the track.
• Connect proven talent to teams and sponsors. When talent proves itself in competition, >= more than Equal team members will use their extensive business and motorsport connections to match that talent with potential teams and sponsors.

additional information:

• about >= more than equal. >= More Than Equality is a new global not-for-profit initiative that seeks a long-term return on investment to drive the participation – and ultimately win – of women drivers in the Formula 1 World Championship. >= More Than Equality seeks charitable status in England and Wales will work towards charitable goals.
• About David Coulthard MBE. David is a 13-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner and runner-up in the 2001 Drivers’ World Championship. David co-founded and co-financed >= more than equal to Kumarek and will join the initiative’s board of directors. He brings his experiences and contacts from the races to actively participate in the development of the programme.
• About Karel Komarek. Karel is the founder of the global investment group KKCG with assets of more than 9 billion euros and operations in 38 countries. >= More than Equal was founded and co-financed by Karel, who is also a member of >= More than Equal board.

More information about the initiative can be found on the website www.MoreThanEqual.com And the updates will also be on Instagram profile @more.thanequal.

For media inquiries, please contact Maddy Coe: Email: [email protected]. Tel: +44 (0) 7384 547656