Simona de Silvestro at the Indy 500
By Eurosport | Motorhead
Britain's Pippa Mann and Katherine Legge lined up in the Indy 500 on Sunday, and along with Switzerland's Simona de Silvestro and Brazil's Ana Beatriz they made up four women who took part in the 33-driver field at the famous Brickyard circuit for one of the most famous races in motosport.
On this side of the Atlantic, however, in an equally famous race - the Monaco Grand Prix - the only women on the starting grid were the scantily-clad models holding placards with drivers names on them.
So why is there still a gulf in opportunities for women drivers in Formula One? Guildford-born Legge, who finished 26th in the Indy 500, is baffled.
"It doesn't matter if they are male or female, the car doesn't know the difference," Legge told Reuters. "I don't think about it, there are just 32 other drivers out there and me."
Katherine Legge at the Indy 500Her claim holds water: Beatriz finished 15th and de Silvestro 17th in the race, while Mann was classified 30th only because her hopes were ended by a shunt during the race.
Formula One has not had a female driver for decades, with Italian Giovanna Amati the last to try and get on the grid when she failed to qualify in 1992.
The only woman to appear on the score sheet was Italian Lella Lombardi who finished sixth in the shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix and was awarded a half point.
Development driver Susie Wolff is pushing Williams to give her a proper test and keep alive her distant dream of one day racing alongside the men in Formula One.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been supportive of her efforts, according to Wolff, even if publicly he has stated that he does not see any woman driver on F1's horizon because there was nobody good enough at present.
Mann grudgingly agreed with Ecclestone.
"It will take a female winning races in GP2 (Grand Prix 2 series)," she said, referring to F1's main feeder series. "You will know because she is a winner in GP2 that she is extremely accomplished and do a good job but to get to that point we are going to need more females on the ladder in Europe."
Pippa Mann at the Indy 500Legge, who had a test with Formula One tailenders Minardi in 2005, started from the last row for the second consecutive year after posting the slowest qualifying speed, more than five miles per hour slower than pole sitter Ed Carpenter, but picked up seven places throughout the race.
De Silvestro finished 17th after starting 24th, but the best performance came from Beatriz, who started on the penultimate row in 29th place before a terrific drive saw her claw her way up to 15th, just 12 seconds behind winner Tony Kanaan.
Ana Beatriz of Brazil
Mann, meanwhile, started 30th and finished 30th - and the incident that ended her chances would have been a huge disappointment.
"My goal for Sunday is to try to stay out of trouble, to try and stay on the lead lap and then if we could somehow sneak up into the top 15, top 10 ... that is a realistic goal," Mann had said before the race, adding that he game plan was, "fairly cautious because I'm not going to win the race on the start from where I am."
Such modest objectives, however, are unlikely to get a driver noticed by fans or Formula One teams - or, most importantly, the sponsors who have the power to bring in drivers, particularly in the smaller outfits.
De Silvestro in particular was already on F1's radar, however, the Swiss gaining steady respect for her fearless and resilient driving although she has yet to record an IndyCar series victory.
Growing up in Switzerland, the 24-year-old driver admits her dream is to drive a Formula One car and hopes to one day get the opportunity.
"Being from Europe I have dreamed about F1 and it is still a dream but right now I am really lucky to be in IndyCar," De Silvestro told Reuters. "It would have to be the right opportunity and done in the right way.
"You have to be wise about the opportunities."
Girl power is nothing new at the massive Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Janet Guthrie having long ago shattered the glass ceiling when she became the first woman to qualify for Indy 500 in 1977.
But no woman has ever won on the sprawling oval. Danica Patrick is the "Queen of the Brickyard" having come closest with a third place finish in 2005 and remains the only woman to lead a lap at the 500.
Patrick, who is also the only woman to win an IndyCar race, proved women can go wheel-to-wheel against the men and added to her reputation when she jumped to NASCAR and grabbed the pole at this year's Daytona 500.
With a combination of sex appeal and skill, Patrick has become one of the most recognizable names in motor sports and a marketing titan, earning her fifth spot on Forbes list of the world's top-earning female athletes.
"It's still something different but amongst the drivers I feel accepted," said de Silvestro. "At the end of the day we all wear a helmet and we just try to do the best job we can in the race car."
Reuters / Eurosport