Just six women have participated in a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend. And while former McLaren and Williams driver David Coulthard would love to see that number grow, he feels any newcomers to the sport – be they men or women – should be capable of taking on the likes of Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen in a straight fight.

Coulthard, the advisory board chairman for the all-female W Series launched in 2019, admitted recently - in response to a question from an F1 Fan Voice member - that he’d been sufficiently impressed with the performances of a number of W Series frontrunners to believe that they could progress to F1 in the future – but only if they can stand up to one key criteria...

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“[In the W Series] we’ve really put a big spotlight on the female talent that’s out there right now, and I think there’s a few of the competitors who are capable of driving in Formula 1,” said Coulthard.

“Now the question is, is being capable enough, or are you looking for a Lewis [Hamilton], a Max [Verstappen], a Charles [Leclerc]? You’re looking for the female equivalent of them, because unless you’re as good as a Lewis, a Max, a Charles etc. you’re not going to beat them.”