IndyCar racer Pippa Mann has expressed her frustration with a recent announcement from the FIA, and she probably isn’t the only person who was bothered by the news.
Mann, who’s qualified for the Indianapolis 500 the last six years, tweeted Friday that she was extremely disheartened by the FIA’s decision to name somebody “who does not believe we compete as equals” as an advocate for women in racing.
Who was the 34-year-old racer referring to? That would be Renault Sport Formula One reserve driver Carmen Jorda. The Spaniard posted a tweet shortly after Mann, confirming that she had been added to the Women In Motorsport Commission, which was founded by the international governing body in 2009.
Jorda’s appointment likely came as a shock to many people within the racing world, as her views are the antithesis of the commission’s.
The FIA claims the council’s primary mission is “to create a sports culture which facilitates and values the full participation of women in all aspects of motorsport,” according to the organization’s website. By contrast, Jorda has called on the FIA multiple times — most recently in October — to establish a separate F1 championship exclusively for female drivers.
The 29-year-old argues that females always will be at a disadvantage to males in racing due to biological differences. But her results, especially in comparison to Mann’s, suggest that her gender wasn’t the reason her career plateaued.
Jorda failed to finish better than 13th in three years in GP3, and never finished higher than P10 in her five Indy Lights races in 2010. That same year, however, Mann recorded three pole positions, two podiums — including one race win — and finished fifth in the championship.
