Ecclestone suggests all-female F1 support series

"I thought it would be a good idea to give them a showcase," Ecclestone said. "For some reason, women are not coming through (to F1), and not because we don't want them. Of course we do, because they would attract a lot of attention and publicity and probably a lot of sponsors."

Ecclestone might seem an unlikely proponent of gender equality, being famously quoted back in 2005 as saying "women should be dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances" when asked about Danica Patrick's potential as a grand prix driver following her fourth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 that year. But he has apparently changed his mind since then, telling F1's official website two years ago, "Danica would be good to have with one of the [F1] teams now. All the things that people worry about – whether a woman can cope with the G-forces and all that – she has proven that she can. She's been there and done it."

Ecclestone didn't spell out how many female racers he would like to see in his suggested series, or what timetable he had in mind for starting it. Susie Wolff and Carmen Joda both have development deals with the Williams and Lotus teams, respectively, although they are not those teams' designated reserve drivers, while Simona de Silvestro tested for Sauber last year before being dropped by the team for lack of sponsorship funding.