Patrick success could boost women's chances in F1

By Alan Baldwin

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Formula One would welcome a winning female driver like Danica Patrick if she could show she was as competitive as the men, team bosses said on Friday.

American Patrick last month became the first woman to win a race in the Indy Racing League (IRL) when she triumphed at Japan's Motegi Twin Ring circuit.

"I think it shows that it is possible for an extremely talented lady to be competitive in what is historically seen as a male environment," Toyota motorsport president John Howett said at the Turkish Grand Prix when asked about the 26-year-old's achievement.

"It probably opens people's eyes to the possibility of that happening."

Formula One has had several women drivers in the past but none have been rewarded on the track.

The most successful was Italian Leila Lombardi, who scored half a point when she finished sixth in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix at the wheel of a March. Half points were awarded because the race was cut short due to a fatal accident.

The last woman to try to enter a grand prix was Italian Giovanna Amati, who failed to qualify her Brabham in 1992.

"I think it probably would be very good," Howett said of the possibility of a woman F1 driver. "We just need to see a driver with the capability that could deliver performance.