“We’re dealing with endurance” - When Danica Patrick commented on male vs. female prowess in racing

Danica Patrick is arguably still the benchmark when it comes to women in open-wheel racing. The 42-year-old was the first, and till now only, woman to have won a race in the IndyCar series. In 2018, Carmen Jorda, former development driver for the Renault F1 team and then member of the FIA's Women in Motorsport Commission suggested that women should strive for the Formula-E series since they're not strong enough to compete in F1.

In light of these comments, Patrick spoke about one difference between male vs female drivers. She said the issue was not peak strength, but endurance. She said, (via For the Win)

“I think that the natural stature of a man versus a woman is probably what’s deceiving because men are naturally – stature wise, strength, muscle mass – they are stronger. When you take the peak strength of a man or a woman in the world, they’re going to be different.”

“But in racing, we’re not dealing with peak strength. We’re dealing with endurance. We’re dealing with strength but mostly endurance of that, so that’s not necessary. The level of strength that you need is achievable across the board, so obviously that’s just not true. And much of (success), too, comes from being relaxed behind the wheel and getting the car to handle for you, and then things also get a lot easier.”

AUTO: NOV 21 F1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Danica Patrick on her podcast discussed how the strength required for open-wheel racing is different from stock cars.

When Danica Patrick opened up on how people assumed NASCAR to be tougher than IndyCar

Danica Patrick made the switch from IndyCar to NASCAR in the late 2000s. The American discussed on the "Pretty Intense" podcast in 2021 how many around her assumed that NASCAR would be more difficult than IndyCar just by comparing the size and weight of the cars.

Episode 77, released in March that year, featured Jimmie Johnson as the guest, who suggested that IndyCar demanded more from the driver in terms of physicality than NASCAR. Patrick said,

“You said it already. When I went to NASCAR, people were like 'how are you going to handle that big car, physically' and I'm like actually, I bit my tongue and didn't say how much easier stock cars were to drive than NASCAR. I'm like, 'If people want to give me credit for being able to handle these big cars, I'm just going to let them think that I've got it.' I said it but I didn't make a big deal about it but it's true.” (25:35 onwards)

Johnson went on to discuss his experience of the IndyCar and supported Danica Patrick’s comments about the intensity of an IndyCar.