Female drivers signed up for Formula E's Saudi test

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At least seven female racing drivers will take part in a Formula E test in Saudi Arabia after the country hosts the season-opening race next month, the all-electric series said on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia lifted a ban on women drivers last June and organizers said the local promoter had wanted female participation at the test.

The race, starting season five, will be the first involving Formula E's "next generation" cars and marks the series' debut in the Middle East.

The women racers confirmed for the test include Amna al Qubaisi of the United Arab Emirates, who started karting at 13 and has competed internationally in Formula Four.

Her father Khaled was the first Emirati to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours race.

"I'm very proud to be representing women in general and Arabian women in particular. This test drive is another stepping-stone towards my dream of a professional career in motorsports," she said in a statement.

Formula E held in New York, July 14, 2018 /VCG Photo

Earlier this year, Spaniard Carmen Jorda, a former Lotus and Renault F1 development driver who will test for the Nissan e.dams team in the upcoming race, caused some controversy when she said women might be better-suited to Formula E than Formula One because the all-electric cars were physically less challenging.

That idea was challenged by other women racers, notably Britain's Pippa Mann who has competed in the Indianapolis 500 and had success in the U.S. in cars without power steering.

Formula One has not had a woman driver compete in a Grand Prix since 1976, but De Silvestro raced in Formula E two years ago.

(Cover photo: Amna Al Qubaisi, a pilot of the Abu-Dhabi racing team, is seen prior to the Italian Formula 4 Championship at Autodromo di Monza, Monza, Italy, May 31, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters