Patrick not keen on “unfriendly” F1

Patrick, who was the first woman to win an Indy car race, has been linked in the past with a move to Formula One but the 28-year-old reveals she is put off the sport by the often icy tone in the F1 paddock.

"Something that's very important to me is having fun." Patrick told The Sunday Times.

"I think the environment of F1 is a little bit less friendly than American racing. In F1, you just don't see the drivers hanging out. Drivers such as Takuma Sato, who came over after doing F1 for a while, says everyone's so nice here. And it's true – everyone is so calm, relaxed and friendly."

Despite learning her trade in Briton where she participated in the Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford series for three years, Patrick insists it was an experience she neither enjoyed nor would want to repeat.

"As soon I was old enough to race cars, I took it to the next level. I was told that I could learn more in a year in the UK than I could in five years in the United States," she explained.

"It felt much more old-school over there [in Britain], though. Women still cooked and cleaned. I feel the women's movement happened a little faster over here [in America].

"I remember I was the quickest one day in practice, and one of the team owners I drove for couldn't believe it. To the male drivers he was like, 'She's the quickest – what are you doing? Get out there, go!' as if it wasn't okay to be slower than me," she added. PlanetF1