I'm very ambitious but realistic.

There's no prize for being the best woman.

I am not someone who lets my head get down.

I am someone that relies on my gut feeling.

I'm simply trying to go as far as I can go in racing.

You have to be ready to pounce when a rare chance comes.

I'm not a girl racer, I save my speed for the race track.

I followed my dream as a child and I'm loving every minute of it.

It doesn't bother me if I'm getting attention because I'm a girl.

I dared to be different, I want to inspire others to do the same.

If you are a successful woman, that can inspire the next generation.

I'm a realistic person, but I'm also a person who believes a lot in goals.

I was always an adrenaline junkie, always competitive, always a speed freak.

Your gender becomes irrelevant when you are in a performance-based environment.

Because it was my decision to stop racing, I feel fine not being a driver anymore.

I'm a development driver, which means I'll be doing a lot of work in the simulator.

Love it or hate it, motorsport is not purely talent. It never has been and never will be.

As a woman people judge you on your looks regardless of the fact you're just there to race.

My big break came at 22 years old when I joined the Mercedes Benz touring championship team.

Racing's in my blood. My mum met my dad when she went to buy her first motorbike in his shop.

Every racing driver in the world dreams of making it to F1, there's only 22 spots on the grid.

As soon as you start listening to the gossip surrounding you, you just get dragged down by it.

Ultimately, we have got to make our sport more diverse if we want to be relevant in the future.

I hated reading - I was not a 'good kid' - but I was determined when I put my mind to something.

Ultimately, a women's only championship is not going to get more females into motorsport as a whole.

For me, it's all about taking things a step at a time, proving I'm good enough and on the right path.

Just as sport can, art has the capacity to cross so many boundaries like education, race and religion.

I'm a great believer that if you knock on enough doors and stay at the level maybe an opportunity comes.

To make it in Formula 1, which is the absolute pinnacle, is incredibly tough no matter what your gender.

Men are much more egotistical. But that means women can accept criticism and improve easier than men can.

My fundamental aim is to drive female talent - it's not just to find the next female Formula One superstar.

The decision to retire was very easy. The timing had come to the point where it was very clear that my time was up.

When I stopped racing, I kept being asked to comment on diversity in the sport but I really felt I had done my part.

When I decided to stop as a racing driver in 2015, I knew I wanted to continue with the challenge of competitive motorsport.

I think there's nobody closer in the world than your own husband. And we are very passionate about what we do, very competitive.

I never thought of myself as a role model, but I've had so many messages from girls, women, mothers saying I was an inspiration.

I never let my gender define me but in my whole driving career I only ever did one interview not being asked about being a female.

I like being feminine, it's my way of not conforming to the stereotype that if you're a racing driver you don't care how you look.

I have to perform every time I'm in the car, and show that I'm capable, and I need a little bit of timing and luck to come together.

There was very little opportunity to carry on in Formula 1. My goal was to get on to the starting grid and that didn't look achievable.

There always will be stereotypes that women can't drive. When I hear the comments, it just makes me more determined to prove them wrong.

As F1 is a male-dominated environment, you have to prove yourself. And first of all that means being given the chance to prove yourself.

A woman can be physically fit enough to drive a Formula 1 car. I did the race distance in Barcelona so I have proved that it is possible.

People have different ideas on how to increase female racing driver participation. My belief is that men and women should compete together.

I was always a very competitive little kid. I did swimming very competitively, downhill skiing very competitively. Everything was competition.

When you're a driver, you are very selfish and you only need to focus on your own performance because ultimately, it's your name on the side of the car.

We have two issues - not enough young girls starting in karting at a young age and no clear role model. Sometimes you just have to see it to believe it.

We are going to have to go through generations of change before we see the impact of females taking a role in the workplace and Formula 1 is no different.

When I decided to stop racing, I really wanted to give something back to the sport and for me it was always going to be about inspiring young girls and women.

These race cars are dangerous and you don't put someone in one unless you are 100 per cent certain that they can do what they need to do and be safe in the car.

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