Jodie Kidd has claimed that “men are better than women at certain things” and that “we have to get over” the idea that the sexes are “completely equal.”
The supermodel, 45, offered her opinion on equality while discussing motorsports at the Who we are now podcast with Richard Hammond and his daughter Izzy.
The trio were talking Formula 1 when Richard asked 23-year-old Izzy: “What draws you to racing when you’re young?” The drivers are all conceited men…’
This prompted Jodie to intervene, stating: “I think we really need to get over this whole thing about us all being completely equal.”
“Men are better than women at certain things.”
Jodie Kidd has claimed that “men are better than women at certain things” and that “we have to get over” the idea that the sexes are “completely equal” (pictured in 2023).
The supermodel, 45, a former racing driver, expressed her views on equality when discussing the lack of women involved in motorsport (pictured at the 2004 FIA GT meeting).
Baffled by her comments, Richard, 54, was quick to comment: “Jodie Kidd said that, not me!” as Jodie joked: ‘Are they going to cancel me?’
However, he then doubled down on his comments, continuing: “It’s just a fact of life.”
“Every now and then, an amazing, strange woman will come along, and I promise you there will be a woman racing in F1 soon.”
In response, Izzy reasoned: ‘I think it’s all about accessibility. As long as everyone has equal access to it, it’s fine if guys are better at it.
‘There almost has to be a way to not think of them as men and women, they’re just drivers.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman, as long as they have equal access to it, which, like you said, I don’t think they have right now.”
Jodie went on to point out that motorsport wasn’t the only male-dominated industry, adding: “I think men traditionally prefer that area.”
“Some women may come.”
Jodie made the comments on the Who We Are Now podcast with Richard Hammond and his daughter Izzy, who seemed taken aback by the comments.
Jodie entered motorsport in 2003 when a friend asked her to enter the Gumball Rally and soon after began her racing career after completing the fastest lap on Top Gear at the time.
No woman has qualified to race in F1 since 1992, and only one woman has lifted the trophy: Desiré Wilson in 1980.
Despite the lack of female runners, in 2023 Forbes reported that women made up 13 percent of people working for Mercedes and 6 percent for Red Bull, two of F1’s leading teams.
Speaking of her own racing experience, Jodie said: ‘I wasn’t going to be the best racing driver in the world. But I had to get respect and I had to earn that respect.”
Richard said: “It was twice as hard to win it.”
Jodie replied: ‘Three times harder! That’s where I completely enter something, I immerse myself completely.
“Thank God for someone named Rob Wilson, who trained me a ton, and I never liked doing anything unless I was going to be good at it.”
“The first time I went to the Top Gear track and Perry McCarthy was Stig, he said: ‘You’re talented, you can do this.’
“If it wasn’t for people like that, saying you can do this, I would have backed out and said, you know what? I’m going to try to do something that gives me a certain amount of interest.” I respect.
‘But I also played golf, at a very high level, I played a lot of male-dominated sports. But I was going to fly the flag for the girls. So, in silence, I was training very hard.”
Who We Are Now with Izzy and Richard Hammond is now available on Global Player.
Speaking of her own racing experience, Jodie said: ‘I wasn’t going to be the best racing driver in the world. But I had to get respect and I had to earn that respect’ (pictured in 2006)