Ecclestone wants Patrick to spearhead F1's female driver revolution

Danica Patrick has made racing history, becoming the first woman in the history of NASCAR to win the pole for any race. Here, Patrick sits in her car during practice for the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in 2012 in Avondale, Arizona. This slide show looks back at Patrick's exciting career through the years.

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Danica Patrick through the years

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone wants more women in the sport
• The last woman to race an F1 car was Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976.
• Susie Wolff is the only female driver in the sport heading into the 2013 season
• Scotland's Wolff works as development driver for Williams

-- Danica Patrick stunned the watching world at last month's Daytona 500 when she became the first female driver to claim pole position at any top-division NASCAR race.

The American smashed yet another hole in the myth that motorsport is just for men -- and her achievements have not gone unnoticed by Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone, who wants her to challenge the likes of world champion Sebastian Vettel and title rival Fernando Alonso.

"There should be no reason why not, providing that we find a team to take her," Ecclestone said in an interview with the official F1 website.