The Formula One championship for women seems far away as far as the FIA is concerned.. (Source: AP)

Motorsport’s governing body has given a lukewarm response to Bernie Ecclestone’s suggestion that Formula One teams should launch a championship for women.

“The idea of an all-women competition is not something we would dismiss without proper debate and research,” former rally driver Michele Mouton, president of the FIA’s commission for women in motorsport, said on Thursday in a statement to The Associated Press.

“But from my own experience as a competitor, I truly believe women want to compete on an equal level with their male counterparts. They have proved through the decades that it is possible, even if only a few.”

In comments reported in British media, Ecclestone said “a showcase” championship for women “would attract a lot of attention and publicity and probably a lot of sponsors.”