formula 1 Launches All-female Racing Series
Formula 1 has announced the launch of its new all-female driver category, the F1 Academy, to ‘develop and prepare young female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition.’
Starting in 2023, the new motor racing series will look to provide a pathway to the likes of W Series, Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3.
The series will consist of five teams run by current F2 and F3 teams, each entering three cars to make up a 15-car grid. The first season will comprise of seven events with three races each – amounting to a total of 21 races – plus 15 days of official testing, with the 2023 calendar set to be released in due course.
Managed by the CEO of Formula Motorsport Limited Bruno Michel, F1 Academy will see Formula 1 subsidise the cost of each car with a budget of €150,000 (£130,000), while the drivers cover the same amount of costs – a fraction of the usual costs in comparable series – with the teams covering the rest of the budget.
The all-female series would run alongside the similarly all-female W Series, which has recently hit financial difficulties and cancelled its last three events in 2022 due to a lack of funding.
FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES CURTAIL W SERIES SEASON
The existing feeling in Formula 1 is that many of the racers within the W Series are not young enough to have a realistic chance of making Formula 1’s feeder categories or the main championship itself. Therefore, the new series focused on younger drivers, and will aim to deliver more realistic chances of getting a female driver to motorsports biggest racing series.
Formula 1 President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali, commented, “Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula 1 wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to create greater diversity and routes into this incredible sport.”
“That is why I am delighted to announce the F1 Academy that will give young female drivers the best chance to fulfil their ambitions through a comprehensive programme that supports their racing careers and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully to F2 and then the pinnacle of Formula 1. The more opportunity there is the better and this is designed to provide another route for the drivers to succeed.”
Formula 1’s Head of Sustainability, Ellen Jones, added, “In 2019 we launched our sustainability and diversity & inclusion strategy and made a commitment to build a more diverse and inclusive sport, breaking down the stereotypes associated with a career in motorsports and encouraging people from all backgrounds to get involved.
“Over the past few years, we have been making strong progress on these important issues within our own business and across the sport. Today’s announcement is a very important commitment that will ensure young female drivers get the very best opportunity to begin their professional motorsport career and climb the ladder to the top by developing their skills and experience in the right way and with the right level support.”
Manager of the F1 Academy Bruno Michel, commented, “I am very excited to launch this new category.
“Diversity is extremely important in motorsport, and with the F1 Academy we will prove that female drivers have what it takes to compete at high levels. I am absolutely convinced that if young women are given the same amount of experience as any other driver, they can successfully make their way through the pyramid.
“Our goal is to see female drivers on the F3 grid in the next two to three years, and for them to quickly challenge for points and podiums. The aim is to increase the field in the near future, because we hope that this category will inspire more young girls to compete in motorsport at the highest of levels.”
