The series will start in 2023 and F1 says it will be an ‘additional option’ for girls alongside the W Series, an all-female competition that is set to return for a fourth season next year despite its 2022 campaign being cut short amid financial difficulties.
Last Updated: 18/11/22 12:36pm
The new F1 Academy series will see young female drivers race in Formula 4-style chassis (above)
Formula 1 has announced the launch of its all-female driver’s club, the F1 Academy, which the sport hopes will eventually lead to more female drivers in the series.
The series will start in 2023 and F1 says it will be an ‘increasing way’ to climb the motorsport pyramid for young women along with the W Series, an all-female competition that wants to return for a fourth season next year despite having its 2022 campaign cut short amid financial difficulties.
We hope that the F1 Academy will quickly find a woman in Formula 3, and support the opportunities of Formula 2 and Formula 1 in the future.
The last woman to race in F1 was Lella Lombardi back in 1976.
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Click2Drive Bristol Street Racing car driver Alice Powell says her team was disappointed to miss out on the Constructors race after the W Series was cut short, but is hopeful the series will return next year.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula 1 wants to make sure we are doing everything we can to find different ways to enter this amazing sport,” said Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“That’s why I’m happy to announce the F1 Academy which will give young drivers the best chance to fulfill their ambitions through a comprehensive program that supports their racing career and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully go to F2 and then to the pinnacle of Formula 1.
“The more opportunities the better and this is designed to provide another way for drivers to win.”
The F1 Academy will have five teams, managed by the current teams of F2 and F3, with three cars each to make up a team of 15 cars. The inaugural season will have 21 races, with seven races of three races, and should include at least the last F1 weekend.
Like the W Series, all drivers will compete in the same Formula 4 chassis.
F1 has said it will be offering €150,000 (£130,000) per car, which must be matched by drivers to enter. They say this is a ‘small fraction of the cost of matching’, and that the rest of the budget will be provided by the teams.
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Anthony Davidson believes W Series champion Jamie Chadwick has a bright future in the sport after claiming his third W Series title.
The statement added: ‘Formula 1 wants to ensure that aspiring female drivers have the opportunity to reach their full potential as the first step towards entering Formula 3 and moving forward.
‘The W Series continues to provide a great platform for drivers and the F1 Academy wants to add an extra layer to the next generation of young drivers’.
The series will be led by Bruno Michel, who raced F2 and F3, and said: “I am very happy to start this new team. Diversity is very important in motorsport, and with the F1 Academy we will ensure that female drivers. have what it takes to compete at the highest level.
“I am absolutely convinced that if girls are given the same experience as any other driver, they can go through the pyramid very well. Our goal is to see female drivers on the F3 grid in the next two or three years. And that they can quickly challenge for points and podiums.
“The goal is to expand this project in the near future, because we believe that this group will encourage more girls to compete in motor sports at the highest level.”
