This year has seen huge leaps forward for women in motorsport, from Sophia Floersch becoming the first woman to score points in Formula 3, to the Iron Dames fighting for their first podium at Le Mans. Another huge advancement has been the introduction of F1 Academy, the all-female single seater racing series. As the end of the inaugural season approaches, here is a complete guide to the series, from teams all the way down to tyres.
What is F1-Academy?
Officially launched in November 2022 by Formula 1 in 2023, with managing director Susie Wolff at the head of the operation, and officially starting in 2023, the all female-series sees 15 drivers, competing for 5 teams in 21 races across 7 circuits. Drivers and teams are competing for the individual titles of drivers' and teams' champion. As well as competing, the drivers also get to participate in 15 additional sessions of testing. The series is designed to create greater access to racing, testing, track-time for promising young female drivers. Alongside this they receive coaching and support with the physical, mental and technical challenges of formula racing.
F1 Academy slots below Formula 3 on the ladder up to Formula 1, but gives the drivers lots of exposure to Formula 3 cars. The ambition is that preparation and experience provided within the F1 Academy series will help its drivers to advance to Formula, and eventually Formula 2 and the ultimate goal of Formula 1.
Who are the teams?
As previously mentioned, there are five teams competing in the 2023 F1 Academy season. These teams were selected to participate in F1 Academy as they all compete in both F3 and F2, and have a vast history of nurturing and devolving young drivers through the different series. The following is an overview of the 5 teams and their drivers.
Campos Racing
Nearea Marti - #1
Lola Lovinfosse - #2
Maite Caceres - #3
The Spanish team based in Valencia who race with a white, blue and gold livery are currently 5th in the team standings with 226 points.
MP Motorsport
Hamda Al Qubaisi - #4
Emely De Heus - #5
Amna Al Qubasi - #6
The Dutch team, which races with a distinctive orange livery, consists of Dutch superstar Emely De Heus, as well as sisters Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi from the United Arab Emirates, and are currently leading the team standings with 372 points.
Art Grand Prix
Léna Bühler - #7
Carrie Schreiner - #8
Chloe Grant - #9
The French team hailing from Saint Pierre Du Perray, and racing with a black and white livery with stripes of red, are currently 3rd in the team standings with 275 points. Notable alumni of the Art Grand Prix family are British Formula 1 drivers George Russell, and his current teammate and 7-time World Champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Rodin Carlin
Abbi Pulling - #10
Jessica Edgar - #11
Megan Gilkes - #12
The two Brits, Pulling and Edgar, alongside Canadian Gilkes complete the line-up for the British team, based in Surrey who race with a pink, black and blue livery. They are currently 4th in the team standings with 244 points.
Prema Racing
Chloe Chong - #14
Marta García - #15
Bianca Bustamante - #16
The Italian team, racing with a red , white and green livery , is currently 2nd in the team standings with 349 points and is the team of the current leader of the drivers standings, Marta García. Racing alongside her are the youngest driver on the grid, Chloe Chong and first Filipino to win an F1 Academy race, Bianca Bustamante.
How is the race weekend set up?
There are 21 races, across 7 rounds at 7 circuits, Each round features 3 races, 2x15 minute qualifying sessions and 2x40 minute free practices. The seven circuits featured in the 2023 season are:
Round 1: Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria
Round 2: Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain
Round 3: Circuit De Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain
Round 4: Zandvoort Circuit, in Zandvoort, Netherlands
Round 5: Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy
Round 6: Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, Spain
Round 7: Circuit of The Americas in Austin, United States
The final round of the 2023 season is Round 7 in Austin, United State which will take place from the 20th-22nd of October alongside the Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand Prix.
Each round features 3 races and 2x15 minute qualifying sessions. The first qualifying session sets the starting grid for Race 1 and Race 2, with the driver securing pole position starting Race 1 from P1. However in Race 2, the top 8 finishers from qualifying will start the race in reverse order.
The second qualifying session sets the grid for Race 3, with the driver securing pole position starting the race from P1.
Race 1 and Race 3 each run for 30 minutes + 1 lap, while Race 2 runs for 20 minutes + 1 lap.
How are points awarded?
The top 10 classified drivers in Races 1 & 3 are awarded points. The points are awarded as follows:
P1 = 25 points
P2 = 18 points
P3 = 15 points
P4 = 12 points
P5 = 10 points
P6 = 8 points
P7 = 6 points
P8 = 4 points
P9 = 2 points
P10 = 1 points
Additional points are also awarded, with the drivers who take pole position for Races 1 and 3 each awarded 2 points, and 1 point is awarded to the driver in each race who achieves the fastest lap time (providing she was classified in the top 10 drivers at the end of the race).
In Race 2 it is the top 8 classified drivers who are awarded points. The points are awarded as follows:
P1 = 10 points
P2 = 8 points
P3 = 6 points
P4 = 5 points
P5 = 4 points
P6 = 3 points
P7 = 2 points
P8 = 1 point
As is the case in Races 1 and 3, 1 point is awarded to the driver in Race 2 who achieves the fastest lap time (providing she was classified in the top 10 drivers at the end of the race). No point is awarded for the driver who takes pole position for Race 2 due to the reverse grid format.
What are the car specifications?
All 15 drivers race in identical cars, featuring the same Tatuus T421 chassis that is used in Formula 4.
Additionally, the cats feature Autotecnica 4 cylinder turbo 1.4 litre engines, capable of 174 horsepower and a top speed of 240km/h. This enables the car to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds, and 0-200km/h in 12.5 seconds. This helps the drivers to prepare for advancing to Formula 3, as Formula 3 cars have a top speed of around 300km/h, accelerating from 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds, and 0-200km/h in 7.8 seconds. The experience of driving at these speeds will also help prepare the drivers for the extreme G-force in higher levels of formula racing.
Other features include a bespoke six-gear Sadev gearbox, Magneto Marelli electric command via the paddle shift from the steering wheel, and the compulsory steel halo to protect the drivers.
The cars will also use Pirelli tyres, the same as the other levels of formula racing.
What are the tyre allocations?
Per event, each driver is allocated 3 and a half sets of dry-weather tyres, one of which may be carried over from a previous event or test where applicate, and 2 sets of wet-weather tyres.
Why is F1 Academy so important?
There are endless reasons to why the creation of the series is so important for the sport. For one, it will help to inspire the next generation of female drivers, as the representation of women in the sport and changing attitudes will show young girls it is possible to be successful in a male-dominated sport, and encourage them to pursue their dreams.
The series will also provide more exposure and recognition to talented female drivers, which in turn will bring them more sponsors. Sponsors are crucial within the sport as it is the responsibility of the drivers and their teams to fund their participation, and sponsors play a massive part in this. The lack of sponsors supporting women has meant they haven't had equal opportunities to men.
Additionally, the series is designed to give more access to track time, racing and testing as well as support on and off track with technical, mental and physical preparations and therefore will prepare and develop female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition within motorsport. The ultimate goal is that F1 Academy will provide the experience to progress to F3, and ultimately F2 and F1.
What is changing in the 2024 season?
Ahead of the 2024 season, some major changes have been introduced by F1 Academy in conjunction with Formula 1.
The first of these changes is that F1 Academy will be broadcasted, as opposed to only offering live timings as they did in 2023 season. When F1 Academy was originally launched, there was considerable backlash when it was announced none of the races would be broadcasted.
Charley Williams, reporting for WTF1 said "I’m a bit taken aback by this news. F1’s push to aid women in progressing their professional racing careers is a huge step in the right direction – especially given the demise of W Series. Motorsport is still a largely male-dominated environment, and there are many fans that want to welcome these initiatives, ones that are vital for increasing women’s representation in the sport. But I can’t help but feel a bit flat knowing it’s not being broadcast in the same capacity other series are, especially when you consider that even low-level club racing is live-streamed on YouTube."
So it is great to see this changing for 2024, fans will now be able to properly enjoy the racing and be fully immersed. In order for the sport to receive the support it deserves and provide more exposure for its talented drivers, broadcasting the races will be instrumental in this.
Another important change is that the F1 Academy calendar will align with that of Formula 1, in order to bring more international awareness of the series and to help increase its popularity. This also makes it easier for fans to watch the F1 Academy events in person, particularly if they're already planning to attend the F1 race weekend.
The third of the major changes is that all 10 Formula 1 teams are to each have their livery one on F1 Academy car, and in addition to this they will each nominate one of the F1 Academy drivers to represent their team. The remaining 5 drivers will be supported by other partners of the series. All 15 drivers will still also be a part of their F1 Academy team.
Speaking on this subject, Susie Wolff said: "This landmark moment not only demonstrates the depth of support for F1 Academy from across the F1 community but will inspire a whole generation of young girls to realise the opportunities both on and off track in motorsport."
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali believes that the link created betwen F1 Academy drivers and the 10 F1 teams presents the next step to create a system that will bring talented female drivers through the ranks. He said, “We created F1 Academy to bring about real and lasting change to ensure young female talent have the right system in place to follow and achieve their dreams,"
Overall, the introduction of F1 Academy and the subsequent changes made for the 2024 season is an incredibly positive step-forward for the sport and it will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of female driving talent, as well as proving them with the equal opportunities and ultimately the success that they deserve. The future is certainly bright for women in motorsport, what F1 Academy has achieved in one year has been monumental, and the 2024 season will be another hugely exciting progression.
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