The 2023 race season is underway for most racing series, there is one racing series that is making its debut this season. Formula 1 has introduced 'F1 Academy' an all-female racing series aiming to develop and prepare drivers for F2 and F3 on their path to F1.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1
“It is exciting to be able to announce the five teams that will be racing in the F1 Academy for next year and who will be providing this fantastic opportunity to the young and talented women to begin their journey into competitive motorsport. We believe it is important that everyone has the chance to follow their ambitions and get the support and guidance needed to progress and excel. The F1 Academy is an important part of our plan to increase diversity and representation in motorsport and we are looking forward to the first season in 2023 stay tuned for more news in this area.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
Layout and Weekend Format
There will be 15 drivers spread across 5 teams, running 165bhp turbocharged 4-cylinder engines in the 5 following teams:
1. ART GP
2. Campos Racing
3. Carlin
4. PREMA Racing
5. MP Motorsports
In its inaugural season, the new series will feature 21 races at 7 different locations starting with 15 days test in Barcelona and France. The official season runs from April to October at iconic circuits such as Monza, Austin and Zandvoort. One of F1 Academy's main aims is to prepare drivers mentally and physically by working with established teams to develop and drive them to success within motorsports, it is hoping to become a new pathway for women to aim for in their journey to Formula 1. To back this, Formula 1 is contributing 2.25 million euros to support the series and will support it financially. Susie Wolff has been appointed as managing director and will report directly to CEO of F1 Stefano Domenicali so he can keep a close eye on the progress of both drivers and the series itself, Susie is the former team principal of the Venturi Formula E racing team and racing driver will provide her experience and knowledge to help guide the series in a positive direction.
The weekend format involves the following:
2 Free Practice Sessions
2 Sessions, 40 minutes each
2 Qualifying sessions
3 Races
In the first qualifying session the driver who takes the pole will start on the pole for the first race but for the second race will start P8 as the top 8 from Q1 will be reversed for race 2. The driver who qualifies first in Q2 will start in pole position in Race 3. In terms of tyre allocation, each driver will be allocated 3 and a half sets of dry tyres along with 2 sets of wet weather tyres.
Why this is important for women in motorsports
F1 Academy is going to be featuring some talented drivers such as Abbi Pulling, Chloe Grant and Bianca Bustamante and some who were previously part of WSeries see talented drivers such as these will be encouraging younger female drivers who are aspiring to become motorsports drivers. With the support of the funding, the established teams and the opportunity to race at a range of circuits will give fans a new platform and more exposure to the upcoming talent in Formula 1.
“The F1 Academy presents an opportunity to promote genuine change in our industry by creating the best possible structure to find and nurture female talent on their journey to the elite levels of motorsport, both on and off the racetrack."
Susie Wolff, managing director of F1 Academy
Testing began in Barcelona and finished at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France with 981 laps completed across 6 hours of testing on the circuit De- Catalunya the teams will now be working hard to analyse the data collected and prepare for the first race at the Red Bull Ring on the 28th April. All of the drivers seem happy getting to know their cars whilst also readying themselves for the highly anticipated season ahead. With a huge growth in the female audience in Formula 1, the F1 academy could be what is needed to show the desire to get more women into the sport, this series is surely going to be beneficial for the future of women in Formula 1. In addition, Stefano Domenicali hopes to align the F1 Academy calendar with the official F1 calendar so that both series are racing on the same weekend at the same track, which will also bring more exposure to the series and its drivers in a positive way.
With the season about to get underway, at the Redd Bull Ring on the 28th of April, F1 Academy could be the next step in bringing more female drivers to the grid.
Will F1 Academy bring more females into Formula 1?
Yes
No
Potentially
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