For young female drivers aspiring to move up the single seater ladder, racing in F1 Academy is undoubtedly a remarkable opportunity due to the subsided costs and significant media attention. However, can more be done to lay the foundations for future success? We examine the successes of the all-female single-seater F4 series to date.
In light of the recent announcement of the 2025 F1 Academy calendar, we examine the successes of the all-female single-seater F4 series to date, while providing a critique over the most crucial areas for improvement in sustaining the championship long-term.
For young female drivers aspiring to move up the single seater ladder, racing in F1 Academy is undoubtedly a remarkable opportunity due to the subsided costs and significant media attention. However, can more be done to lay the foundations for future success?
F1 Academy has gone from strength-to-strength since its first race at the Red Bull Ring in April 2023. Prema Racing’s Marta Garcia was crowned champion after claiming seven victories across the campaign which saw her secure the prize of a funded drive in the Formula Regional European Championship for 2024.
The key strength of F1 Academy is the reduced entry cost compared to regional F4 championships, with drivers required to contribute a budget of €100,000, down from €150,000 in 2023. In comparison to a regular financial outlay that can almost reach €1 million per season for frontrunning F4 drivers in other categories, the difference is stark.
After being on the support bill of a range of championships throughout 2023, including the FIA World Endurance Championship and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, the final round of the campaign saw the F1 Academy drivers compete at Circuit of the Americas alongside Formula 1. This was a significant achievement for F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff who succeeded in raising the profile of the series to new heights.
For 2024, all seven rounds of F1 Academy have been scheduled to take place on the support package of Formula 1. Additionally, every Formula 1 team supported a driver in F1 Academy with the team’s livery adorning their respective cars. The remaining five drivers were supported by partners of F1 Academy, such as Tommy Hilfiger and Charlotte Tilbury.
A revised calendar
The most significant news to be announced in recent weeks was the unveiling of the 2025 F1 Academy calendar. Continuing to support Formula 1, the season begins at a new venue in the form of Shanghai International Circuit, in China. Trips to Jeddah, Miami, Montreal, Zandvoort and Marina Bay follow, before the season finale takes place at Las Vegas in November.
With all five teams based in Europe, along with their engineers and mechanics, this results in long trips to all but one 2025 venue. Sophia Floersch has been an outspoken critic of all-female series and following the calendar announcement, she validly pointed out that the travel costs will be extremely high for the drivers.
Both travel and accommodation costs are not paid for by F1 Academy and by visiting circuits such as Marina Bay and Las Vegas, drivers will have to raise additional budget to offset these added, and arguably unnecessary, expenses.
The environmental impact of the 2025 F1 Academy calendar must also be considered. With no two events taking place in the same month, the teams will fly the cars and associated equipment back to Europe between each event. With Formula 1 targeting a Net Zero Carbon initiative by 2030, the significant emissions created by the worldwide F1 Academy calendar stands in opposition to this plan.
This calendar is markedly different from that in 2023 which featured six of the seven rounds in Europe, compared to just one in 2025. In the inaugural season, all seven venues were permanent race circuits with just two fully-permanent tracks remaining on the calendar in 2025 (Shanghai & Zandvoort).
As a result, the drivers progressing up the single seater ladder will not be as prepared to make the next step in their career. This is because F1 Academy will only race at one circuit (Zandvoort) which features on either the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship calendar or the 2025 GB3 Championship schedule. These are the two series which F1 Academy champions have been assisted in moving up to.
In comparison, drivers racing in the 2025 Italian F4 Championship, a similar level feeder series, will already have experience of these circuits. Four tracks feature on both the 2025 Italian F4 Championship calendar as well as the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship schedule, providing a path for drivers to utilise their past experience of a circuit in a more powerful car. This experience cannot be replicated and the focus on street circuits in the 2025 F1 Academy calendar may contribute to drivers adapting less quickly to other championships.
Looking ahead further, all seven circuits which feature on the 2025 F1 Academy schedule do not feature on the 2025 FIA Formula 3 calendar. Drivers in FIA Formula 3 race on only one street circuit, Monaco, therefore only 20% of their races take place on non-permanent tracks if Albert Park, Melbourne is also included.
With over 70% of races in the 2025 F1 Academy season being held on street circuits, this stands in contrast to every other F4 level championship in the world, in addition to FIA Formula 3. The skillset required for driving on street circuits is different with these tracks rarely promoting the wheel-to-wheel racing or overtaking opportunities which the young drivers should enjoy at this level of their development.
Street circuits are also extremely punishing in terms of mistakes and the loss of track time can have a greater effect on the driver’s ability to recover throughout the weekend due to circuit evolution. With F1 Academy being a developmental series for young drivers, track time should be of paramount importance. If time is lost due to red flag periods in practice & qualifying or safety car interruptions in the races, this negatively impacts drivers’ progress at circuits which will often be unfamiliar to them.
However, the circuit type could be beneficial if drivers are targeting a career in American single seaters, particularly on the Road to Indy ladder. For the 2025 USF2000 season, another comparable championship, almost one-quarter of races are held on street circuits and the additional knowledge would be beneficial for drivers looking to make this step in their career. If the plan remains for F1 Academy to promote their drivers within the FIA single seater ladder, a focus on permanent circuits appears more appropriate.
One of the limitations which F1 Academy faces on the Formula 1 support package is a lack of available time at the majority of rounds featuring permanent circuits, particularly within Europe. This is because FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3 and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup occupy the majority of slots. In 2025, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup does not visit Red Bull Ring or Silverstone and therefore an opportunity potentially arose for F1 Academy to race at these venues, two circuits which are well-suited to F4 style racing.
However, there are advantages for F1 Academy to run as the highlight on the support package and these are significant in assessing the reasons behind the revised 2025 calendar. As one of the main attractions outside of Formula 1, all eyes will be on the F1 Academy drivers as opposed to being on a support package which includes both FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3.
This should result in more favourable timetable slots where fans will be in the stands to witness the action first-hand. Care should be taken to avoid situations such as at Miami this year, where the F1 Academy drivers were on-track prior to general admission opening.
By running as a central support series, timetable constraints will also be avoided and this strength was displayed at Zandvoort this season. Due to inclement weather, race one of the event had to be postponed and due to the limited support series action, it could be rescheduled to the following day. If F1 Academy raced on a full support package, flexibility would be reduced and with a calendar featuring only seven events, completing all the races should be a top priority.
However, the circuits chosen for the 2025 F1 Academy calendar were not the only options with a limited support series billing and more appropriate tracks were viable. Both Japan and Brazil are large motorsport markets with passionate fans who have shown consistent support for women in motorsport.
Japanese drivers Juju Noda and Miki Koyama previously drove in W Series, while Japan itself has played host to an all-female series in the form of the Kyojo Cup. Meanwhile, Brazilian racer Aurelia Nobels has raced in F1 Academy this season with Rafaela Ferreira confirmed for 2025 and the support for these drivers has been consistently strong.
Both Suzuka and Interlagos are legendary circuits with a rich history of Formula 1, while affording good racing opportunities for F4 machinery. Either circuit would have been a superb addition to the calendar and both markets have huge potential for future female racing drivers. This omission of these tracks would be understandable if F1 Academy raced primarily in Europe, however with the push for races across the globe, trips to both Brazil and Japan would seem more sensible than repeated visits to North America or the Middle East.
By prioritising these markets, this is a clear indication that F1 Academy is choosing to expand from a predominantly financial and marketing perspective in place of visiting countries with a sustained motorsport history and a considerable interest in promoting female talent.
Hosting the 2025 season finale at Las Vegas is a further example of this and highlights the priorities of F1 Academy in promoting the off-track element of the series over the on-track product. There is little doubt that Las Vegas will put on a spectacular show for the season finale, however the impact of this event would be larger if the majority of prior races were held on permanent circuits. As the only support series wrapping up its championship in Las Vegas, this will ensure a greater focus can be placed upon F1 Academy by both teams, fans and the media.
Building on the W Series legacy
On 10th October 2018, W Series was formally launched with the all-female single-seater series aiming to promote female drivers to the highest levels of motorsport. W Series ran for three seasons with Indy NXT race winner Jamie Chadwick claiming a hat-trick of titles. Utilising Tatuus T-318 cars, the series used a variation of Formula Regional machine, a higher level of car than is raced in F1 Academy.
In 2019, W Series supported DTM before stepping up to the Formula 1 support series package in both 2021 and the shortened 2022 season. Although W Series raised the profile of female racing drivers, particularly when competing on the Formula 1 package, the championship was heavily criticised for its segregation, technical inconsistencies and a lack of support for its most successful drivers.
After W Series fell into administration and was subsequently liquidated in 2023, a gap in the market opened up for a new all-female, single seater series. This gap was quickly filled by F1 Academy which was created in November 2022 and aimed to build on the legacy left by W Series.
It was announced that drivers would race a Tatuus F4-T421 chassis and therefore F1 Academy pitched itself as a stepping stone between karting and formula car racing. F1 Academy is an F4 level championship and the Tatuus F4-T421 is primarily the car used for FIA sanctioned F4 level series.
F1 Academy machines utilise a slightly different aerodynamic package, with other technical variances including different specifications of brakes and engine settings - and this has added to the challenge for drivers who switch series in order to gain additional track time. There is little benefit for drivers and teams alike to use a different package to that raced in regional F4 championships and this was a puzzling decision made by F1 Academy organisers.
For F1 Academy to be a success, it would need to tackle the flaws of W Series while creating its own motorsport identity. Opponents of all-female championships have cited the segregation of drivers as regressive in the pursuit for equality and this was a criticism which F1 Academy also faced upon its creation.
There has been no simple solution to resolving this conflict and although the idea is well-founded due to the limited participation of women in motorsport, the separation of female drivers poses questions as to their future progress when moving into mixed gender series.
The identity of W Series was also questioned due to the average age of drivers on the grid. At the start of the 2019 season, the inaugural year for W Series, the average age of the grid was 24.2. As a developmental single seater series, this was significantly too high when contrasted to comparable series such as the Formula Regional European Championship which this year featured an average age of 17.9 for its full-time drivers.
Here, F1 Academy has made significant strides in comparison to W Series and this should be commended, however there is still much work to be done to bring the average age of the grid in line with regional F4 championships, in addition to the Formula Regional European Championship.
In 2023, the average age of the F1 Academy grid was 20.6 and this fell to 20.4 in 2024. This is likely to fall further in 2025, despite the recent announcement of twenty-three-year-old Courtney Crone signing for Haas following her Wild Card appearance earlier in the season.
If the average age reduces as expected, this will successfully demonstrate progress which is being made by F1 Academy in establishing itself as a credible series for young female drivers.
However, the average age of the F1 Academy grid still remains almost three years higher compared to the Formula Regional European Championship, the series which arguably sits directly above F1 Academy on the single seater ladder. If F1 Academy is looking to promote drivers to higher series, eventually to Formula 1, the average age must fall to 18 or younger.
The credibility of the series will suffer if the average age remains too high as the prospects of these drivers progressing outside of the F1 Academy support system will be significantly lower. For these drivers to compete alongside their male counterparts, their career trajectory needs to mirror male drivers and therefore F1 Academy should be looking to reduce the average age of the grid as a top priority.
One notable strength of F1 Academy over W Series was the introduction of a conventional team structure which mirrors that of other single seater championships. Whereas W Series machines were all run by one team, F1 Academy attracted five of the most successful squads in the history of single seater racing. Current reigning champions Prema Racing are joined by Rodin Motorsport, Campos Racing, ART Grand Prix and MP Motorsport in running three cars apiece.
This is a significant strength for F1 Academy drivers who benefit from being part of an experienced, professional outfit and this has a large bearing on their on-track and off-track development. Working alongside teams who have knowledge of the car, together with information on the majority of the circuits, enables the drivers to get up to speed quickly while having confidence in their mechanics and engineers.
As a result, the transition onto the Formula 1 package is smoother with the drivers further aided by high-tech simulators owned by each of the teams. These five teams enable F1 Academy drivers to have the best chance of success, while data sharing between three cars provides key reference points when aiming for lap time improvements.
Closely connected to this is the relationship between the driver and engineer, another step forward which was made by F1 Academy in comparison to W Series. In the inaugural W Series season, both chassis and engineers were rotated between rounds and this caused significant performance discrepancies.
The driver-engineer relationship is one of the most important elements to continued success in motorsport and by removing this, W Series introduced an unnecessary variable. With F1 Academy drivers continuing with the same team throughout the season, they can build up a rapport with their engineer. This mirrors every other motorsport championship in the world, with W Series being a considerable outlier with their imposition of engineer rotation.
Despite W Series making improvements during the 2022 season, including a team structure and TV rights which included Sky Sports F1 in the UK, financial difficulties led to its eventual downfall. The series struggled to establish a clear vision and the valid criticisms remained until the final race which took place at Marina Bay, Singapore in October 2022. This paved the way for a newly created all-female single-seater series in the form of F1 Academy.
The beginning of F1 Academy
The first round of F1 Academy took place in April 2023 at the Red Bull Ring, a low-key affair with no TV coverage and strict restrictions placed on both fans and media personnel. The conscious decision made by F1 Academy not to broadcast the majority of the 2023 season showed a priority for a low profile, while exhibiting a sense of exclusivity which was not welcomed by drivers, fans and media alike.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, streaming of motorsport series across the world expanded rapidly with the majority of club racing events now live streamed on YouTube or other streaming platforms, with professional commentary and multiple camera angles commonplace.
Expectations were high surrounding the first round of F1 Academy and fans were shocked to learn that they would not be able to watch the first 18 races of the season. Despite motorsport fans showing a considerable interest in F1 Academy, fan engagement fell dramatically following the decision not to broadcast the races.
As a result, initial momentum which the series gained was lost and the absence of comments or acknowledgment regarding the lack of TV coverage was disappointing.
Together with the lack of TV coverage, fans were not allowed to attend a number of European rounds during the inaugural season. This was another decision which lacked explanation and without accessibility, this was a missed opportunity to build interactions between fans, drivers and partners.
The first round with fan attendance came at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia with F1 Academy supporting the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Racing alongside the Formula Regional European Series at Circuit de Barcelona, both events in Spain generated substantial interest. Racing in their home countries, both Marta Garcia and Nerea Marti were extremely popular with young fans and this demonstrated the potential of F1 Academy to enabling young girls to form an early, hands-on connection with motorsport.
Momentum was sustained at Monza in July as a supporting series to the FIA World Endurance Championship and this event underlined the passion which fans had for F1 Academy. The grandstands were consistently full for the F1 Academy races at Monza and drivers and fans alike enjoyed the experience of interacting with one another.
Although initial reactions to the creation of F1 Academy were understandably mixed following the demise of W Series, there was a sense of promise among the motorsport community that the new series would be a step forward for women in motorsport. Pitching at F4 level, this was a more realistic point of entry for female drivers who were aiming for a career at the highest level.
Drivers were required to contribute €150,000 to secure a place on the grid in 2023 and despite this being a significant figure, the amount required was substantially lower than the budget needed for a full-season of racing in another regional F4 championship.
The driver lineup features a mix of drivers who had success in W Series, such as Marta Garcia and Nerea Marti, while also promoting young talent such as Jessica Edgar and Bianca Bustamante. Crucially, only one driver, Chloe Chong, came directly from karting, the path which F1 Academy initially looked to promote.
Track time for the 2023 F1 Academy season was significantly greater than in W Series and this was a key lesson learnt. In the first season of W Series, the full campaign consisted of just six races, however additional practice sessions took the total amount of track time for the 2019 season to 900 minutes. Despite a slight increase in the number of races in 2021, the total track time fell to 720 minutes per year as practice time was significantly reduced as part of the Formula 1 package.
In contrast, the inaugural season of F1 Academy saw the drivers take part in 15 days of collective testing in preparation for a 21-race calendar. Excluding testing, F1 Academy drivers enjoyed 1330 minutes of track time across the 2023 season and this brought the series in line with other regional F4 championships. This step forward was important in aiding with driver development and giving the F1 Academy drivers the best chance of imminent success, together with progress into higher series.
In total, 8 of the 15 drivers who competed in the 2023 F1 Academy season claimed at least one victory, with every driver scoring multiple top-10 finishes. The final round of the championship, held at Circuit of the Americas, was the first opportunity for the drivers to race on the Formula 1 package and subsequently the final three races of the season were televised.
Spanish racer Marta Garcia secured the title from Léna Bühler and Hamda Al Qubaisi. As a result of her championship title, Garcia was awarded a funded drive in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship where she joined the Iron Dames squad.
In support of Formula 1
A number of significant changes came into force ahead of the 2024 F1 Academy season which saw the series reach new heights. The most notable change saw F1 Academy support Formula 1 at all seven of their rounds, with each Formula 1 team also supporting at least one driver in F1 Academy. This led to a significant calendar change with six European rounds in 2023 reduced to just two in 2024, with three of the seven rounds taking place in the Middle East.
Another key development was the reduction of the financial contribution required by the drivers, dropping to €100,000 from €150,000 in 2023. As a result, the attraction of F1 Academy to young female drivers grew and the reduced cost allowed drivers to target the series which previously would have been unable to do so due to financial constraints. This compares to costs approaching €1 million for frontrunning drivers in regional F4 championships in Europe, further standing F1 Academy apart as excellent value for money.
The chance to race on the Formula 1 package is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a significant majority of drivers, with the future marketing opportunities greater than has previously been afforded.
The introduction of Formula 1 team involvement has stood F1 Academy apart from other single-seater series and has been a significant coup for managing director Susie Wolff. Drivers also have the opportunity to benefit from the use of Formula 1 team simulators and this allows them to enter race weekends with the best possible preparation.
Representing Formula 1 teams and their associated partners, allows the drivers to develop off-track skills which will be important when progressing from F1 Academy. Nonetheless, this places significant pressure on the shoulders of teenagers who are often required to maintain standards most associated with Formula 1 drivers.
The F1 Academy drivers should be commended in the way they have handed this added responsibility, together with the intense media scrutiny. Despite a heavy workload and ever-growing expectations, they have shown stepped-up to this challenge and displayed professionalism and maturity throughout.
However, the visibility of personal sponsors raised by drivers are highly restricted due to agreements struck by Formula 1 teams. Whereas a long-term sponsor could have a car fully wrapped in their design in a regional F4 championship, this is not the case in F1 Academy. A logo on a suit or helmet may be agreed, however maintaining strong relationships with personal sponsors will be important to future progression.
For friends, family and sponsors alike, racing on the Formula 1 package has limited their ability to immerse themselves in the F1 Academy paddock. This is because the paddock is closed-off with extremely limited fan access, further restricting engagement for drivers who are aiming to inspire the younger generation to get involved in motorsport.
The importance of track time
Racing on the Formula 1 package has also had a profoundly negative impact on the level of track time available to F1 Academy drivers. As F1 Academy looks to securely establish itself as a leading single-seater series, it has taken a step backwards with regards to its event structure.
Outside of race weekends themselves, F1 Academy has 15 scheduled test days in 2024, the same number as in 2023. This number is considerably lower when compared to the number of test days scheduled for the top regional F4 championships within Europe. For example, a full-season of Spanish F4 includes 20 days of testing, with British F4 offering 25 days and Italian F4 offering up to 30 days with the option for additional days of pre-season testing.
For F1 Academy to enjoy sustained success in promoting female drivers to the highest levels of single-seater racing, an expanded testing programme is required to bring it in line with the regional F4 championships.
For the top drivers who are looking to move from regional F4 into the Formula Regional European Championship, they are regularly engaged in multiple series. The recent expansion of F4 UAE and the creation of the Formula Winter Series provides drivers with further opportunities in which to gain crucial track time and this is reflected in the results which are achieved. These two series offer further testing opportunities for suitably funded drivers, with additional private testing also commonplace.
A case study of F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia can be used to illustrate the significance of testing and track time in moving up the single seater ladder. Garcia competed in the full-season of the Formula Regional European Championship in 2024 and achieved a best result of 14th, however her performances should be commended.
In her championship winning season in F1 Academy, Garcia spent fewer than 40 days in an F4 car during the course of 2023, relying solely on F1 Academy sanctioned tests with no double programme in another series. This compares to an average of just over 60 days for a sample of other F1 Academy drivers who competed across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
When analysing the average number of days spent in F4 cars by frontrunning drivers in the Italian F4 Championship before moving into the Formula Regional European Championship, this number increases to an estimate exceeding 130 days, underlining the disparity in experience which exists when stepping up to a higher category.
Additionally, Garcia completed just 21 races in modern F4 level machinery before stepping up to the Formula Regional European Championship. This compares to an average exceeding 70 races for the sample of drivers from the Italian F4 Championship, with some competing in upwards of 100 events.
Therefore, F1 Academy currently provides a solid platform for female drivers, however track time and testing cannot be replicated. The financial gulf in single seaters remains despite the current attempts made by F1 Academy and therefore Garcia’s results in the Formula Regional European Championship should be understood in this context.
This supports a post made by Sophia Floersch who stated that ‘visibility is not a success factor in sports’. Floersch stated the benchmark to consider was the number of races which male drivers compete in at F4 level, in addition to the number of test days which are completed.
This issue of track time in F1 Academy has been exacerbated by the calendar changes which took place ahead of the 2024 season. The numbers of races were reduced from 21 to 14 and this has had a significant impact on the total track time. In 2023, F1 Academy drivers had 1330 minutes of track time and this dropped significantly to 1030 minutes in 2024, a reduction approaching one-quarter.
This figure of 1030 minutes is lower than all other major regional F4 championships, with the exception of French F4 which featured 805 minutes in 2023. However, the French F4 championship utilises a different chassis in the form of the Mygale M21-F4 and all cars are run by FFSA Academy, with both of these changes reducing costs. Announced just last week, the French F4 Championship will move to 30-minute races in 2024, underlining the importance of track time in recruiting drivers to the series.
The series which offers the closest amount of track time in comparison to F1 Academy in 2024 is the American-based USF Juniors Championship with 1050 minutes. F4 UAE offers 1245 minutes of running, Spanish F4 sees the drivers enjoy 1365 minutes of track time with the Italian F4 Championship hitting 1400 minutes in 2024. The British F4 Championship currently offers the most track time over the course of the season with its 30-race calendar seeing the drivers enjoy 1700 minutes.
For drivers looking to progress up the single seater ladder, Euroformula Open offers 1520 minutes of competitive track time. The most natural progression from F1 Academy comes in the form of the Formula Regional European Championship with this series including 2000 minutes of running in 2024, almost double that of F1 Academy.
F1 Academy is keen to promote drivers to FIA Formula 3 and onwards to FIA Formula 2, therefore comparison to these series are also relevant. In 2024, FIA Formula 3 offered 1600 minutes of running during the course of the season with FIA Formula 2 racers given 2520 minutes, the most of any feeder series researched as part of this article.
With F1 Academy offering less track time in 2024, with no signs of an increase ahead of the 2025 season, this further prevents female drivers from achieving success when progressing up the single seater ladder. As a result, drivers look to other series to supplement their racing programme but this comes at a significant cost, the one factor which F1 Academy aimed to reduce.
The calendar chosen by F1 Academy, with a focus on flyaway races in both North America and Middle East, should offer the ideal opportunity to increase the track time. Where F1 Academy runs as a sole support series to Formula 1, there would be gaps in the schedule to return to three races per weekend, with an option of a reverse grid contest.
Three races per weekend, with potentially two qualifying sessions, would bring F1 Academy in line with regional F4 championships and would close the gap in track time which has emerged in 2024.
Nonetheless, the 15 days of testing which have been afforded to the drivers has been a significant positive. Drivers have continually valued this track time, particularly at circuits such as Jeddah and Losail, since drivers have had no prior experience of these circuits.
However, testing at these venues further increases costs in comparison to regional F4 series where testing is regularly conducted at circuits local to the teams and engineers. By scheduling test sessions at these tracks, the racing has remained close and competitive in F1 Academy without significant field spread during the course of the season.
Driver lineup
The 2024 driver lineup had added to this close competition with a relatively experienced grid of drivers selected by F1 Academy, with once again just a single rookie driver with no prior experience of formula cars. It was disappointing that F1 Academy did not offer Chloe Chong a spot on the grid this season after being the only rookie driver to line up in 2023.
Both Chong and Lia Block adapted superbly in their respective rookie campaigns, particularly when considering some of their rivals have had almost a decade of circuit racing experience under their belt.
The average age of the 2024 grid was slightly lower than that in 2023 and the inclusion of drivers in their second season of F4 competition, such as Tina Hausmann and Aurelia Nobels, has been welcomed. However, the inclusion of two drivers in particular have been questioned and posed thoughts regarding the aim and purpose of F1 Academy.
Supported by Ferrari, Maya Weug stepped down to the F4 level F1 Academy series after an extremely promising 2023 campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship. Racing with KIC Motorsport, Weug finished inside the points on six occasions with a pair of top-seven results at Spa-Francorchamps. Consistently impressing in her rookie season, Weug’s trajectory was set to see her contend for an overall top-10 championship finish if she had continued for a second campaign.
However, Weug returned to a level of competition which she had previously competed at across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, entering the campaign with 53 F4 level races under her belt. Competing for Iron Dames in the 2022 Italian F4 Championship, Maya scored nine top-10 results on her way to 14th in the overall championship.
Weug had shown great potential in the previous three seasons, however her momentum has been broken by a campaign of only 14 races in F1 Academy, in addition to a single event in the Formula Regional European Championship.
Therefore, questions have to be asked surrounding Weug’s inclusion and whether she has benefited from a return to F4 competition, or if her selection by F1 Academy has disrupted her career progression. Weug’s experiences has nonetheless allowed her to be an excellent role model for the younger drivers and allowed them to measure their abilities against a driver with multiple points finishes in the Formula Regional European Championship.
Doriane Pin has raised the profile of women in motorsport to new levels in recent years, however her switch to single seater machinery at the end of 2023 was a surprise to the majority of the motorsport community. Pin began her circuit racing career in Renault Clio Cup France in 2020, before becoming the youngest female driver to stand on the podium in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in 2021.
Pin’s 2022 season saw her dominate the Trofeo Pirelli category of Ferrari Challenge Europe as she claimed nine pole positions and ten victories on her way to the championship. She was rewarded with a move into prototypes in 2023 as she competed for Prema Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship while lining up on the grid at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
However, her most impressive performances arguably came in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. Driving a Lamborghini Huracan for Iron Dames, Pin was the class of the field at both Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta as she went toe-to-toe with some of the most experienced GT3 drivers in the world. At this point, Pin was on course to continue her development at the top echelons of endurance racing.
Pin then made a surprise debut appearance in the Formula F4 South East Asia Championship at the end of 2023 where she claimed a sensational victory. From there, a season in F1 Academy beckoned and Doriane has been a consistent frontrunner despite her single seater inexperience. However, debates have continued as to whether a driver with experience in the FIA World Endurance Championship and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is suited to F1 Academy.
Unlike Weug, Pin’s lack of experience in this style of racing means that F1 Academy is a perfect proving ground. However, expectations were extremely high for Doriane due to her achievements in endurance racing despite the skillset required being markedly different.
Pin has been an asset to F1 Academy throughout the 2024 season, nonetheless her inclusion put the brakes on an endurance racing career which looked set to break down significant barriers for women in motorsport.
Wild Card
In addition to the 15 full-season drivers participating in F1 Academy, a new initiative was set to add a 16th car to the grid in 2024. At each round where it was possible, a Wild Card driver was added. In Susie Wolff’s words, the Wild Card was introduced 'to promote regional talent, engage with local communities and increase the talent pool in the regions in which we race'. Overall, the Wild Card system has been a huge success even if its inclusion has often stood in contrast to the initial aims laid out by Wolff.
In the first two rounds of the 2024 season at Jeddah and Miami respectively, the Wild Card driver was indeed a racer who represented the country of the host venue. In Jeddah, Saudi racer Reema Juffali joined the grid, with all Wild Cards being operated by reigning champions Prema Racing. Juffali has been a trailblazer for Saudi women in motorsport and her inclusion was further evidence of the strides taken in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
However, Juffali is thirty-two years of age and falls outside the age bracket defined in the regulations of F1 Academy. Although Juffali has single seater experience, she is not a driver realistically targeting Formula 1 or progression up the single seater ladder. Therefore, the choice to include Juffali was one motivated by ‘engaging local communities’, rather than promoting future talent for the series.
In Miami, American racer Courtney Crone was selected as the Wild Card with Crone recently announced as a full-time F1 Academy driver in 2025. Although Crone remains within the age bracket in comparison to Juffali, she will turn twenty-four prior to the start of the new season and aside from her Wild Card appearance, Crone has not raced in single seater machinery since 2020.
Since then, Crone has focused on endurance racing and secured six podium finishes in the LMP3 category of the 2023 IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge. Crone has the potential to fight for strong results in 2025, however with the average age of the 2024 FIA Formula 2 grid sitting at 21.1, the decision to include Crone at age twenty-three does not appear to be one based on her ability to follow a conventional age path up the single seater ladder.
Upon the creation of F1 Academy, including older drivers with diverse racing experience was understandable due to the need to grow the series, however with 48 drivers engaged in F4 series across the world in 2024, this requirement is now less significant.
Nonetheless, the remaining Wild Cards in 2024 have delivered superb results despite their lack of seat time. Nina Gademan challenged for podium results at Zandvoort, while Ella Lloyd’s first experience of a street circuit saw her battle with past F1 Academy race winners at Marina Bay. Alisha Palmowski, who is scheduled to line up on the grid in Qatar, topped one of the official pre-event test sessions and will be looking to step onto the rostrum in her debut appearance.
All three of these drivers are ideal choices for Wild Cards and this is the pattern which F1 Academy should continue to follow. Gademan, Lloyd and Palmowski are all engaged in mixed gender single seater series and have shown great potential. For them, a move into F1 Academy would be the next logical step and all three have so far proven to be fast drivers who are worthy of their place on the grid.
With the current calendar devised by F1 Academy, the ‘promoting regional talent’ aspect of the Wild Card system is extremely difficult to achieve. In its place, Wild Cards should be awarded to drivers who are displaying excellent performance in regional F4 championships, or other circuit racing series around the world.
The Wild Cards should be awarded purely on merit and for drivers who are aspiring to join the grid of F1 Academy in the following year. If the main aim of F1 Academy is to showcase the top female talent from across the world, the regional aspect should be negated until the grid size is increased.
This is because an increasing talent pool of female drivers from across the world is emerging, which F1 Academy has been significantly responsible for. In 2024, 48 female drivers entered an F4 series around the world with 16 of these competing in multiple series.
This means that less than half of these drivers were on the F1 Academy grid and therefore promoting drivers from regional F4 into F1 Academy should be a top priority, with the Wild Card system an ideal way to facilitate this.
This was a 37.1% increase in female participation in F4 series from 2023, which itself saw a significant increase of 105.8% from the previous year with the creation of F1 Academy a central factor behind this. The impact of F1 Academy should be commended in initiating this increase in participation which looks set to continue into 2025.
Media
Another significant step forward which F1 Academy has taken in 2024 is the introduction of its partner-supported cars. This is because it has led to new brands being involved in motorsport, in fields which have previously been hesitant to invest in the industry. Cosmetics brand Charlotte Tilbury is the primary example of this via their support of Lola Lovinfosse.
The Charlotte Tilbury livery on Lovinfosse’s Rodin Motorsport machine is striking and catches the attention of spectators, while drawing attention to the brand and its commitment to motorsport.
Cosmetics companies, particularly those with a primary focus on women, have rarely expanded their advertising into motorsport. By Charlotte Tilbury taking this step in F1 Academy, it might lead to similar companies considering motorsport as a viable marketing strategy. This will be a particular strength for female racing drivers who could serve as perfect ambassadors for brands previously not involved in a sport that is now significantly widening its target audience.
Following F1 Academy’s deal to remain on the Formula 1 support series package full time, this meant that the races were now broadcast globally, primarily through F1TV. As a result, fans have been able to watch every F1 Academy qualifying and race session for the past two seasons.
One critique which has emerged from the TV coverage has been the lack of context provided about F1 Academy to the casual viewer. Due to ‘F1’ being in the name of F1 Academy, viewers have believed that the drivers racing in F1 Academy are just one step away from racing in Formula 1, instead of being further down the single seater ladder.
To ensure further clarity, commentators and media personnel should introduce F1 Academy as an F4 level series, something which they have appeared reluctant to do so, particularly in the first half of the season. The addition of Joe Osborne to the commentary team at Zandvoort was excellent as the former McLaren GT factory driver was able to explain concepts in a clear and concise manner, adding to the viewing experience for both casual and experienced fans.
The benefit of viewers understanding the context behind F1 Academy is important in measuring expectations for the drivers. Drivers at F4 level are relatively inexperienced and will make mistakes, therefore if viewers are aware of this then criticism towards the drivers might be reduced.
If commentators were also able to provide further information on other championships the drivers were racing in, this will build up wider knowledge of how F1 Academy sits on the overall motorsport ladder.
The overall media coverage given to the drivers has been a huge positive with the number of social media interactions far outweighing any regional F4 championship. For example, at the time of writing, the official F1 Academy Instagram account is followed by 764,000 people. This compares to 33,700 for British F4, 18,300 for Italian F4 and 26,500 for the Formula Regional European Championship. This is a significant difference which highlights the value of social media in the development of F1 Academy itself, in addition to value gained by drivers who line up on the grid.
Due to the publicity gained by F1 Academy, this leads to further media opportunities and one such example took place prior to the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. F1 Academy race winner Doriane Pin was invited onto the Jimmy Kimmel show, one of the most popular talk shows in America.
At the time of writing, Pin’s interview has been watched over 65,000 times on the Jimmy Kimmel Live YouTube channel. In addition, a short clip from the interview posted on Kimmel & Pin’s Instagram accounts has received over 1 million views with in-excess of 10,000 likes.
The wider impact of just one interview in bringing attention to F1 Academy should not be understated and no regional F4 championship is able to generate this amount of media attention. This places the drivers in the spotlight and enables them to build up a brand and show off their personality which they hope will lead to future sponsorship deals. Furthermore, this shows there is also a long-term media plan to raise the profile of F1 Academy.
In May 2023, just one month after the inaugural F1 Academy race, it was announced that Hello Sunshine were to create a docuseries covering the championship. Following in the footsteps of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, the F1 Academy docuseries will also be available on Netflix with a targeted release date of the first half of 2025.
If a young audience can be engaged in the same way as has been the case for Formula 1: Drive to Survive, the positive impact this could have on F1 Academy is significant. This might help the drivers build up followings which could enable them to secure future sponsorship deals at a higher value than might have been the case without the commissioning of the docuseries. The full impact of this docuseries is still unknown, however it will surely further raise the profile of F1 Academy and enable the series to look ahead towards a secure future.
Racing into to the future
One of the main aims of F1 Academy has been to invest in the future and in this respect, they have laid excellent foundations. The creation of the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive karting programme has been extremely successful in supporting young drivers take the first step into motorsport.
Primarily working alongside Motorsport UK, there was a 400% increase in female karting drivers making it to the BIKC finals this year, with four of the five female finalists graduates of the Discover Your Drive programme.
Investment in karting has not stopped there with F1 Academy supporting nine drivers in the mixed-gender Champions of the Future Academy programme. Including these nine drivers, 24.4% of all racers across the three categories of this series in the season opener at Cremona were female drivers, highlighting significant progress which has been made in a short space of time.
The undoubted star of the Champions of the Future Academy programme is Luna Fluxa with the Spanish driver set to claim the Senior class championship in a season which has seen her dominate the class.
Due to the age restrictions, Fluxa will not be eligible to race in F1 Academy for two more seasons, however she is already supported by the Mercedes Formula 1 team while also being welcomed into the ranks of the Iron Dames squad in September this year.
By investing in the young talent via Champions of the Future Academy programme, female drivers have a clear pathway from karting into single seater competition and this is an undoubted strength of F1 Academy. The question however remains as to whether drivers selected for the Champions of the Future Academy programme will get priority in terms of being selected for future F1 Academy seats and if that is the case, a grid expansion will be required in order to facilitate talent from a range of different backgrounds.
Initiatives including the FIA Girls on Track programme have shown to provide another pathway for young female drivers to progress from karting into single seaters. Alba Hurup Larsen, who has recently been announced to join the F1 Academy grid in 2025, was crowned winner of the final edition of the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars selection.
Although the pathway from karting to F1 Academy is extremely clear, for those who are successful in F1 Academy itself, the future is less secure. This has been indicated by the developments in the career of Marta Garcia. Although Garcia was able to secure one funded season in the Formula Regional European Championship, support from F1 Academy ceased at the end of the 2024 season.
As detailed earlier, lining up on the grid of a higher series is just a small part of the puzzle with extensive testing opportunities, not provided by F1 Academy as part of the champion’s prize, central to success as drivers move up the single seater ladder.
Sophia Floersch has recently questioned whether F1 Academy are still interested in supporting Garcia, their inaugural champion, following her full season in the Formula Regional European Championship. Garcia has since been signed by the Iron Dames squad and is set to begin a career in endurance racing in 2025 after claiming two victories in two meetings in the Ligier European Series.
Although F1 Academy has raised Garcia’s profile for her performances to be appreciated by Iron Dames, her single seater career has now ended. This suggests there is no long-term plan to support the future of F1 Academy champions, a point which needs to be addressed to ensure the legitimacy of the series is sustained.
In November 2024, it was announced that the prize awarded to the 2024 F1 Academy champion would change from a funded seat in the Formula Regional European Championship to a drive with Rodin Motorsport in the GB3 Championship. F1 Academy stated that this was done since ‘each season F1 Academy will work in close collaboration with the F1 Academy teams to support its winner in progressing up the motorsport ladder’.
This suggests that the F1 Academy champion will remain with their existing team for the following season, no matter which team the champion drives for. In the case of the expected 2024 champion Abbi Pulling, she would remain with Rodin Motorsport who compete in the GB3 Championship, but do not currently field cars in the Formula Regional European Championship.
This continuity in team will be appreciated by the drivers who will also be aided in their transition up the motorsport ladder with 20 days of testing also paid for as part of the prize. However, as stated earlier, this number does not compare with the most well-funded drivers who also benefit from a significant number of additional private testing sessions.
The GB3 Championship sits at a similar level to the Formula Regional European Championship and will feature a new car ahead of the 2025 season. The new Tatuus MSV GB3-025 chassis is expected to improve lap times beyond that of the current Formula Regional European Championship cars, while also including a DRS system.
This will mean the new GB3 Championship car is set to be more representative for a move up to FIA Formula 3, compared to the car currently used in the Formula Regional European Championship.
The main feeder series to the GB3 Championship, the GB4 Championship, also holds connections to F1 Academy with a look towards the future. From this season, the highest finishing female driver in the GB4 Championship was awarded a €30,000 contribution towards a drive in the following F1 Academy season.
This figure will rise to €50,000 for the 2025 season and adds to the attraction of the GB4 Championship for drivers targeting a future spot on the F1 Academy grid. Crucially, the highest finishing female driver in the GB4 Championship is not guaranteed a place on the F1 Academy grid in spite of the contribution fund, this decision remains dependent on the F1 Academy management and teams.
Alisha Palmowski was crowned vice-champion in the GB4 Championship and has thus been awarded the €30,000 prize in 2024. Palmowski is set to line up on the grid in Qatar as the latest F1 Academy Wild Card and although she would be an ideal addition to the 2025 grid, her place has yet to be confirmed.
Awarding places on future F1 Academy grids based on merit, such as for the highest finishing driver in the GB4 Championship, would be a good next step. This would be particularly beneficial if similar initiatives were set up across the world, however a grid expansion in F1 Academy would be needed to accommodate this.
One of the biggest challenges which F1 Academy faces in both the short and long term is how to select the grid from an ever-growing pool of talent. Lowering the maximum age to 20, from 25, would be a good first step and progressively reducing it further to 18 would bring F1 Academy in line with the average age of regional F4 championships.
The number of female drivers testing F4 machinery has never been higher and this is predominantly due to the attraction of F1 Academy, particularly from a budget standpoint. Yet, there is little clarity over the selection process of the drivers chosen for the F1 Academy grid. Thus, the estimated hundreds of drivers who are currently testing face an uncertain future as to whether they will be considered for future seasons, despite many being able to raise the €100,000 required.
The recent addition of twenty-three-year-old Courtney Crone poses questions around driver selection. Although an extremely talented driver in her own right, her inclusion suggests that F1 Academy are still not primarily aiming to promote drivers from karting or regional F4 championships.
Due to the large number of teenage single-seater drivers who will miss out on 2025 selection, despite being suited to competing in an F4 level championship, this questions the vision of F1 Academy being a vehicle for promoting drivers up the single seater ladder at a similar age range as their male counterparts.
To make further progress, F1 Academy must ensure the age limit is lowered in the coming years, while ensuring they stick to their own regulations. Allowing drivers just two years in F1 Academy may seem tough, particularly with the shortened calendar, however this is crucial for ensuring the series remains in-line with regional F4 championships where less than 10% of drivers spend a third season at the same level.
Retaining the Wild Card initiative will also be an excellent way for F1 Academy to continue on a positive trajectory, particularly if the Wild Card drivers are purely selected based on merit. Further clarification regarding the financial contribution required for Wild Card drivers would also be beneficial.
This is because the Wild Card drivers have previously been offered the chance to join the full-season drivers for the pre-event test at the requisite round which they are set to compete at. However, if the costs are not covered, a Wild Card appearance could stand against the cost-saving initiative which F1 Academy promotes.
Due to the reduced financial commitment required by drivers in comparison to regional F4 championships, this has seen all drivers complete the entirety of their respective seasons. This is an underrated achievement with the struggle for budget regularly seeing drivers fail to see out entire campaigns in regional F4 series.
For example, over one-quarter of the drivers who competed in the first round of the 2024 Italian F4 Championship did not complete the whole season and this was largely due to financial reasons. Therefore, ensuring budget requirements remain significantly lower than regional F4 championships will help the longevity of F1 Academy.
Stability has also been reached among the five teams which operate the F1 Academy cars. The quintet of teams are all set to return for their third consecutive season, continuing to build up experience of the car with each passing race. This enables drivers new to F1 Academy to feel secure in the knowledge that they are being supported by a professional outfit who also operate cars in other feeder series, allowing them to build future connections in the process.
For example, all five teams currently compete in FIA Formula 3, the next step up the motorsport ladder following the Formula Regional European Championship. In an attempt to increase female participation in FIA Formula 3, current F1 Academy driver Chloe Chambers was invited to take part in a test ‘to help define the set-up regulations’ of the new generation of car.
This was a landmark achievement for women in motorsport with Sophia Floersch given the opportunity to carry out a similar test for FIA Formula 2. This test focused on a ‘complete screening of all suspension set-up configurations used across the season in order to remain below the steering effort level defined by the FIA’.
If F1 Academy is to be successful in its plan of progressing female drivers up the single seater ladder, ensuring the FIA Formula 3 and FIA Formula 2 cars are accessible to female drivers is a positive next step.
F1 Academy has therefore had a significant impact on the participation of women in motorsport over the past two years and its legacy is already being formed. The media coverage continues to elevate the F1 Academy drivers beyond that of racers in regional F4 championships, with the upcoming Netflix docuseries set to grow the audience further. However, questions still remain over the vision of F1 Academy and legitimate concerns remain over the segregation that the series promotes.
If the primary purpose of F1 Academy is to elevate female drivers up the single seater ladder, driver selection and circuit choice must emphasise this. However, if F1 Academy is looking to raise the profile of female racing drivers as a whole, then the name ‘F1 Academy’ is unsuitable and a shift in approach is required.
Will F1 Academy look to select drivers who will help raise the profile of the series, or will F1 Academy select drivers who require the series to help showcase their talents? Will F1 Academy provide meaningful and long-lasting support to its highest achieving drivers to give them the best chance of progress up the single seater ladder? The answer to these questions will primarily determine the future direction and eventual success of F1 Academy.
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