F1 Academy set to receive support from F1 teams
Formula 1's new all-female support series F1 Academy has now announced that from the 2024 season all 10 Formula 1 teams will have one driver and have their livery on one car competing in F1 Academy.
Formula One added a new series to its existing structure with the all-female driver category, called the F1 Academy. The previous female series, the W Series went into administration this June with the new F1 Academy having picked up several talents from the now defunct W Series.
The all-female series that aims to develop and prepare young women drivers to progress to the highest levels of competition consists of five separate teams, each one of which run by current F2 or F3 constructors.
Each team enters three cars to make up a 15-car grid. The first season is contested over seven events with each event being comprised of three separate races. There will also be 15 days of official testing on top of the 21 race calendar.
The series has five teams: ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, PREMA Racing and Rodin Carlin, who each have three cars in the series and three drivers - a total of 15 cars and 15 drivers. From 2024, 10 of these drivers will be nominated by Formula 1 teams and each team will have their livery on one car. The details of the drivers and liveries will be confirmed at a later time by the F1 teams.
The remaining five drivers in the series will be supported by other partners with announcements of these to be made in due course. The final 2024 driver line up for each team will be revealed at a later date.
Commenting on the cooperation with the existing F1 teams, Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, said: “First and foremost, I want to thank the Formula 1 teams for their support and vision as we embark on this journey together.
"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. As we join the F1 calendar for next year and host F1 Academy Discover Your Drive events in the lead up to our races, I am confident that we will have a positive impact across our sport in the long term.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, 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. Today is a very important moment as it shows the impact the project is having and the support it is receiving from across the F1 community.
"Susie, the teams, and everyone involved are working tirelessly to ensure we go from strength to strength and continue to deliver on the important objective we have set out together. In 2024 the F1 Academy will join our race calendar, raising the awareness and profile of the series globally and to have the F1 liveries on the grid will be something very special," concluded Domenicali.
