A new age for women's motor racing is on the horizon, with an all-women league ready to launch some of the best talents into the pinnacle of the sport.
The new all-female racing category called the F1 Academy will launch this year, with 15 women across five teams competing, with hopes of fostering the first woman to drive in a Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1976.
The new category fits under Formula 1, F2 and F3, and it is hoped to be a launch pad for some of the world's best female talent to enter these competitions.
All five teams that will compete this season currently field cars in the F3 and F2 championships, increasing the exposure of female motor racers.
British teen Abbi Pulling signed for the Rodin Carlin team and has become a fully fledged member of the Alpine Academy driver program — the same academy that produced current F1 drivers Oscar Piastri and Guanyu Zhou.
The 19-year-old has been making a splash in the British Formula 4 as well as the all-female W Series, but now gets her biggest opportunity yet to impress teams at the top of the racing food chain.
"It is great to be competing in the first season of the F1 Academy, especially to be working with such a successful team as Rodin Carlin," Pulling said.
"I can't wait to get the season started, working alongside some incredible people.
"I have lots of trust in them and know they will push me to be the best I can be."
For German driving star Carrie Schreiner, the F1 Academy is another achievement in what has been a successful career so far for the 24-year-old.
She joins ART Grand Prix, after plenty of experience in carting, British and German Formula 4 and endurance racing.
She became the first woman to win a race in the Porsche Sports Cup series with a victory in Austria in 2018.
"F1 takes an important step by creating its own women's championship," she said.
"It's a great honour to drive for ART Grand Prix. Few teams have such a record with so many champions.
"I'm proud to join their roster of pilots and excited about what we can accomplish together."
'Excellent opportunity' brings excitement for female racing
When announcing the new series last November, F1 made clear they want more women in their racing pyramid.
"Formula 1's intentions are to ensure aspiring female drivers have the best opportunities to reach their potential, with an important first step of getting into Formula 3 and progressing through the ranks," it said in a statement.
F1 president Stefano Domenicali said the new series will give young female drivers the best chance to move into F3, and then hopefully as high as F1.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula 1 wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to create greater diversity and routes into this incredible sport,” he said.
Spanish racer Nera Marti signed for Campos Racing, a Spanish team with rich history in the junior categories.
"It provides an excellent new opportunity to continue taking steps forward in my racing career," the 21-year-old said.
Only two women have ever started an F1 race, Maria Teresa de Filippis in the 1950s and Lella Lombardi in the 1970s.
Lombardi scored half-a-point for her team, March, in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.
