Formula 1 has announced it will launch an all-female driver category, with the aim that it will eventually lead to a woman one day competing on the grid.
The F1 Academy, as it is to be named, will start in 2023 with F1 saying it will be an “extra route” for young women alongside the already existing W Series. The all-female W Series championship, which has been won by Briton Jamie Chadwick for the last three campaigns, had to scrap its final races of 2022 over a lack of funding although it is aiming to return next year for a fourth season.
The format of the F1 Academy will consist of five teams - run by current Formula 2 and Formula 3 teams - of three cars contesting seven events, each featuring three races. It will use the same cars as those that currently compete in Formula 4 and, although there is no calendar announced as yet, one of the races is likely to take place at a grand prix, F1 confirmed.
It’s hoped that the creation of the series can provide opportunities for women to get into F3, with potential F2 and F1 chances in future, and F1 will subsidise each car with a budget of £130,000 (€150,000). That funding will need to be matched by drivers to enter, although F1 also added that it is a “fraction of the usual costs” to enter compared to other similar series.
The last women to race in F1 was Lella Lombardi back in 1976, emphasising just how long it has been.
"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," said Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali.
"That is why I am delighted to announce the F1 Academy that will give young female drivers the best chance to fulfil their ambitions through a comprehensive programme that supports their racing careers and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully to F2 and then the pinnacle of Formula 1.
"The more opportunity there is the better and this is designed to provide another route for the drivers to succeed."
The CEO of the W Series Catherine Bond Muir also spoke on the announcement of the F1 Academy, welcoming any addition that hopes to give opportunities to women in motorsport.
"W Series created the first platform for women in motorsport which has inspired young girls all around the world since our inaugural season in 2019,” she said. “It is fantastic to see this grow as a result of our pioneering work.
"W Series welcomes any initiative which shares our ambition to provide more opportunities for women in motorsport. Our objective from the start has always been to increase the talent pool of women racing drivers, and the addition of the F1 Academy as a feeder to W Series and other series is a further step in inspiring the next generation to progress up the motorsport ladder.
"We are looking forward to finalising W Series' plans for 2023 and beyond, providing exciting racing and entertaining our fans around the world.
"Our mission is still clear: to offer women racing drivers a platform to race globally at the pinnacle of women's motorsport, and in doing so continue to spread our message further and wider."
The F1 Academy will be headed up by Bruno Michel, who has run F2 and F3. He said: "I am very excited to launch this new category. Diversity is extremely important in motorsport, and with the F1 Academy we will prove that female drivers have what it takes to compete at high levels.
"I am absolutely convinced that if young women are given the same amount of experience as any other driver, they can successfully make their way through the pyramid. Our goal is to see female drivers on the F3 grid in the next two to three years, and for them to quickly challenge for points and podiums.
"The aim is to increase the field in the near future, because we hope that this category will inspire more young girls to compete in motorsport at the highest of levels."
