The championship traces its roots back to 2004, when Formula Woman was established due to the lack of female drivers in other series. In 2019, the W Series was created for the same reason and was held for over three seasons, and the planned 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] However, after the 2022 season, the series was battling financial issues and was put into administration and liquidated.[3][4]
On 18 November 2022, Formula One announced the creation of F1 Academy, a racing series for women aiming to focus on developing and preparing young drivers to progress to higher levels of competition. It was created to help smooth the transition from karting to the single-seater ladder.[5]
On 1 March 2023, Susie Wolff was appointed the managing director for the series.[9]
The initial season of the series was controversially not broadcast,[10] with the exception of the season finale at the Circuit of the Americas.[11] Every race of the second season will be broadcast, with live viewing available from a total of 23 broadcasters in more than 160 international territories. Formula E presenter Nicki Shields became the lead commentator for the season, with Alex Brundle and Jordan King joining her as co-commentators.[12]
For the 2023 season, Formula One subsidised the cost of each car, with drivers having to contribute €150,000.[5] This was reduced to €100,000 for the 2024 season.[13] Also for 2024 onwards, all ten Formula One teams support one driver each who carries the team's livery on their car. The remaining five drivers are supported by the series' partners.[7]
On 3 May 2023, it was announced that Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine would be creating a docuseries about F1 Academy.[14] On 3 May 2024, exactly one year later, it was announced that the show would be available to stream on Netflix in 2025.[15]
Championship format
The 2023 season consisted of seven event weekends with three races each, for a total of 21 races, plus fifteen days of official testing. Each race weekend included two 30-minute races, and a 20-minute race where the top 8 drivers from qualifying had their starting positions reversed. The final of the seven events was a Formula One support race during the United States Grand Prix.[5][16][17]
On 31 March 2023, Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali announced that the 2024 season would take place exclusively on select Formula One weekends, joining Formula 2, Formula 3 and the Porsche Supercup as part of the support bill.[18] This required a change to the race weekend format, reducing the number of races to two by removing the reverse-grid race.[19]
The 2024 season also saw the addition of FIA Super Licence points and wild card entries. The top five drivers in the championship earn points towards an FIA Super Licence, with 10 for the champion, 7 for the runner-up, 5 for third-place, 3 for fourth, and 1 for fifth. Wild card entries will be introduced at specific rounds in order to promote and strengthen the talent pool in the areas where the series races. These entries will be operated as a fourth car by the reigning teams' champion Prema Racing, with the driver eligible to score points in the drivers' standings.[20] New team entrant Hitech Grand Prix will replace Prema Racing in the 2025 season.[8]
Progression
F1 Academy drivers must be between the ages of 16 and 25, and cannot race for more than two seasons in the series.[21] The Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) has guaranteed a fourth entry to any team that signs a driver who finished P1, P2 or P3 in the F1 Academy standings.[22] 2023 champion Marta García received a fully funded seat in the 2024 FRECA Championship courtesy of F1 Academy, PREMA Racing, Tatuus and Pirelli. However, FRECA is not the only option for progression, as the series announced that "each season F1 Academy will work in close collaboration with the F1 Academy teams to support its winner in progressing up the motorsport ladder".[23] For the 2024 season, drivers' champion Abbi Pulling received a fully funded seat in the 2025 season of GB3 Championship with Rodin Motorsport.[24]
F1 Academy cars are built on the Tatuus F4-T421 chassis used in Formula 4 championships globally since 2022, although modified front and rear wings make the aero package unique.[25] The tyres are provided by Formula One partner Pirelli. The engine is supplied by Autotecnica Motori and consists of a 1.4-litre turbocharged4 cylinder, capable of delivering 174 horsepower at 5500 rpm.[26]
^"Rules and Regulations". F1 Academy. Retrieved 15 October 2024. F1 ACADEMY is a one-make racing series consisting of 15 identical cars, or 16 when Wild Card entry is present. All drivers must be women and be 25 years of age or younger, and 16 years of age or older when entering their first race event of the season. Additionally, all drivers may only compete in two seasons of the series.
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