It was the first time in 47 years that a woman had driven a Formula 1 Grand Prix, with Italy’s Lella Lombardi finishing 12th at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.
The all-female W series was launched in 2019 with the aim of giving women a way to get behind the wheel, but it was canceled in June without seeing a woman approaching the F1 seat.
now, F1 Academy Filling the void is an all-female racing series started with F1 Fifteen drivers competed in three of the seven rounds in April. The first of his six are in Europe and the last of his six are in Austin, Texas.
But the series isn’t just about finding the next female F1 driver. This is also an attempt to recruit women to other occupations in the sport, such as engineers and mechanics.
“The concept of the F1 Academy is to create a platform where women can be developed to take them to the next level, but at the same time to inspire the next generation and create opportunities both on and off the track,” said the manager. said Susie Wolfe of Academy director said in an interview.
“We are not just focused on finding the next female F1 driver. We want to be a movement that actually impacts the sport and increases diversity in all areas.”
Wolff enjoyed a healthy career in motorsport. After her many years of success in the karting world, she raced in various categories and she made her way into F1 in 2012 as a development driver for the Williams team.
Two years later, she became the first woman to attend a Grand Prix weekend since Wolff’s Giovanna Amati during the practice sessions for the 1992 British and German Grand Prix.
After founding the Dare To Be Different campaign, which aimed to increase women’s participation in motor racing, Wolff was Team Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the Venturi Formula E Team from 2018 to 2022.
“I feel really lucky to have been a driver for 25 years,” said Wolff, who is married to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. “So I’ve been there, so I know what all these young drivers are going through and what the challenges are.
“Now I’m in the F1 academy and I don’t just put up the flag saying ‘I think it’s possible’, I know I can do it because I’ve been there.” But getting to the top is incredibly difficult. “
The W Series put the spotlight on a group of young female drivers looking to break into F1. All competitors received subsidies from the series, and the overall champion was given her $500,000 prize. This program collapsed due to financial problems.
The F1 Academy is supported by F1 with a budget of $160,000 per driver. The 15 drivers must secure matching sponsorships and the winner will be promoted to Formula 3.
“I have to give credit where credit is due, but W Series has started something,” Wolff said. “Would I have done this? No, they still achieved a lot.
“It’s naive in the F1 academy not to learn from what they did well and what they did wrong,” she said of its business model. “But I still commend them for their efforts, because those who not only talk about it, but act on it right away deserve a certain amount of respect.”
The F1 Academy has five teams run by established F2 and F3 teams: ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, Rodin Carlin, MP Motorsport and Prema Racing.
Stephanie CarlinRodin Carlin’s team principal said the major difference between the F1 Academy and the W Series was the Academy’s focus on “rebalancing women in motorsport”.
“It’s not just the drivers. The F1 Academy is a showcase for women’s potential in all areas,” Carlin, who is also deputy team principal of Rodin Carlin’s F2 and F3 teams, said in an interview.
“A year ago we didn’t have any female staff other than public relations and accounting, but now we have two female mechanics and one female engineer trained to be part of the Formula 1 academy team. is here because there is a strong movement to bring women into motorsport.”
Of her ambition to see female Formula 1 competitors, Carlin said: “The F1 academy is a driving force for true realization of talent and producing female stars who make it to the finish line, but that is not a permanent goal.” said. momentary work. It’s a long process. “
Chloe Grant, The 17-year-old is one of the hopefuls. She is a driver in her ART Grand Prix her team founded by Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur.
Grant said he feels lucky to be one of the drivers competing in his debut season.
“This is a big step up for me,” said Grant, who finished ninth in last year’s GB4 Championship, in an interview. “I learned the basics of single-seaters last year, but I didn’t really learn that much.
“But after just a few rounds of the F1 Academy, I learned a lot more this year than I did last year, and you can see that in the progress I’ve made in my times, my pace and my confidence in the car.”
Like all drivers in the F1 Academy, the goal of reaching Formula 1 is clear, but money remains a hurdle. Going up the motorsport ladder from karting to F1 would probably cost around $7 million.
“Financially, getting there and even breaking through F3 and F2 is unrealistic for me at the moment,” said Grant. “Unless you get help and support.”
Wolff said it could be eight to 10 years before women compete in Grand Prix again.
“It hurts me to say that because there are a lot of young girls who are racing right now who are clearly competent,” she said. This is definitely a long term project and that is why it is so important and F1 is backing this project because we will see and harvest the results but time will It will take. “
