by Vanely Barumire |
What is F1 Academy?
Susie Wolff
The F1 Academy is an all-women racing series that is meant to help young women rise up the ranks in motorsport.
It was formed in 2023 by Susie Wolff, a former racing driver from Scotland.
Women aged 16-25 can compete in this category for a total of two years.
It is on the level of other Formula 4 series that are formed by region, e.g. British F4, Spanish F4 etc.
They all drive the same type of car, but have their own team liveries or sponsors.
In F1 Academy they race all around the world, alongside Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3.
The champions of the series are also provided with a fully-funded seat for their subsequent campaign, with Marta García competing in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2024 and Abi Pulling racing in the GB3 Championship in 2025.
Who drives in F1 Academy?
There are currently 18 drivers from six teams – Rodin Motorsport, MP Motorsport, Campos Racing, ART Grand Prix, PREMA Racing and Hitech TGR – who compete in F1 Academy.
The names of these drivers are the following:
Rodin Motorsport – Emma Felbermayr (Kick Sauber), Ella Lloyd (McLaren) and Chloe Chong (Charlotte Tilbury)
MP Motorsport – Alba Larsen (Tommy Hilfiger), Joanna Ciconte (F1 Academy) and Maya Weug (Ferrari)
Campos Racing – Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford), Rafaela Ferreira (Visa Cash App RB) and Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull Racing)
ART Grand Prix – Courtney Crone (Haas), Aurelia Nobels (PUMA) and Lia Block (Williams)
PREMA Racing – Nina Gademan (Alpine), Tina Hausmann (Aston Martin) and Doriane Pin (Mercedes)
Hitech TGR – Nicole Havrda (American Express), Ava Anagnostiadis (TAG Heuer) and a Wild Card Driver
The series started out with 15 drivers from five teams, but Hitech TGR joined the category for the 2025 season.
A wild card driver was introduced in the sport’s second season in 2024, where a new driver joined for one race to drive for PREMA Racing.
Additionally, the wild card driver would typically be from the region where the drivers are racing in, e.g. Dutch driver Nina Gademan drove in the Netherlands in 2024 before joining the sport full time in 2025.
Where do they drive?
As aforementioned, they race all around the world as a support category for F1.
Their first season in 2023 was almost exclusively raced in Europe visiting countries such as Austria, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, France and the United States (Austin, Texas).
However, in the 2024 season they raced in more regions of the world visiting countries such as Jeddah, the United States (Miami, Florida), Spain, the Netherlands, Singapore, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
In the third season of this sport they will race in China, Jeddah, the United States (Miami, Florida), Canada, the Netherlands, Singapore and the United States (Las Vegas, Nevada) in 2025.
As you can see, each season features a seven-round calendar, representing a variety of circuits to provide the field with challenging tracks to develop their technical skills on.
Why was this category created?
The main reason this category was created is to promote females in motorsport, showing that they can drive just as fast as men and reach the upper levels of racing.
This will be familiar to Susie Wolff, the first woman to participate in a F1 weekend in 22 years – for Williams back in 2014, driving in free practice at Silverstone.
Wolff said to Formula 1 that:
“We want to be the rocket fuel that drives female participation in our sport, both on and off the track. We want to inspire and empower the next generation of young women.”
The category was also formed to give drivers access to more track time, racing and testing, as well as support with technical, physical and mental preparations.
Furthermore, this category was created to have partnerships with some of the most respected brands in motorsport, as well as other brands.
F1 teams also started sponsoring a driver in 2024, helping out with the funding needed to compete in motorsport that is often a big barrier for young drivers.
How does a race weekend go?
A typical race weekend starts with just one practice session that is 40 minutes long.
Each race weekend features one qualifying session and two races (a change from three races in 2023).
The first race is a reverse grid race meaning that the top 8 from qualifying are reversed, e.g. 8th place would start in first for race 1.
For Race 1, points will be awarded to the top eight classified drivers in a sliding scale of 10 points for the winner, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and one point for P8.
Race 2 is formed by qualifying with the driver on pole (in first position) getting two points for this achievement.
For Race 2, the top 10 classified drivers will score 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points respectively.
Similar to Formula 3, there are no pit stops as the races are short enough to last on one tire compound.
When do they drive?
The season lasts from March to November, but the races are very infrequent, with long gaps in between races.
The season started in Shanghai, China from March 21-23, with race 1 being won by Alisha Palmowski and race 2 being won by Doriane Pin.
The season will finish in Las Vegas, Nevada from November 20-22 where the drivers’ champion will be crowned for the 2025 season.
The next race will be in Montreal, Canada from June 13-15, so make sure to keep an eye out for F1 Academy before you watch F1.
