Formula 1 launches women’s competition in 2023

In Abu Dhabi ahead of the last Grand Prix of the season, Formula 1 has announced the launch of a women’s competition in 2023: the F1 Academy. “Formula 1 is proud to announce the launch of the F1 Academy, a category dedicated to female drivers that aims to develop and prepare young female drivers for higher levels of competition such as the W Series, Formula 3, Formula One 2 and Formula 1. In evaluating the barriers young female drivers face in accessing the Formula One pyramid, it became clear that they do not have the same experience as their male counterparts of the same age. The series will consist of five teams, led by the current F2 and F3 teams, each of which will enter three cars to form a grid of 15 single cars.

The aim is to “maximize the opportunity and potential of young female drivers to reach the highest level” by giving them “the experience they need before racing in F3 and joining the Formula 1 pyramid”.

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali believes that “everyone should be able to follow their dreams and reach their potential and Formula 1 wants to make sure we do everything we can to create more diversity and pathways for this incredible sport.” “. The F1 Academy will give young female drivers the best chance to realize their ambitions with a comprehensive program that supports their driving career. The more opportunities, the better, and this program is designed to provide another path to success for pilots. »

Only two women have started a Grand Prix since 1950.

The program of the first season will include seven weekends of three races, for a total of 21 races. On the budget side, F1 Academy drivers will have to pay an amount of 150,000 euros per season.

Since the start of the World Championship in 1950, only two women have started in the Grand Prix: Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958 and Lella Lombardi in 1975 and 1976.

But in recent years, some stables have begun to open to women. In 2021, Ferrari welcomed the first young woman to its academy, the Dutch-Belgian Maya Veug, who was joined in 2022 by Spaniard Laura Camps Torras. This season, Alpine also launched a program to recruit teenage girls into karting with the goal of getting at least one of them into F1.