F1 Academy season 2 preview: what’s new in the first F1-funded all female series
- cmarchisio0
- Mar 6, 2024
- 4 min read
Drivers, teams and the 2024 calendar
After a successful first season, F1 Academy is now ready to establish itself on the motorsport feeder series ladder. The ultimate goal of the championship remains the same, help a female driver reach Formula 1. And with the leadership of Susie Wolff, last woman to get behind the wheel during an official F1 weekend almost ten years ago, success might not be far off. Aside from the controversies surrounding single gender racing, F1 Academy has shown the importance of increasing opportunities for female drivers in an attempt to reduce the gap from their male colleagues and identify any barriers, technical or otherwise, that could slow down women’s future in Formula 1.
Some things have already worked pretty well. Compared to W Series, the only other single-seater series for women, improvements have been evident. The decision to rely on experienced single-seater teams has given drivers the opportunity to work with high-level engineers and with greater continuity, something that had not been possible with the W Series rotational system. The format of two free practice, three races and two qualifying sessions plus multiple testing sessions throughout the season allowed for plenty of track time to collect data and gain experience, which helped competitors improve one weekend after another. The true test for the sporting success of the category lies in 2023 title winner Marta García’s upcoming FRECA season. But for those who will return to F1 Academy and oncoming rookies there will still be major changes to look out for in 2024.
Direct support from F1 teams
The main addition to the championship will be direct participation of Formula 1 teams, which will have to have at least one female driver racing with their colours in F1 Academy. This means all outfits will need to identify and sign a talented young female driver to join other juniors already racing for their academies. Besides offering female drivers greater support in terms of preparation and development, affiliation with a team will increase their visibility in the eyes of fans and media. Will it be an advantage or a double-edged sword that risks further increasing the pressure on participants?
New names, familiar faces and wild cards
The grid is nearly complete and it looks incredibly promising. The McLaren-Bianca Bustamante pairing has been official since October 2023. The Filipina driver, who came seventh last year with Prema, will race with ART GP alongside rookie Lia Block, daughter of the late Ken Block. The 17-year-old rally champion will represent Williams in her first ever season of single-seater racing. ART’s third driver will be Aurelia Nobels, who will be supported by Puma and the Ferrari Driver Academy.
The Prema line-up will consist of three experienced rookies. Tina Hausmann will wear the Aston Martin jersey after a good season in F4 in 2023. Maya Weug, Ferrari Driver Academy driver from 2021, will join F1 Academy after a season in Formula Regional, while Doriane Pin will make her debut in the category following several years in various endurance classes, including a season, with Prema, in LMP2 in WEC. At some events, Prema will also be fielding an additional fourth car to be driven by a local wild card who will score championship points alongside other competitors, but no team points.
Abbi Pulling will continue to represent Alpine in British outfit Rodin, formerly Rodin-Carlin, following in the footsteps of some of the most successful racing drivers, including Lando Norris. Lola Lovinfosse and Jessica Edgar will join her, both returning for a second season in the series. MP Motorsport has kept their line-up unchanged, with Emily de Heus and Hamda al Qubaisi now representing Red Bull while the latter’s sister Amna will race for Visa CashApp RB.
The last of the five teams to have announced part of its line-up is Campos, which will be able to count on the return of Carrie Schreiner, now part of Sauber academy, and the arrival of Chloe Chambers, also an experienced rookie with a season in F4 USA, one in W Series in 2022 and one in Formula Regional Oceania last year. The third driver, and last to be announced in the 15-car line-up, is Nerea Martí. The spaniard is the last of several to come back for a second season in the series and will be racing with a special Tommy Hilfiger livery.
Calendar and live coverage
After the lack of live streaming in 2023 was deemed controversial, in 2024 all F1 Academy races will be broadcast on Sky and F1TV, a change that has also been made possible by its calendar linking up with that of motorsport's premier class. As with F2 and F3, the women's series will now be a supporting event for Formula 1 race weekends in Jeddah, this upcoming weekend, then Miami, Barcelona, Zandvoort, Singapore, Losail and Yas Marina. While this will greatly increase F1 Academy’s following, there will be no room in Formula 1's busy weekend schedule to maintain the three-race, two-qualifying format seen last year. Track time for participants will therefore be reduced as the championship switches to a Qualifying, Sprint and Feature Race structure seen in F2 and F3. With the arrival of complex circuits like Singapore and Jeddah, adapting quickly will be a major challenge for drivers, especially those with less experience in single-seaters. But if the aim is to get one of them into Formula 1, overcoming these challenges will only serve to better prepare them for the pinnacle of motorsport.
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