In 2023, a new F1 Academy women’s series will be launched to develop and prepare young female drivers to move into more serious championships, including the W Series, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1.
The series will consist of five teams driven by the current F2 and F3 teams, each fielding three Tatuus T421 chassis with a 172hp Autotecnica turbo engine and Pirelli tyres. There will be 15 participants at the start.
The first season will consist of seven stages of three races each plus 15 days of official testing.
The new series will be led by Formula Motorsport Limited CEO Bruno Michel. Formula 1 subsidizes the cost of each car in the amount of 150,000 euros, the same amount must be paid by the participants, the rest of the budget will be covered by the teams.
The purpose of the F1 Academy is to give women the opportunity to spend a lot of time on the racetrack, working with professional teams and developing their technical, physical and mental skills.
Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1: “Everyone should be able to realize their dream. We want to bring more diversity to our sport and are announcing the creation of the F1 Academy, which will give young female drivers the chance to realize their ambitions through a comprehensive program that will support their racing career and give them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully into Formula 2 and then Formula 1. The more options, the better, and this is done in order to provide drivers with another path to success.”