Formula 1: The major change the F1 Academy needs to make
Susie Wolff started the F1 Academy project to get more women into motorsport, with the ultimate goal of getting a female driver into Formula 1. However, there still seems to be an issue with the pathway for these female drivers when it comes to entering an FIA-sponsored series such as Formula 3.
F1 Academy cars seem to be on par with Formula 4 in terms of pace and performance, so the next step up would seemingly be Formula 3. Despite that, Formula 3 teams do not appear to be very willing to give a female driver a chance.
At the moment, F1 Academy’s championship winner is awarded a fully funded seat in FRECA (Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine) for the following season.
The 2023 F1 Academy champion, Marta Garcia, was handed a seat with Prema Racing. Additionally, teams in FRECA are allowed to run a fourth car if they sign a driver who finished in the top three in the F1 Academy.
The F1 Academy champion should get an automatic seat in Formula 3 instead.
The biggest difficulty current F1 Academy drivers face is getting into an FIA feeder series. Even someone as good as Abbi Pulling is facing the difficulty of attracting interest for a Formula 3 seat.
For young female drivers to properly break through in motorsport, a reasonable opportunity must be given to them. Instead of the champion being offered a seat in FRECA, that seat should be in Formula 3.
Not only is this reasonable, but it would also be the best course of action when it comes to eventually getting a female driver into a Formula 1 seat. Drivers such as Pulling and Doriane Pin have been extremely successful in the F1 Academy this season, factoring in their race performance and lap times.
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More Formula 3 teams should take notice of this series and offer tests to these drivers. While teams do view this as a risk, all it takes is one chance to knock down the wall holding female drivers back from breaking through. After what happened with Jamie Chadwick years ago, it is still clear that the FIA must do more to help talented female drivers advance their racing careers.
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