Writer: Sofi Dawalibi
Editor: Mare Lara
There is nothing like the sound of tires in the early morning as you settle down to watch an F1 race from your couch. Unfortunately, unlike other sports, F1 is not as recurring as we get between 19 to 25 races a year. Because of that, we revert our attention to other motorsports, and one that has been gaining much-deserved traction is F1 Academy, though it’s always a bit complicated getting into a sport when you don’t know where the rules lie. Hence here is your guide to getting into the racing series that serves as a pathway for women in motorsports!
Technical Regulations
F1 cars are extremely polished machines with powerful engines and advanced aerodynamics while F1 Academy’s cars are a bit less advanced for now. Due to investments, F1 Academy is powered by Ford EcoBoost engines, using a lightweight Tatuus T421 chassis – as they do in Formula 4 – they’re simpler for young drivers and play into their development. The focus is on the drivers’ skills rather than what the car can do for them.
Engineering and driving merge in this high-stakes competition. Though some people think that it’s only a matter of who’s driving the fastest car, success on the track relies on both the skill and talent of the drivers settled behind the wheel.
Race Weekends
Fortunately, an F1 weekend feels longer than a regular one as there are three practice sessions, a qualifying one (split into three segments), and then the main race on Sunday. For F1 Academy, it’s a bit simpler as there are two practice sessions on Friday, a qualifying session, and two races over the weekend. With a more condensed format, the races are shorter, the distance being around 120 km or less in the span of 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the event format), while the F1 races are around 2 hours and 305 km.
Qualifying races happen so they can determine the starting grid for each race. The drivers want to set the fastest lap time to get further up on the grid – laying a good foundation for a phenomenal race. – Though there are times when the grid format is reversed for the second race, meaning the drivers who finished last in the first race will be placed at the front for the second one, allowing them to show overtaking abilities. In my opinion, that’s when it gets exciting.
F1 Academy races are scheduled in conjunction with Formula 1, and the calendars lining up gives the drivers of the Academy a chance to broaden their audience. Being in the same venue, it’s a spin-off of the main thing.
Point System
The top 10 finishers are awarded points in both F1 and F1 Academy, as the winner wins 25 points. Second place gets 18, third place gets 15, fourth place gets 12, and so on. The maximum amount of points is 56 points throughout the racing weekend, there are additional points the drivers can gather such as the fastest lap, pole position, and race win bonus – for drivers who make a lot of progress in the standings.
The driver with the most points who consistently performs throughout the season is awarded the F1 Academy Championship title—the series' ultimate achievement.
Though it is a development series, there are so many benefits to winning the title and it all lies in what it could bring for them in the future. Sponsorships, financial support, exposure… It’s all paving the way to get up to higher racing categories. For the top five drivers at the end of the season, they will receive the FIA Super License points (first getting 10, second getting 7, third getting 5, and so on), these points accumulate, with 40 of those being required to be able to race in F1.
Penalties and Rules
While the penalties and rules vary, the one constant is the paramount importance of driver safety. If a driver repeatedly runs off the track and returns to it unsafely, they may get penalized, usually a 5 to 10-second penalty. Adding to a driver’s total race time after the race has already been concluded may happen if they cause collisions or a simple false start.
Drive-through penalties are given to drivers if they restart early and gain an advantage, blocking other drivers and sometimes driving them off the tracks. This kind of penalty requires the driver to enter the pit line and drive through at the speed limit without stopping.
A more severe penalty is called a stop-and-go penalty, which makes the driver stop in their pit box for a certain amount of time before continuing. This happens if they are recklessly driving or not following race instructions.
Some penalties happen before the actual race starts, called grid penalties and loss of points on the Super License. If a driver blocks another car, if they cause an incident during the qualifying session, or change the engine of the car beyond the allowed limits they will be penalized harshly. A driver cannot accumulate over 12 penalty points over a year, or else they could be suspended for one race, and if a bigger penalty is caused they can also be disqualified.
Teams & Drivers
F1 teams are immensely large as they have a significantly higher budget and technical sources, which is why they’ve been investing in the development of F1 Academy. The Academy only has five teams, with three drivers each.
Those five teams consist of:
Rodin Motorsport with drivers Lola Lovinfosse (FR), Jessica Edgar (UK), and Abbi Pulling (UK);
ART Grand Prix with drivers Bianca Bustamante (PHIL), Aurelia Nobels (BR), and Lia Block (USA);
MP Motorsport, with drivers Emily De Heus (NL), Hamda Al Qubaisi (UAE), and Amna Al Qubaisi (UAE);
Prema Racing with drivers Tinna Hausmann (CH), Doriane Pin (FR), and Maya Weug (NL);
Campos Racing with drivers Nerea Martí (SP), Carrie Schreiner (DE), and Chloe Chambers (USA).
The drivers must be female and usually 16 and older to be able to compete. All these drivers are supported by different organizations such as Red Bull Racing, Charlotte Tilbury, McLaren, and Scuderia Ferrari HP. Creating a good track record can gain these girls good sponsors that will take them further into their motorsports careers.
History
Formula 1 Academy is not the first attempt to integrate women into the racing sport. In 2004, Formula Woman was established and then in 2019, the W Series was created, all for the same reason. Though both weren’t able to succeed for different reasons, lack of financial support was the one thing in common. In 2022, F1 Academy’s creation was announced, to develop and prepare young female drivers to hopefully progress to higher levels.
Susie Wolff, a former professional racing driver took over the management of the series, earning a lot of respect as a director and making the series as successful as it is today. Though the first series was not on broadcast, last year it was announced that Reese Whiterspoon’s production company “Hello Sunshine” would be documenting the girls on the F1 Academy. The show will be available to stream on Netflix next year!
Essentially, F1 Academy is serving as a stepping stone for women in motorsport, to hopefully integrate them into higher-up racing categories. Though long overdue – better late than never – it’s an absolute delight seeing these girls overtaking the tracks.
You can stream the races from all seven rounds on F1 Academy’s YouTube and X channels, via F1 TV.
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