The introduction of F1 Academy was a bold move by the FOM (Formula One Management). This initiative has helped bring more women into the world of Formula Racing. This new series, which started in 2023, is all about giving female drivers a fair shot at reaching the top of the motorsport ladder.
For years, Formula 1 has been a sport dominated by men. In fact, since F1 began in 1950, only five women have ever raced in it. The F1 Academy wants to change this picture. McLaren’s F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante recently opened up about what she thinks about the series.
Introducing F1 Academy
A new all-female driver category which aims to develop and prepare young female drivers#F1Academy pic.twitter.com/45xUjprcjt
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 18, 2022
In a recent conversation on ‘The Fast and The Curious’ podcast, Bustamante challenged the popular belief that motorsport is only suited for men. She believes that once you put on the helmet, it doesn’t really matter if there is a man or a woman behind the steering wheel. She said;
“I want to merge that kind of gap of men’s sport and women’s and everything because… you know Motorsport is one of the sports in the world where men and women can compete equally and the car is the equalizer. Once you have that helmet on, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
Chloe Grant, who took part in the 2023 season of the F1 Academy, also agreed with Bustamante’s perspective on why the series exists. Grant doesn’t think that F1 Academy is about having a separate championship for women, but instead, it’s about giving a platform to talented young girls who otherwise would have gone unnoticed in the world of racing.
F1 Academy is inspiring the next generation of female racers
The F1 Academy has become quite the talking point in the world of motorsport, and its growing popularity is doing more than just entertaining the fans. It’s inspiring a whole new generation of young girls to dream big.
By seeing women compete at high levels, young girls can now look at racing as a real career option, something that wasn’t often considered seriously before. Grant puts it perfectly by mentioning that when she was competing in karting back in the day, there were maybe two other female drivers.
Round 3 of Champions of the Future Academy took place at Franciacorta at the weekend
All nine F1 Academy Discover Your Drive supported drivers took to the track for one day of practice and two days of racing, giving them valuable time behind the wheel to learn and develop as… pic.twitter.com/FX6VSXHK8r
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) July 29, 2024
But now, there are somewhere close to 14 to 15 female drivers competing in various lower categories. Grant also emphasized the growing support from female fans as she shared a story from last year’s race in COTA.
“I remember our last round last year in America and we got to go along the front of the stage and we got to sign some stuff for some girls and there’s this one girl that I’ll never forget, as soon as she saw me she just started crying. Then I started crying because I didn’t understand why she was crying. It just warms my heart to see the progression and the support,” Grant added.
