In Abu Dhabi before the last Grand Prix of the season, Formula 1 announced the launch of a women's competition in 2023: the F1 Academy.
“Formula 1 is proud to announce the launch of the F1 Academy, a category reserved for female drivers which aims to develop and prepare young female drivers towards higher levels of competition, in particular towards the W Series, Formula 3 , Formula 2 and Formula 1. When assessing the barriers young female drivers face in accessing the F1 pyramid, it became clear that they do not have the same experience as their male counterparts in the same age.
The series will consist of five teams led by current F2 and F3 teams, each entering three cars to form a grid of 15 single-seaters.
The aim is to "maximize the opportunity and potential of young female drivers to reach the highest level" by providing them with "the necessary experience before racing in F3 and joining the Formula 1 pyramid".
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali believes that "everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and fulfill their potential and Formula 1 wants to make sure we do everything in our power to create greater diversity and pathways to this incredible sport.
The F1 Academy will give young female drivers the best chance to realize their ambitions through a comprehensive program that supports their driving career.
The more opportunities, the better, and this program is designed to provide another path to success for pilots.
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Only two women at the start of a Grand Prix since 1950
Seven weekends of three races will be on the program for the first season, for a total of 21 races.
Regarding the budgetary aspect, the drivers of the F1 Academy will have to pay the sum of €150,000 per season.
Since the start of the World Championship in 1950, only two women have started in a Grand Prix, Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958 and Lella Lombardi in 1975 and 1976.
But in recent years, some stables had also begun to open up to women.
Ferrari welcomed in 2021 the first young woman in its academy, the Dutch-Belgian Maya Weug, joined in 2022 by the Spaniard Laura Camps Torras.
Alpine has also launched a program this season to recruit teenage girls in karting with the aim of bringing at least one to F1.
