Formula 1 has announced it will launch an all-female driver category, with the aim that it will eventually lead to a woman one day competing on the grid.
The F1 Academy, as it is to be named, will start in 2023 with F1 saying it will be an “extra route” for young women alongside the already existing W Series. The all-female W Series championship, which has been won by Briton Jamie Chadwick for the last three campaigns, had to scrap its final races of 2022 over a lack of funding although it is aiming to return next year for a fourth season.
The format of the F1 Academy will consist of five teams - run by current Formula 2 and Formula 3 teams - of three cars contesting seven events, each featuring three races. It will use the same cars as those that currently compete in Formula 4 and, although there is no calendar announced as yet, one of the races is likely to take place at a grand prix, F1 confirmed.
