F1 has taken many steps in order to bring more inclusivity to the sport. Inclusivity and diversity have been talked about in the sport the most. With the sport doing as much as they can, they have had more pressure to bring in more for the fans.
Many drivers too have spoken up about the issue and asked for a much better sporting environment. 2014 was the last year when a woman was seen driving against all the drivers in Williams.
Since then, very little has been seen in terms of having more women participate in the sport. However, Formula 1 announced the beginning of F1 Academy. F1 Academy uses the same car chassis as the Formula 4 car.
They are powered by turbocharged engines and tires supplied by Pirelli. The top speed being 149 MPH, the women can be seen fighting for race wins. However, F1 Academy has been launched with only 7 races so far.
The car that we’ll drive into a new era ✨#F1Academy pic.twitter.com/motYNYpYrp
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) March 10, 2023
They race in Austria, Spielberg; Barcelona, Spain; Valencia, Spain; Zandvoort, Netherlands; Monza, Italy; Le Castellet, France; and Austin, USA. They also follow a similar point system as the Formula 1 races for their Races 1 and 3. The points are awarded for the first 10 drivers in the sequences of 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1. However, for their Race 2, the points are given to the first 8 drivers starting with the winner getting 10 points then 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
F1 Academy vs W-Series
F1 Academy was announced this year for its very first season. The series is an all-female race single-seater racing series. However, before the F1 Academy came the W- Series.
The W-series was an all-female racing series. Although the series did not do well, it saw the support of many drivers including Lewis Hamilton. W-Series became defunct and soon F1 Academy replaced the series entirely for its first season.
The W-Series also lacked good coverage of the races however, F1 Academy celebrated its first live stream of the race. But these are not the only differences between the two series. The W-Series had nine teams racing however, F1 Academy only has five teams.
Nonetheless, all these teams have seen great success in Formula races. F1 Academy has MP Motorsports, PREMA Powerteam, ART, Rodin Carlin, and Campos Racing.
Hype level 💯 #F1Academy pic.twitter.com/R1u6Kn26N4
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) April 11, 2023
All these teams have had drivers driving for them at some point who now race in Formula 1. Rodin Carlin believes the biggest difference between the two series is that the Academy focuses on “redressing the balance of females in motorsport”.
However, the series has drivers from the W-Series itself who have now made their way to F1 Academy. Suzie Wolff, who once drove in Formula 1 has also been a huge part of the development of the series.
