Formula One's new all-female F1 Academy series will start its inaugural season at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on April 28 and 29, with further stand-alone events at Valencia, Barcelona, Zandvoort, Monza and Paul Ricard until the end of July.
The championship will conclude on the support bill for the US Grand Prix on October 21 and 22, giving aspiring female drivers a chance to showcase their skills to the F1 paddock.
The five three-driver teams will be run by outfits competing in Formula Two and Formula Three.
Drivers must be at least 16 years old and each has to bring €150,000 (R2.9m) in funding, with Formula One matching that amount and teams raising the rest of the budget.
The first and third races of each weekend will last half an hour and race two will be 20 minutes long.
“Our goal was to be able to race on as many Formula One grand prix tracks as possible, with circuits that could be a great challenge for the drivers,” said F1 Academy general manager Bruno Michel.
“The teams know these layouts very well so they will be able to help their young talents get to grips quickly.”
The series aims to help young women up the motorsport ladder. No female driver has started a grand prix since the late Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976.
New all-female F1 Academy series to support US Grand Prix
The series aims to help young women up the motorsport ladder as no female driver has started a grand prix since 1976
Image: Reuters
Formula One's new all-female F1 Academy series will start its inaugural season at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on April 28 and 29, with further stand-alone events at Valencia, Barcelona, Zandvoort, Monza and Paul Ricard until the end of July.
The championship will conclude on the support bill for the US Grand Prix on October 21 and 22, giving aspiring female drivers a chance to showcase their skills to the F1 paddock.
The five three-driver teams will be run by outfits competing in Formula Two and Formula Three.
Drivers must be at least 16 years old and each has to bring €150,000 (R2.9m) in funding, with Formula One matching that amount and teams raising the rest of the budget.
The first and third races of each weekend will last half an hour and race two will be 20 minutes long.
“Our goal was to be able to race on as many Formula One grand prix tracks as possible, with circuits that could be a great challenge for the drivers,” said F1 Academy general manager Bruno Michel.
“The teams know these layouts very well so they will be able to help their young talents get to grips quickly.”
The series aims to help young women up the motorsport ladder. No female driver has started a grand prix since the late Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976.
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