One of Formula 1’s newest gambles to facilitate the path to a ‘Great Circus’ for women is the F1 Academy. This category, while a promising championship, is not getting the visibility it deserves. Of the seven events on the calendar, only one -the United States GP- coincides with Formula 1. On the other hand, no sessions are broadcast and within the circuit they have a very ‘private’ policy.

However, from now on there will also be ‘Discover Your Drive’. This initiative has been launched with the aim of finding and nurturing the next generation of girls currently racing in Karting. The program will be operated by Motorsport UK -the governing body for motorsport in the UK- and will draw on the organization’s experience in developing talent through its Academy and TeamSport Karting programs -the indoor Karting company-, which are located in 35 different locations around the world. country.

Recent statistics show that around 45,000 girls visit TeamSport facilities each year, but only a small percentage get to compete. Of the 2,275 pilot cadets aged 8 to 12 at the TeamSport Race Academy, only 146 were girls. Also, disparities have widened even further at the senior level, with only 5% of all UK Motorsport registrants being women.

Increasing that number is the reason why ‘F1 Academy Discover Your Drive Karting UK’ was created. Launching at six different venues across the UK for the remainder of 2023, the new programme, will support participants in the UK Motorsport-sanctioned British Indoor Karting Championship within the qualifying period. The project aims to expand to 35 TeamSport venues over the next year.

Finally, while in 2024 the F1 Academy will be a support category for Formula 1, the F1 Academy Find Your Drive will also be in action around the world in the days leading up to the race. The event will engage the local community and invite girls aged 8-18 to attend workshops and activities to inspire them to think about the future of motorsport.

“When we launched the F1 Academy in March, one of our main goals was to increase the pool of talent coming into our sport, strengthening the pool of drivers looking to reach an elite level and supporting those looking to take on roles off the track. ,” said Susie Wolff, CEO of the F1 Academy.

“The launch of F1 Academy Discover Your Drive is an important step towards achieving this and when we join the global Formula 1 calendar next year the reach of the program will be immense and will provide us with a platform to inspire many young women around the world.” like-minded organizations like Motorsport UK and TeamSport Karting to deliver our first national programme, are extremely important, and I look forward to seeing it grow and have a long-term impact.”