Changing perceptions of a woman’s place in motorsport and funnelling the next generation of female talent towards Formula 1 was never going to be an overnight fix.
But, for F1 ACADEMY Managing Director Susie Wolff, change is already afoot. As the all-female series prepares to enter its third season, and in honour of International Women’s Day, she discusses how F1 ACADEMY is accelerating action and fostering a pathway for female talent both on and off the track.
Few series can claim to have made such strident steps forward to achieving their mission in the way F1 ACADEMY has. In the early stages of what Wolff considers a ‘long-term project’, the series has taken up its place on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends, ensured that all 10 F1 teams are supporting a driver and pushed its reach to become a global platform for championing change.
“I think it was always clear we had one shot to get it right,” Wolff explains. “We knew we had to get it right and build a strong foundation. In a short space of time, we’ve achieved a lot — joining to race with Formula 1, having the F1 teams onboard and some great partners that have taken liveries and we are now increasing to 18 cars.
“We can be very proud of what we’ve achieved in a short space of time, but this was always a long-term project. We need to see more young girls in karting and they’re calling it ‘the F1 ACADEMY effect’.
“I’ve never seen so many young girls in karting and that – for me – is just as important as the success of the series because we need to inspire the next generation. We need to get more young women racing for the best to rise to the top.
‘The talent is there’
One of the biggest changes for the 2025 F1 ACADEMY season is the increase from 15 full-time cars to 18, including a dedicated Wild Card seat at every round. Becoming the series’ sixth team, Hitech TGR join the list of renowned junior category teams competing, who have been responsible for bringing up many of F1’s current generation of drivers.
Although it was clear that 15 cars weren’t enough, Wolff stresses that the process of expanding the grid had to be proactive and grounded in identifying upcoming prospects.
“We had to build up our global database, understand who’s out there racing and what the talent pipeline looks like to ensure that we had enough talented young drivers to increase the grid,” Wolff says. “And to make sure that it’s set in the future because, with the two-year rule, you need to make sure that there’s a pipeline of talent coming up.
“We have Katie Denver (F1 ACADEMY’s Performance & Talent Development Manager) going to kart races and Formula 4 tests around the world to make sure that we are keeping an eye on the next generation coming through. It was really on the back of understanding that participation is growing and the talent is there that we decided to increase the field.”
Whilst Mercedes’ Doriane Pin or Ferrari junior Maya Weug might be more recognisable faces, the 2025 field overall features less experienced drivers embarking on their first or second single-seater seasons compared to the 2024 grid.
However, this is something that Wolff sees as beneficial to fulfilling the series’ core aims – moulding drivers from an earlier stage to better equip them to progress up the road to F1.
“It was always going to be the case that certain drivers were coming in with less experience, that’s why our minimum age is 16,” she admits. “We want the young girls to come in who have the potential because we believe in our environment, they can excel and develop in the correct way.
“I have no problem that we have drivers with less experience because, in the end, that’s what Formula 4 is. It’s the first step up into the single-seater ladder.”
‘We need to be a global series’
This season also sees the return of reverse grids after a year away — a move that Wolff champions as vital for those wanting to knock on the door for F3 and F2 in years to come.
“First and foremost, it’s in other race series so, when they progress up, they will be faced with reverse grids,” Wolff says. “It also allows those racing at the front to still have to fight through from the midfield and learn and develop their racecraft.”
Racing on an international scale has become a cornerstone of the series’ calendar, transitioning away from a European-centric schedule in its first season to one that covers three continents, including Shanghai’s debut later in March.
Heading to some of the most iconic F1 weekends, F1 ACADEMY will have a sizeable presence across the pond with three North American races and becomes the first open-wheel support series to race along the Las Vegas strip.
“Our calendar is something we can be very proud of,” says Wolff. “We need to be a global series because the awareness in the platform needs to inspire talent on every continent to make sure that we have more young women coming through.
2025 F1 ACADEMY calendar
| Date | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|
| March 21-23 | Shanghai International Circuit | China |
| April 18-20 | Jeddah Corniche Circuit | Saudi Arabia |
| May 2-4 | Miami International Autodrome | United States |
| June 13-15 | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | Canada |
| August 29-31 | Circuit Zandvoort | Netherlands |
| October 3-5 | Marina Bay Street Circuit | Singapore |
| November 20-22 | Las Vegas Strip Circuit | United States |
“I’m thankful to the promoters who put so much support behind us, enabling us to put such a great calendar together.
“A highlight for me this season will without a doubt be our big finale in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas team know how to do things with a bang, and that’s going to be a brilliant ending for us to finish our season.”
‘We need to show that we are creating the right platform for drivers to progress upwards’
One driver taking the next step on the single-seater ladder is Abbi Pulling. As the 2024 F1 ACADEMY Champion, she received a fully-funded seat in the GB3 Championship with Rodin Motorsport alongside 20 days of testing to support her campaign.
Wolff is naturally keeping a watchful eye on Pulling’s performances, saying: “We are 100% behind Abbi. The way she won last year’s series in such a dominant style, we want to give her the best shot of success in the next category up.
“We need to show that we are creating the right platform for drivers to progress upwards, so I’ll be following Abbi’s races very closely and it’s very important to me that she goes on to be successful in the next category up.”
Another success story last season saw F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE-supported karter Luna Fluxa Cross achieve the OK-N Senior title in the Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA) Program, becoming the first female winner of an FIA international championship since Susanna Raganelli won the World Karting Championship in 1966, and she’s been invited to participate in F1 ACADEMY’s inaugural Rookie Test this September.
Discussing F1 ACADEMY’s continued support for nine female karters in COTFA and with the percentage of female karters competing in the Senior category increasing to 33%, Wolff stressed the importance of the karters not only participating but performing at a high level.
“It’s about developing and nurturing the pipeline to make sure that we have the next generation coming through,” she says.
“The participation that we’re seeing from young female karters has never been so high and they’re not just competing, they’re competing at the front, which is just as important.”
‘I don’t think it’s at a point where we can say the work’s done’
The ecosystem F1 ACADEMY exists in now is one Wolff believes has changed monumentally to a decade ago. Women in motorsport are more widespread than ever before across paddocks, teams and departments, with Haas’ Laura Mueller becoming F1’s first Race Engineer and F1 ACADEMY mechanic Lucy Gould stepping up to Formula 2 this season with Rodin Motorsport.
Satisfied with the progress made so far, Wolff believes it is critical for F1 and F1 ACADEMY to work in tandem to change the perceptions of the sport and foster an environment that harnesses female talent and equips them with the tools they need to succeed.
“If I compare it to 10 years ago, it’s taken huge strides forward and in a positive way,” she summarises. “I think Formula 1 needs to take that credit because the sport has developed in such a way that there are more talented women in the paddock.
F1 ACADEMY creates those opportunities, but we’ve still got work to do. I don’t think it’s at a point where we can say the work’s done.Susie Wolff
“F1 ACADEMY creates those opportunities, but we’ve still got work to do. I don’t think it’s at a point where we can say the work’s done.
Wolff continues: “I see it more as a movement than a moment and not every little girl in the world wants to be a racing driver. But if she can be inspired by seeing what’s possible, in what’s still regarded as quite a male-dominated environment, then I think that can be a positive for us. “
A vision for the future
Harnessing her experiences not only as a driver but as a former Team Principal of Venturi Racing in Formula E, Wolff recognises that she has a unique perspective of the hurdles young female drivers face but also the practicalities needed to overcome them.
“It’s a huge advantage that I have gone through the path and the journey that they’re all taking now,” she says. “I know what the challenges are and I know how tough it can be.
“But I also know, having run a team for four years, what it takes in the business side to make things work. I think that perspective of both has been really advantageous in trying to build up F1 ACADEMY in the right way for long-term success.”
Setting out her vision for the next five to 10 years, Wolff sees 2025 as pivotal, with her hopes that F1 ACADEMY’s Netflix docuseries will ‘put us on the map’.
Ultimately, although getting the first female f1 driver to enter an F1 race since 1992 remains the headline goal for most fans, Wolff understands that it’s a numbers game. With only 22 spots on the F1 grid from 2026, it’s up to F1 ACADEMY to spur on the movement of young talent, increasing the amount of young girls getting involved at an early age in the hopes of driving a new generation forwards.
“I would like to see there being big competition for the best 18 drivers to make it in (to F1 ACADEMY),” she concludes. “I would love to see the progression of the best onwards and upwards in motorsport.
“This was always a long-term project and, in the mid to long-term, we need to see more young girls competing in karting and more talented young drivers progressing up the ladder in the hope that one can make it to the pinnacle of the sport.”
Via F1
