Domenicali: 'F1 Academy season aligned with Formula 1 calendar in 2024'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
For the women in the new F1 Academy championship, the real work is about to begin. On 28 and 29 April, the series, which gives talented women the chance to gain experience in a competitive environment, starts with the races in Spielberg, Austria. The first tests are now over.
Important for the development of the mostly young drivers is that they put in miles. There are 21 races scheduled this season, plus the necessary training sessions. In the run-up to the season, there were two test days in Barcelona, and next week the five teams will descend on Le Castellet in France. This season's F1 Academy races - besides Spielberg - are also at the circuits of Valencia, Barcelona, Zandvoort, Monza, Le Castellet and Austin.
Feeder series of F1
Only in Austin will the women be on track on the same weekend as Formula 1 is there. In 2024, more race weekends will be coordinated with Formula One, confirmed Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula One Management (FOM). F1 Academy is also a feeder series of FOM. It is still unknown during which Grands Prix weekends in '24 F1 Academy will be present.
On the website of F1 Academy, Domenicali addresses drivers directly: "We haven’t yet started the (2023 F1 Academy) season on the track, but I can confirm with you that next year, F1 Academy will be on the racing weekend with Formula 1. Of course, not everywhere, but that will be part of the plan to promote F1 Academy… that’s something we are really keen on, that hopefully that will be the right boost for the season to grow; of course, we have just started."
He continued: "F1 took the leadership on that to try to do something, investing, believing that by creating attention to that project we can have, hopefully, as soon as we can, a girl, a woman, in F1. That’s our hope, and that’s why we are really investing a lot."