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New Formula E initiative: Teams obliged to give female drivers a chance
- Ludo van Denderen
Formula E announced on Wednesday that the first ever all-female test session of an FIA championship will take place on Thursday 7 November at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, as part of the Formula E championship's pre-season tests. Each team must field at least one female driver for the half-day test. However, it is recommended to field two, all driving cars from the current season.
With F1 Academy, there is a global motorsport class that focuses on female drivers. This class has not (yet) managed to get a female driver through to Formula 1. No women are active in Formula E either, but the electric class is keen to change that. A test day, especially for female drivers, is the first step.
Familiar names in action in Formula E?
With the test, the FE organisers hope to show female drivers that eventual participation in a world championship is possible. During the test day, the drivers will also take part in several media activities, including press conferences, briefings, and interviews. Each individual Formula E team will announce the full line-up of female drivers participating in the test in the coming weeks. It is obvious that well-known names such as Jamie Chadwick, Sophia Floersch, Chloe Chambers, and Abbi Pulling will be in action at Valencia.
Formula E is proactively launching this initiative as part of a broader long-term strategy to remove barriers and increase opportunities for women within FE. According to the organisation, it is not just about creating a one-off opportunity but 'about analysing and actively dismantling the structural inequalities that have limited women's participation and progress'.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton