F1 Academy officially kicked off its inaugural season in Austria with Marta García clinching the win in Race 1 and Race 3, whilst Amna Al Qubaisi snatched the Race 2 victory.
Round 2 came soon after as Valencia saw Hamda Al Qubaisi and Bianca Bustamante take their first F1 Academy wins. Marta also became a home heroine and three-time F1 Academy race winner after securing the lead and crossing the chequered flag first in Race 3 of the weekend.
With an incredible amount of hype surrounding the series, social media has become the place to find practice times, qualifying positions and race results. It has been no secret that fans have been left disappointed as the series is yet to be aired or streamed, meaning audiences can only access what is happening during race weekends via updates from social media and the F1 Academy website.
W Series, an all-female championship which launched in 2019 as a support series to Formula 1, aired on Channel 4 for its first two seasons before bagging a multi-year broadcasting partnership with Sky Sports for the 2022 season and beyond. The broadcasting of the series saw an influx in viewers with a record breaking 1 million people tuning in for the race at Silverstone before the British Grand Prix. Not only was the championship being broadcast and streamed online, fans were able to attend the races and see the excitement and battles live at the track. This proved to have a great impact on the series’ popularity before unfortunately suffering from financial issues and being forced to terminate early. This meant the final three races were cancelled and Jamie Chadwick was crowned three-time W Series champion.
The door therefore had been left wide open, allowing Formula 1 to step in and announce F1 Academy as the new series to push women into higher categories of motorsport racing. Each driver will contribute €150,000 for their entry, Formula 1 will contribute the same and the drivers’ teams are expected to cover the rest of the budget. To be able to compete at high-level competition, many racing drivers rely on teams and sponsors to back them financially, given the enormous cost of competing in single-seater championships. W Series came in with a different approach; as a ‘free-to-enter’ championship designed to eliminate the financial barriers that women face from the lack of sponsorship and backing compared to men.
The 2023 F1 Academy season has seven races, ending in Austin alongside the United States Grand Prix leading into the 2024 season which will start supporting the Formula 1 racing schedule. The championship sees Susie Wolff take on the role as the championship’s Managing Director, bringing her wealth of motorsport knowledge and experience to the track.
After much speculation around who would have broadcasting rights, F1 Academy announced that it would not be aired and instead will be running 15 minute round-up highlights on the Wednesday following the race, released just after a race highlights video on the Monday which will available to view on F1 TV in addition to F1’s social channels.
Hello Sunshine Docuseries Deal
Actress Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has announced that it is partnering with Formula 1 to produce a docuseries which will follow the 15 F1 Academy drivers and five teams’ personal journeys, allowing fans to see in depth the race drama and behind the scenes action.
The production company said the docuseries aims to, “Highlight the drama of the races, as well as the personal stories of these incredible drivers and the teams around them, as they break barriers in one of the most demanding sports in the world.”
With Netflix’s Drive to Survive bringing in a 10% increase in U.S viewership since the show started, the new docuseries will look to follow a similar format and is a huge opportunity to showcase these incredible drivers’ talents as well as promoting them and the championship on an international stage.
“Formula 1 has established itself as not only a global powerhouse, but also a forward-thinking competition that is committed to creating equal opportunities for women,” said Sarah Harden, CEO of Hello Sunshine.
“As the remarkable women of the groundbreaking F1 Academy prepare to make history, we’re honoured to have the opportunity to document the many captivating narratives both on and off the track.”
