How can the public take F1 Academy seriously when the professionals can’t?
Source: twitter.com/jamesg_photo
F1 Academy was seen as a new dawn for females in motorsports following the administration of the W series in 2022. With not only the promise of the drivers graduating up to FRECA and Formula 3, there was also the promise that these drivers will be taken seriously in the world of motorsport and will be backed by Formula 1 to allow these heroines to chase their dreams. However, promises can be broken and the truth of the matter is that change is still needed. Let's delve into the problems F1 Academy is still suffering from.
Lack of media attention
When eagerly anticipating the launch of a brand-new series, one might at least expect that series to be broadcasted on various platforms - or at least just once. But this wasn’t the case, the inaugural F1 Academy season in 2023 was not broadcasted to the public except in Miami when they raced alongside F1. Highlights were available to watch via YouTube but released hours following the race which caused disappointment amongst racing fans as a whole.
Fast forward to its second season, which now takes place on the F1 weekend similar to F2 and F3, and the audience has grown exponentially. Despite this, several famous motorsport social media pages such as Autosport and Motorsport.com have failed to display the series. Unlike F1, there are no social images or graphics showcased on their social media pages i.e. Instagram, X etc.
Although it has been announced that Netflix will be airing an F1 Academy series for 2025, how are audiences meant to fully get behind the championship if there is still little media attention from global media platforms?
Lack of support from F1 drivers/FIA
Have you noticed that the girlfriend’s of Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were promoting F1 Academy instead of the drivers themselves? The lack of support from the F1 drivers has sadly been a recurring theme throughout the championship all with the exception of Lewis Hamilton who has shown interest repeatedly throughout the races, attending several, and has congratulated Marta Garcia following her championship win.
“It's a little bit sad that it's always Lewis, he's always the one offering support, coming over, he knows what it's like to be the only one and so he has an affinity.”
Susie Wolff, Manager Director F1 Academy
It’s no secret that the championship has been home to several misogynistic comments by ‘fans’ with none of the 19 drivers speaking out and showing their support outside of their PR duties. Perhaps if all drivers put their support in, than the despicable comments would stop to some degree. The FIA have certainly stayed quiet regarding these comments which speaks louder than they expected.
Miami’s disaster
The second round of the 2024 F1 Academy had fans on the edge of their seats before lights out due to the championship rivalry between Alpine’s Abbi Pulling and Mercedes’ Doriane Pin. Pin, who controversially lost Jeddah’s Race 2 victory to Pulling, was looking for a redemption weekend. Earning two podiums she keeps herself in contention with a 23 difference. However, it’s not the championship that’s got people talking about F1 Academy this weekend.
Many fans took to social media to report the sexist comments made by the on-track commentators who repeatedly stated “I’m trying so hard not to make a sexist comment.” It is unclear who made the remarks but it was apparent that Pulling seemed to be the pun of their ‘jokes’ as they commented on her age and how she was fixing her hair before the race.
It was also showcased via Tiktok user @jorgerr96 that during the race a Steve Aoki concert was playing simultaneously, distracting fans of the series. It was also noted by X user @MeckButterz that the gate was closed for Friday’s F1 Academy practice session which meant fans had to miss a day of F1 Academy racing.
With 2024 being the second season of F1 Academy and Netflix airing its documentary in 2025, change needs to be imminent as there are still 5 race weekends to go.
