F1 Academy explained: A beginner's guide to F1 Academy
It would be fair to start the article by first explaining what exactly F1 Academy is, right?
F1 Academy is a new racing series launched by Formula 1, aimed at providing a clear and cost-effective pathway for young female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition, including Formula 2, Formula 3, and potentially Formula 1. The initiative is part of Formula 1's broader commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within the sport.
The series was announced by Formula One in November 2022 and already in December of the same year, we were introduced to the five teams which were to take part in the 2023 season - ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, Rodin Carlin, MP Motorsport, and Prema Racing.
The teams may sound unfamiliar, but if you stick around until the end of the article, you'll realize you actually have most probably heard of them, as well as some of their current and past drivers.
How is F1 Academy different from F1 and feeder series?
F1 Academy features five teams mentioned above, but unlike Formula 1, teams do not consist of two, but of three drivers, which makes a total of 15 cars on the grid. Each team is provided with the exactly same car, which means that every racer has an equal chance of winning.
If you have been watching Formula 1, you probably noticed that a winner is not always determined by the skill of the driver. Sure, Max Verstappen is an amazing racing driver who won the championship by a landslide. But you must have noticed that even a driver as skilled as Verstappen did not win each and every race. That is because in Formula 1 there are a lot of other factors that are even more crucial for winning the race than how skilled the driver is.
And by other factors, we mean team strategy, choice of tires, grid starting position, time spent in the pit stop, the development of the car, upgrades throughout the season, and many others. Of course that the matter is much more complex, but for the sake of keeping this article simple, we'll leave it at that. The most important thing to remember is that in F1, a lot of factors need to join their forces in order for a pilot to win the race.
Why are we mentioning this? Because F1 Academy does not work the same way. It's actually rather different than its almost-namesake F1.
F1 Academy is much more similar to Formula 3 and Formula 2, meaning that the drivers do not depend on any other factor beside their own skill. In F1 Academy, as well as in F4, F3, and F2 Championships, all the drivers race in the same cars, race on the same tyres, and usually don't make pit stops to change the tires (unless something unpredictable happens on the track of course) which means that everyone races under the same conditions.
That's what makes F1 Academy, F4 national championships, F3, and F2 so special to watch. The best driver will prevail!
Because these series are designed to showcase the skills and highlight new and emerging talents, they are also called feeder series - because they are feeding new drivers to Formula 1. Here is how a driver would usually find it's way to Formula 1.
Of course, it doesn't always have to be this way. For example, Max Verstappen only raced in Formula 3 Championship where he scored a record six victories in a row, and a record ten victories in total. After that he was promoted to Formula 1 where he began driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri).
Or on the other hand, you can win the Formula 2 Championship and still not be invited to Formula 1. In 2022 Felipe Drugovich (currently a reserve driver for Aston Martin F1 team) won the F2 Championship, but did in fact not manage to secure a seat in Formula 1. For anyone wondering "Oh, why can't win the F2 Championship again?" - well, unfortunately he can't. There's this rule that says you can't compete in F2 once you win it. Unlucky for Drugovich, we know.
Hopefully, this makes it clear why everyone was super excited when it was announced that the the winner of the inaugural F1 Academy Championship, Marta Garcia, secured a spot in FRECA (Formula Regional European Championship). If not, here's why. If you look at the picture above where we explained the relation between the series, you will notice that regional championships are above F1 Academy. That means Garcia is moving up, and hopefully, she'll continue doing so!
Teams and drivers
As we mentioned above, the 2023 season consisted of five teams with each team having three contenders in the championship. The teams were, and will probably still be in 2024, ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, Rodin Carlin, MP Motorsport, and Prema Racing.
If you have been watching the F1 Academy finale held at the famous Circuit of The Americas in Austin, then you probably noticed that none of the liveries look familiar, except for maybe Rodin Carlin livery that features the distinctive pink color of BWT - sponsor of the Alpine F1 team. However, if you continue watching F1 Academy in 2024 as well, then you're in for a big surprise, because in 2024, all ten F1 teams will be supporting an F1 Academy driver each. That means that ten F1 Academy drivers on the grid next year will drive F1 liveries (the car will be the same F1 Academy car, but the livery will be imitating an F1 team), while the rest five will be supported by other sponsors.
That's huge! Just imagine next year seeing that many girls on the grid, racing in Red Bull, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Alpine, Haas, AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo, McLaren, and Williams colors.
Coming back to our F1 Academy teams - the names ART Grand Prix or Prema Racing may sound unfamiliar, but just stick around a little bit longer. You'll see why they are not so insignificant as they may seem.
So, you may be surprised, but ART Grand Prix was actually founded by a familiar face on the Formula 1 pit wall, Frédéric Vasseur (the current team principal of Scuderia Ferrari) and Nicolas Todt, the son of former Scuderia Ferrari principal (and later FIA president) Jean Todt.
Many famous (and we mean really famous) names have raced for ART Grand Prix in the various championships. For example Lewis Hamilton (won F3 with ART GP), George Russel (won F2 with ART GP), Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc, and many many others. Similarly, Prema Racing was also a home to many famous F1 pilots, such as Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher, and Oscar Piastri. If you want to find out more about the history of the F1 Academy teams, and all the championships they race in, then check out this link and feel free to go down the rabbit hole. We are sure it will be worth it.
Cars used in F1 Academy
The vehicles are equal in performance and are equipped with advanced technology similar to higher racing categories. The cars used for the 2023 season are the Tatuus F4-T421 chassis used in Formula 4 championships globally since 2022, with tyres provided by F1 partner Pirelli. For the 2023 season, Formula One covered the majority of the cost of each car, with drivers having to contribute €150,000. Good news is that this is to be reduced to €100,000 for 2024 season.
Now, for the technical part. The engine for the 2023 season is provided by Autotecnica and consists of a 1.4-liter turbo charged4 cylinder, capable of delivering 174 horsepower at 5500 rpm.
Championship format explained
The 2023 F1 Academy season consisted of seven rounds, i.e. event weekends.
Round 1 - Spielberg, Austria
Round 2 - Valencia, Spain
Round 3 - Barcelona, Spain
Round 4 - Zandvoort, Netherlands
Round 5 - Monza, Italy
Round 6 - Le Castellet, France
Round 7 - Austin, USA
Each weekend was made up of two Free Practice sessions, two Qualifying sessions, and three Races.
Free Practice - 40 minutes each
Qualifying Session - 15 minutes each
Race 1 - 30 minutes + 1 lap
Race 2 - 20 minutes + 1 lap
Race 3 - 30 minutes + 1 lap
Now for the tricky part, and remember, F1 Academy is a series meant to find new emerging female talents, so of course the racing format is going to be tailored to that.
Starting grid is where people start to loose the hang of it a bit, but it's actually rather simple once you visualize it.
As the official F1 Academy very nicely explains it in their Rules and Regulations section:
The driver securing pole position in the first Qualifying session will start Race 1 from P1. The driver securing pole position in the second Qualifying session will start Race 3 from P1.
The first eight finishers in the first Qualifying session will start Race 2 in reverse order, cars finishing in 9th position and downwards will start in their position.
The format is specifically designed to bring out the best of the best. Because if you can qualify 1st and win the Race 1, then be pushed back to 8th place for the second race, but still manage to win it - then kudos to you. That's talent right there. That's what F1Academy is all about.
What's new for 2024 season?
That's basically all you need to know before the next season starts. We know we have a lot more to cover, like the fact that all drivers must be women of 25 years of age or younger, and 16 years of age or older when entering their first race of the season, but stick around - we'll cover much more as the 2024 season starts approaching.
While 2023 season offered only one live coverage in Austin, 2024 season promises much more. Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali announced a while ago that F1 Academy will be held exclusively at Formula 1 weekends, not everywhere, but nevertheless, it's still a huge opportunity for the whole F1 Academy grid. More screen time means more visibility, more visibility means more sponsors, which of course means more funds to keep the series going.
On the other hand, we are very excited to see which F1 teams pick which F1 Academy drivers. Some of the proteges were already announced, for example Tina Hausmann for Aston Martin, and Lia Block for Williams.
The calendar for the 2024 has already been announced and it seems super interesting. We will have Jeddah as the season opener and Yas Marina as the closer. Here are the venues where we'll watch F1 Academy in 2024.
Round 1 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - March 7-9
Round 2 - Miami, United States, - May 3-5
Round 3 - Barcelona, Spain - June 21-23
Round 4 - Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 23-25
Round 5 - Marina Bay, Singapore - September 20-22
Round 6 - Lusail, Qatar - November 29-December 1
Round 7 - Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi - December 6-8
As we eagerly wait for the season opener on March 7, we wish to say congrats to this year's winner Marta Garcia, and wish good luck to all the drivers who will be participating in 2024 season. Good luck to you all and most importantly - have fun!
