All Things Sports

While the F1 season may have concluded a week ago at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, people are already looking to 2023 and on Friday, Formula 1 announced the launch of an all-new feeder series called F1 Academy. This feeder series will be all female and provide a direct path not only into the W-Series, but also Formula 2 and Formula 3. This comes after Formula 1 found that one of the huge barriers facing female drivers was a lack of experience and this series is meant to solve that. By providing access to more track time, racing, and testing, F1 Academy will help female drivers overcome this barrier. It should not be forgotten that this provides a path directly into Formula 2 and Formula 3, both programs that can be used to scout Formula 1 talent. So not only does it give them experience, it also provides them a path to the biggest stage in racing. A huge boost for female drivers, especially at a time when the W series has been suffering financial woes of its own. 

Speaking of finances, one may think that this will be a massive problem for the drivers as every driver needs money behind them in some shape or form in order to get a break in this industry, however F1 Academy helps with this as well. While the drivers will have cover costs up to 150,000 pounds or about a180 thousand dollars, this cost will be matched by Formula 1 who will subsidize the cost to the same amount and the teams will cover the rest. This may seem like a lot of money and it is, but it is also significantly less than the costs in other series, thus also reducing the financial burden on the drivers. Thus, this is a massive boost for female drivers. A sport that has been male-dominated since its creation has now finally started to help women out by giving them an equal opportunity in the sport. Even if there is still some financial burden, it cannot be denied that the burden has been significantly reduced and the opportunity has been given. 

This opportunity to not only get experience, but also get into Formula 3 and 2 is massive when considering long-term impacts. There have been multiple examples where a driver starts in Formula 3, wins the championship, goes into Formula 2, wins the championship, goes onto Formula 1 and has a successful career there. Now they most definitely do not have to win the championships to get into the next level but the chain of events to get in is there. This snowball effect created by the opportunity is something that female drivers can now take advantage of as they will have a chance of getting into Formula 3. Does that mean everyone will? No, the nature of competition dictates that that won’t happen, but it could create golden opportunities for people who only need 1 shot. This sets the example that others need to follow in a way that applies to their respective sports. Give athletes the opportunities and allow them to thrive because ultimately, everyone will benefit off of that.