F1 Academy makes a low-key start
All-female F1 Academy series gets underway, but without live TV coverage
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From the ashes of the W Series concept, the new all-female F1 Academy series has begun, however you may not even have noticed…
The new championship was founded by Formula 1 back in November and has attracted a grid of 15 drivers across five teams, with all running spec 1.4-litre Tatuus Formula 4 cars. F1 subsidises each chosen driver’s seat by £130,000.
However, the first season got off to a quiet start at both the Red Bull Ring in April and Valencia in May due to there not actually being anywhere to follow the live races on TV or streaming services. There are highlights packages available on Sky the week after a race weekend, but for a structure as powerful as F1, it’s a rather surprising omission. F1 Academy will also only feature at one actual grand prix weekend, the US GP in Austin in October for its season finale. Teams have spoken out against F1’s the lack of support.
Spaniard Marta Garcia made history by winning the first-ever F1 Academy race for Prema in Austria, and leads the standings after the second weekend by 26 points from MP Motorsport’s Hamda Al Qubaisi.
F1 Academy is aiming to pick up where W Series left off, but it isn’t very accessible
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