Max Verstappen isn’t the only driver celebrating a championship this season. British driver Abbi Pulling clinched the F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship in Qatar on Saturday.
F1 Academy is an all-female single-seater series meant to develop young drivers and give them access to motorsport opportunities to propel their future career.
Unlike Formula 1, all drivers in F1 Academy have the same car, which evens the playing field and makes races more competitive for drivers. The grid consists of five teams with three drivers each. Of these drivers, 10 are sponsored by current F1 teams.
As the 2024 champion, Pulling will receive a fully funded seat for the 2025 season of the single-seater series GB3 and 20 days of testing with the GB3 car. The top five drivers of F1 Academy will receive points towards the FIA Super Licence.
Issued by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the FIA Super Licence allows the driver to compete in Formula 1. A minimum of 40 points over a three-year period are required to qualify for the FIA Super Licence — and winning the F1 Academy Championship is a substantial step towards reaching that goal.
While higher-level series such as FIA Formula 2 offer more points towards the licence, 10 points is on par with similar level series such as Formula 4, which awards 12 points to the champion and uses a similar car to F1 Academy.
Since F1 Academy was introduced in 2023, it has partnered with many high-profile sponsors such as makeup brand Charlotte Tilbury, clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger and credit card company American Express.
Individual drivers have also earned their own sponsorships. McLaren F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante is sponsored by makeup brand Anastasia Beverly Hills and has the brand’s logo featured prominently on her car.
For the 2025 season, F1 Academy is slated to race at three new venues. This is just one example of the recent growth of women’s sports.
The National Women’s Soccer League saw record-high attendance in 2024. Women’s National Basketball Association stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier announced they were starting a new 3-on-3 league called “Unrivaled” to give players an off-season alternative to heading overseas.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League kicked off its sophomore season on Saturday. Coming off a successful inaugural season, the league introduced new names and logos for its six teams and already has plans for an expansion.
Women have also been making a positive impact on motorsport off the track, from managerial roles to content creation.
Susie Wolff, the managing director of F1 Academy, has earned support from influential sponsors and the F1 teams. However, she has bigger dreams for F1 Academy and women in motorsport. Her goal is to make F1 Academy self-sufficient from F1 and provide more opportunities for women on and off the track.
One way Wolff is bringing attention to F1 Academy is through a docuseries, which is set to be released globally on Netflix in 2025, similar to the popular Netflix show, “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” F1 Academy is partnering with Reese Witherspoon’s media company Hello Sunshine to reach a greater audience and hopefully inspire women in motorsport.
Lissie Mackintosh, a popular F1 presenter, began as a fan posting videos on TikTok and is considered one of the first F1 content creators.
Fellow fan-turned-social media personality Toni Cowan-Brown has gained over 111,000 followers on TikTok for her “Guide to F1” videos.
Content creators like Mackintosh and Cowan-Brown make the sport easier to digest for new fans and give women a safe community to share their love for F1.
However, their growth in the motorsport industry hasn’t come easy.
Both Mackintosh and Cowan-Brown have been outspoken about the sexism and double-standards they face as women in motorsport.
“Name five drivers.” “List every one of Michael Schumacher’s wins.” “I bet you only watch ‘Drive to Survive.’”
Women are constantly asked ridiculous questions by men to prove that they are a “real” fan — and this is not just for motorsports.
Brands are starting to see the value of women’s sports. After all, Amex wouldn’t sponsor F1 Academy if they didn’t think it would be a worthwhile investment.
Women’s sports are finally starting to get the recognition they deserve, and the future of motorsport is bright with women like Pulling, Wolff, Mackintosh and Cowan-Brown pioneering the way.
