F1 Academy is back racing again this weekend in Saudi Arabia for its second season after a successful inaugural campaign saw its first-ever champion Marta Garcia earn a fully-funded seat in FRECA for 2024.
With seven rounds across three continents, the all-female single-seater series will feature on the F1 support bill this season with all sessions streaming live on Sky Sports F1 in the UK.
Created as a feeder series for women in motorsport following the fall of the W Series, F1 Academy was launched in November 2022 with the support of Formula 1 to provide more ample opportunities for talented female drivers to progress in motorsport, particularly the single-seater ladder.
Susie Wolff was appointed Managing Director of F1 Academy early into its conception, with her wealth of experience as a driver and team principal alongside her passion for female motorsport progression coming into play.
Founding the female motorsport initiative Dare To Be Different in 2016, Wolff has always been a vocal advocate for creating more opportunities for women in motorsport to progress further.
With hopes that its graduates will eventually land a spot in Formula 1, the series prepares and nurtures female drivers between the ages of 16 and 25 for higher levels of single-seater racing.
This season marks the next step in female motorsport as F1 Academy gained new official partners in Charlotte Tilbury, Puma, and Tommy Hilfiger as well as striking a new broadcast deal with Sky Sports.
F1 Academy has recruited talented female drivers from across the globe, offering new and exciting opportunities for the 2024 season.
Who are the teams and drivers?
Five teams are competing in F1 Academy, all with experience racing in Formula 2 or Formula 3. The competing teams are ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, Prema Racing, and Rodin Motorsport.
For its second season, Formula 1 will increase its direct involvement in the all-female series as all 10 F1 teams are required to nominate a driver to the 2024 F1 Academy grid. Teams are lowering each driver’s contributions by €50,000 to €100,000 from the first season by fronting some of their costs. Displaying a unique livery on their nominated driver’s car, Formula 1 will be adopting some of the talents from F1 Academy.
| Prema Racing | Tina Hausmann (Aston Martin), Doriane Pin (Mercedes), Maya Weug (Ferrari) |
| ART Grand Prix | Bianca Bustamente (McLaren), Aurelia Nobels (Puma), Lia Block (Williams) |
| MP Motorsport | Emely De Heus (Red Bull), Hamda Al Qubaisi (Red Bull Racing), Amna Al Qubaisi (RB) |
| Rodin Motorsport | Lola Lovinfosse (Charlotte Tilbury), Abbi Pulling (Alpine), Jessica Edgar (F1 Academy) |
| Campos Racing | Chloe Chambers (Haas), Carrie Shreiner (Sauber), Nerea Marti (Tommy Hilfiger) |
What is the format?
Split over three days each race week, there will be two races in each of the seven rounds. There will be two 40-minute practice sessions before a 30-minute qualifying session that will set the grid for both races. The driver’s fastest lap times will determine the Race 1 starting grid while their second-fastest times will set the order for Race 2. Both races are 30 minutes each.
What is the points system?
This season, the top five finishers in the Championship will earn super license points to make the progression further into formula racing a smoother process. The winner will be awarded 10 super license points, while the second-place finisher takes home seven, third-place earns five, fourth-place earns three, and the fifth-placed driver earns one point. The races themselves will be following the same points system as Formula 1, race-winners will take home 25 points.
| Finish | Points |
| 1st | 25 |
| 2nd | 18 |
| 3rd | 15 |
| 4th | 12 |
| 5th | 10 |
| 6th | 8 |
| 7th | 6 |
| 8th | 4 |
| 9th | 2 |
| 10th | 1 |
What is the 2024 race calendar?
| Round 1 | 07-09 March 2024 | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| Round 2 | 03-05 May 2024 | Miami, United States |
| Round 3 | 21-23 June 2024 | Barcelona, Spain |
| Round 4 | 23-25 August 2024 | Zandvoort, Netherlands |
| Round 5 | 20-22 September 2024 | Singapore, Singapore |
| Round 6 | 29-01 December 2o24 | Lusail, Qatar |
| Round 7 | 06-08 December 2024 | Yas Island, United Arab Emirates |
How was the first season?
The first season of F1 Academy saw nine different race winners with each driver on the grid scoring points. Last season, there were three races per round across seven rounds. Marta Garcia sent a warning to the grid when she won two of the three opening races of the season at the Red Bull Ring. A three-way title fight between Garcia, Léna Bühler and Hamda Al Qubaisi followed the drivers to the final round where Garcia snagged the title in the first race during the Unites States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Garcia finished ahead of Bühler in second by 56 points, and 61 points above Al Qubaisi in third.
The Teams’ Championship was closer and went to the wire in the final round as Prema Racing became the series’ first winning team, only eight points ahead of runner-up MP Motorsport. Rodin Carlin came third, almost 100 points behind Prema. Fans followed the action through live timings, as a broadcast deal had not yet been struck in the inaugural season.
Where to watch?
In a big leap from its inaugural season, each F1 Academy session will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 in the UK. Forming a part of the F1 support bill, each of the seven rounds will take place on Formula 1 race weekends as the young female drivers share the grid with their sponsored teams and favourite drivers.
The opening race of the second season will take place on March 8th at 11:55 am GMT with practice and qualifying live on March 7th at 10:50 am and 6:15 pm.
