On the eve of the third edition of the F1 Academy, Susie Wolff highlighted the successes achieved so far by the series, emphasizing its contribution to increasing female participation in karting.
In Shanghai, the F1 Academy will kick off its third season on a new circuit that marks a fresh addition to the 2025 calendar of the female category. The series is led by Susie Stoddart Wolff, the last female driver to participate in a Formula 1 weekend, making her debut on track with the Williams FW36 during free practice for the 2012 British Grand Prix.
The British driver served as a test driver for the Grove-based team until 2015; after that, she announced her retirement from the top tier of motorsport but expressed her intention to help and inspire other women to enter the motorsport world—starting a slow but not impossible change. Ten years later, Wolff is one of the most influential women in the F1 paddock, determined to find more opportunities to support emerging female talent, particularly from karting, through the founding of the F1 Academy.
In an interview with Formula 1, Susie Wolff explained how the achievements made in just two editions of the series were a source of pride, even though the road ahead is still long, as it is a “long-term project” with the ultimate goal of bringing a woman to compete in the top category: “We knew we had only one chance to do it the right way. We needed to build solid foundations. In a short time, we’ve achieved a lot: racing at F1 weekends, gaining support from teams and major partners, increasing the grid to 18 cars. We can be very proud of the results, but this has always been a long-term project.” .
Since the last edition, every Formula 1 team has been tasked with selecting an F1 Academy driver to support throughout the season: for example, Maya Weug, in her second season with the series, will race under the Scuderia Ferrari banner. The same applies to Doriane Pin, who will be supported by Mercedes.
F1 Academy Effect: More Young Girls in Karting
Among the programs implemented by the female category to support female talent in motorsport, it is important to mention the F1 Academy Discovery Your Drive program, a global initiative that includes grassroots activities to increase the participation of young girls and women entering the sport both on and off the track. Among the young talents is 14-year-old Luna Fluxa Cross, who is also supported by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team development program. She won the Champions of the Future Academy Program in the OK-N Senior category, becoming the first woman to win an FIA international championship since Italian Susanna Raganelli won the World Karting Championship in 1966.
“We need to see more girls in karting, and they are already talking about the ‘F1 Academy effect.’ I’ve never seen so many young girls in karting, and for me, that’s as important as the success of the series. We need to inspire the next generation and ensure that more women race to bring out the best,” continued the director.
Moreover, one of the reasons that has contributed to increasing the number of seats available for the 2025 season, according to Wolff, is the rising participation and talent in recent times. Among the new developments for the upcoming season is the debut of Hitech Grand Prix as the sixth team on the grid, which will also manage the wild cards participating in various race weekends during the year.
“We had to build a global database, understand who is racing, and how the talent pipeline is developing to make sure we have enough young, talented drivers to expand the grid. We have Katie Denver—Performance & Talent Development Manager of the F1 Academy—who follows karting races and Formula 4 tests worldwide to monitor the next generation ,” said Susie Wolff. “We want to give space to those who have potential because we believe that, in our environment, they can grow and develop properly. I don’t see any issues with some drivers having less experience “.
Photos: F1 Academy.