F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff says the all-female racing series must operate as a commercially viable platform rather than a “charity project”.
The championship has gone from strength to strength since its inaugural season in 2023. After it initially took place in front of empty grandstands and with no televised on-track action, Wolff worked to form partnerships with Formula 1 and its teams. Now, the series features as a support race during selected F1 grand prix weekends and is fully broadcast.
It even featured in its own Drive to Survive-style Netflix series, F1: The Academy.
“We don’t expect, as the female arm within Formula 1, for it to be a charity project. It needs to make sense. We need to build a platform that works for our partners,” Wolff said while speaking to Yahoo Finance at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
“So incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved, but very ambitious of what we can go on to achieve, because women’s sport is on fire.”
While getting a woman into F1 isn’t the only goal of the series, it remains a big talking point. Wolff was clear that she believes this is achievable, but wants it to happen on merit, not just for optics.
“Will it happen? I think yes. Can I give you a definitive date? No, because it comes down to talent,” she explained.
Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy
Photo by: Clive Mason / Getty Images
“A door shouldn’t be opened or an opportunity given just because it’s a woman, but we will find a young girl that’s going to be talented enough, and I have no doubt that there will be a team that gives her the chance.”
In its first three seasons, F1 Academy has already produced success stories. 2023 champion Marta Garcia graduated to the Formula Regional European Championship before moving to endurance racing with the Iron Dames.
2024 champion Abbi Pulling moved to the GB3 Championship, where she made history earlier this year as the first woman to claim a pole position and a race victory. She also serves as a rookie and simulator driver for the Nissan Formula E Team.
Following her 2025 title, Doriane Pin was promoted to a development driver role for the Mercedes F1 team. She has since become the first woman to test a Mercedes F1 car. Racing-wise, she has secured a race seat in the European Le Mans Series LMP2 class.
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– The Motorsport.com Team