Il 2024 turns pink – or perhaps better to say lilac – because the female Formula 1 category arrives on the channel sky sports f1. Already last year we had the pleasure of watching the last weekend, in Austin, live. Session that sanctioned Marta Garcia as the first champion of the category. There is less and less left until the start of the new season of F1 Academy, for this reason, let's start with a guide with everything you need to know to be prepared on March 7th.
Top news for the F1 Academy
La category, strongly desired by Susie wolff – managing director – e Liberty Medium, is aimed at the most promising women, guaranteeing them more time on the track, with tests, races and technical as well as physical and mental preparation.
Has like purpose that of helping, first of all to make the sport in question more inclusive, but also with the transition to Formula 3 and to climb the preparatory categories.
Thanks to Susie's help, the academy became part of the Formula 1 support project, favored by the promoter Formula Motorsport Limited . The same one present in F2 and F3. The top sports car competition has thus chosen to donate 150.000€ per team per season. From this year, therefore, ten of these pilot will be nominated by the F1 teams and each team will have its own livery on a car.
The regulations for the three races
They are present on the grid 15 single-brand single-seaters and the age limit ranges from 16 to 25 years. They will compete in 7 weekend of the race and each will be composed of 2 races. Respectively called Race 1, Race 2.
Like a real respectable weekend, they are present before Race 1 a FP session for 40 minutes and a qualification session for 1 hour.
Both races last 30 minutes + 1 lap, based on the Qualifying ranking. For further information, in the qualifications, the fastest lap of each driver will determine the grid for Race 1, the second fastest laps of the pilots will determine therace order 2.
This year it comes Game 3 eliminated and the inverted grid system. In each race there will be a sixteenth driver who will race thanks to the Wild Card with the reigning champion team: Prema. The driver will not be fixed, but will rotate based on the place where the race is held. Example: in the first race of the season in Jeddah, the 16th driver was Reema Juffali, Saudi national.
How points are awarded
If we talk about competition, can there ever be a lack of points? Obviously not, correct answer.
If last year there were two methods of assigning points, the rules will change for the 2024 season. In both races, at winner is awarded 25 and then climb up to tenth position in this way: 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1.
To these points add: 1 point for fastest lap in each race session, but only if it is achieved by the girl who is in the first 10 positions or if the leader has completed more than 50% of the distance scheduled for the race. To conclude, 2 points for the pole position in the two Qualifying sessions.
F1 Academy: tires and licenses
Every pilot will have 3 and a half trains of tires from dry – one of these may be carried over from the previous test or event – e 2 trains da wet. Everything for every event.
As regards licenses, however, all female drivers participating in the F1 Academy must have one FIA International license grade B, C or D.
Cars
As well as satisfying static and impact tests, are equipped with anti-intrusion panels. The aerodynamics are optimized to facilitate overtaking and there is a wide range of suspension adjustment options.
The maximum speed they can reach is 240 km/h. The frame is designed by Tatuus Automobiles with carbon monocoque compliant with the FIA 2021 safety standard.
The calendar for F1 Academy events in 2024
As we anticipated, the season is made up of 7 weekends, designed and conceived to be held in conjunction with the Formula 1 weekends. The 21 races will be broadcast on Sky Sport F1.
- March 7-9, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia;
- 3-5 May, Miami, United States of America;
- June 21-23, Barcelona, Spain;
- August 23-25, Zandvoort, Netherlands;
- 20-22 September, Marina Bay, Singapore;
- November 29 – December 1, Lusail, Qatar;
- 6-8 December, Yas Marina, United Arab Emirates.
