Formula 1 co-organized an all-women racing championship in 2023. Its inaugural season was won by the Spanish driver – Marta Garcia. Garcia took claimed the title at the Circuit of the Americas with two races to spare. Upon winning the historic championship, Garcia received an offer from Prema for a seat in the Formula Regional European Championship.

Prema Racing announced the signing of the talented driver for the 2024 season. Garcia commented on the new seat and what she anticipates in the FREC as she thanked the F1 academy.

We know we will have to work a lot with the team to succeed but I’m determined to do well. I can’t thank F1 Academy enough. It is such a fantastic initiative, and it is the right way to do it, trying to take drivers with the best results to the top level.

Moreover, FREC recently announced that teams signing a driver who finishes in the top three of the previous year’s F1 Academy will be granted a fourth car in the series. The F1 Academy, established to create opportunities for female drivers and enhance their representation in junior formulae, features five established junior teams with three cars each. The F1 Academy is slated to run the Championship according to the official F1 calendar from next year.

Susie Wolff commented on Marta Garcia’s seat and the future of the all-women racing competition

Susie Wolff, and wife of the Mercedes Team Boss Toto Wolff is the Managing director of F1 Academy. Wolff commented on Marta Garcia’s FREC seat as she was quoted by racefans.net.

F1 Academy is all about progression and creating more opportunities for young women across motorsport, so to offer a fully funded seat in FREC for our inaugural champion is a significant moment, The fact that she will also continue to race with Prema, whom she has built a relationship with and are current team champions in this category, will also aid in her future development.

Wolff also talked about the success of the series’ inaugural season. Before the F1 Academy series came up, the Formula W Championship Dida run. While Jamie Chadwick was the undisputed winner in the series, it has to be shut down due to lack of resources. When the operations for the Formula W were suspended, many fans had said it was Formula One’s failure as it meant there would never be enough female representation in the elite class of motorsports.

Wolff further revealed the series’ plans for the future as the Academy plans to reduce the financial contribution for drivers to compete in their series from €150,000 to €100,000 in 2024. The new series is already breaking barriers and introducing a whole new batch of protagonists to the world of Motorsport.

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