It’s everywhere lately — your feed, your screen, even your makeup bag. F1 Academy is the all-female series backed by Formula 1, powered by some of the world’s biggest brands, and now the subject of its own Netflix show. With all ten Formula 1 teams now backing the grid, a growing list of powerhouse sponsors, fierce competition, and its own Netflix docuseries, it’s undoubtedly becoming one of the sport’s most talked-about chapters. But what exactly is F1 Academy — and why is everyone paying attention?
F1 Academy Explained
F1 Academy is the all-female grid making waves throughout the motorsport community. Headed by Susie Wolff and supported by all of the Formula 1 teams, this feeder series is an important step forward for women and girls hoping to race.
When it launched in 2023, the series featured 15 drivers. However, at the start of the 2025 season, it increased to 18, making way for even more women to join the grid. The purpose of the series is to develop young female talent and provide visibility so that, hopefully, we can see some of these incredible drivers in Formula 1.
Who Are the Teams and How Do They Work?
This year, Hitech TGR joined the grid, accompanying feeder series royalty – ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, PREMA Racing and Rodin Motorsport. These teams have raised some of the biggest names on the current F1 grid, such as Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, making them the ideal candidates to shape the future of women in racing.
Each Formula 1 team has their own nominated driver, and the remaining drivers race with the series’ partners: Charlotte Tilbury, Tommy Hilfiger, PUMA, Wella, American Express, and a new addition, official partner TAG Heuer.
Each team has three drivers, and Hitech is the designated team to take on the Wild Card entry at every F1 Academy race weekend.
What is a Wild Card entry?
Wild Card entries, introduced to the series in 2024, are one-off entries that join the grid from regions where the series races. The idea is to strengthen the talent pool in each country that the grid visits and provide visibility to female racing drivers that would not otherwise get it. This season, we have seen Chinese driver Shi Wei join the field in Shanghai and Saudi Arabian driver Farah al-Yousef join in Jeddah.
The Wild Card entry has been a hit, with four of the 2024 entries securing spots on the 2025 grid. Up next in Zandvoort, we will see Esmee Kosterman take to the track in her F1 Academy debut.
F1 Academy Driver Lineup 2025
The 2025 F1 Academy driver lineup is a mix of very talented sophomores and rookies. PREMA Racing opted to retain 2024 Vice-Champion Doriane Pin, backed by Mercedes. She is joined by Nina Gademan, backed by Alpine, and Tina Hausmann, backed by Aston Martin.
Rodin Motorsport’s lineup is made up of Emma Felbermayr, backed by Kick Sauber, Ella Lloyd, backed by McLaren, and Chloe Chong, backed by Charlotte Tilbury.
Campos Racing is made up of Chloe Chambers, supported by Red Bull Ford, Rafaela Ferreira, supported by Racing Bulls, and Alisha Palmowski, backed by Red Bull Racing.
MP Motorsport races with Alba Larsen, supported by Tommy Hilfiger, Joanne Ciconte, supported by Wella, and Maya Weug, who made history as the first female driver to be signed with the exclusive Ferrari Driver Academy.
ART Grand Prix consists of Courtney Crone, backed by Haas, Aurelia Nobels, backed by PUMA, and Lia Block, backed by Williams.
Last but not least, Hitech TGR races Nicole Havrda, supported by American Express, Aiva Anagnostiadis, supported by TAG Heuer, and will race this weekend with Esmee Kosterman, supported by Teamviewer.
How Does the Calendar Work?
F1 Academy races alongside the Formula 1 calendar, but does not accompany them to every race weekend. The 2025 season features seven rounds across six countries, taking place at Formula 1 Grand Prix Weekends.
This year, the series races in China for the season opener, followed by Saudi Arabia, Miami, Canada, Zandvoort, and Singapore. It comes to a close in the United States at the Las Vegas Grand Prix Weekend.
How Does the Race Weekend Work?
An F1 Academy race weekend splits across three days, similar to the F1 format. There are up to two Free Practice sessions, lasting 40 minutes each, in which drivers and teams can fine-tune set-up and get to know the track better. Next, we have a 30 minute Qualifying session on either Friday or Saturday, depending on how many Free Practice sessions took place, so keep an eye out for the official weekend timetable.
Race 1 takes place on the Saturday, and new for the 2025 season, the first battle is a reverse grid race following an update to the Sporting Regulations. That is, race officials set the grid for Race 1 by reversing the top eight drivers from Qualifying, while drivers from ninth to 18th start in their original positions. The top eight finishers then score points, following a system similar to an F1 Sprint Race.
Race 2 remains the same format as last year, and the grid is based on Qualifying positions. The series awards 25 points to the winner, with points decreasing on a sliding scale down to one point for the 10th-place finisher.
Drivers can score up to 39 points across a race weekend, and teams can score a points haul of up to 86 points. There are no points awarded for a race if the leading driver has completed less than two laps.
What Cars Do F1 Academy Drivers Race With?
F1 Academy runs as a single-make series, which means that all 18 drivers race in identical machinery. Tatuus supplies the Formula 4-grade cars, and this year, the grid is competing in the T421. The cars can hit a top speed of 240km/h, featuring 1.4 litre turbo-charged, four-cylinder engines supplied by Autotecnica.
Credit: PREMA Racing. – F1 Academy Formula 4 grade car.
Why Should You Watch F1 Academy?
Despite the young talent and its short history, F1 Academy is a competitive series, featuring high-speed racing, plenty of overtakes, and exciting highs and lows from start to finish. We have seen some incredible talent come out of the sport, with former Champion Marta Garcia taking other series by storm, and reigning World Champion Abbi Pulling is currently competing in the GB3 Championship with fellow F1A alum Bianca Bustamante.
If you love the feeder Formulas, without a doubt you will love F1 Academy!
Featured Image Credit: PREMA Racing