Ahead of the season finale in Las Vegas, all 10 current Formula 1 teams have reaffirmed their commitment to sponsor an F1 Academy livery and driver as part of a multi-year partnership.
And it’s not just the current Formula 1 teams backing F1 Academy: Cadillac Formula 1 Team, who will join F1 in 2026, have also confirmed that it will join the F1 Academy grid as a sponsor from 2027.
Beyond this, from 2027, drivers who have competed in the two previous seasons may be granted an exemption to race in the series for a third season, in accordance with the updated 2027 regulations.
Commenting on the partnership, Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, shares:
“The commitment of long-term support from all ten current Formula 1 teams, and the addition of Cadillac to our grid from 2027, sends a powerful message about the future of F1 ACADEMY.
We’re not just providing a platform for the current generation of female drivers; together, we’re building a pathway to support generations of talent to come.”
This news signals the continued global growth of the all-female F4-level series. From their seven-part documentary series on Netflix to building a cumulative social audience online, let’s take a look at how far the series has come in 2025 and what the future holds for increased female participation in motorsport.
Brand Activations: Charlotte Tilbury, Tommy Hilfiger, Wella Professionals, and more
Since its launch in 2023, F1 Academy has welcomed three non-F1 team-associated brand partners: Charlotte Tilbury, Tommy Hilfiger, and Wella Professionals.
While these brands hail from the fashion and beauty industries, each aligns with F1 Academy’s mission to elevate young women in motorsport. For example, Tommy Hilfiger partnered with 16-year-old Danish driver Alba Hurup Larsen, winner of the 2023 FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars programme, to join the grid in 2025.
Charlotte Tilbury also became F1 Academy’s first female-founded beauty partner and its inaugural global beauty sponsor. The partnership hones in on a closely shared purpose to empower, inspire confidence, and encourage young women to chase their dreams – and it showed on track this year.
During the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, fans were treated to trackside glam stations offering makeup tutorials and touch-ups using Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic products, including Magic Cream and Hot Lips lipstick. Sponsored driver Lola Lovinfosse raced in a custom Charlotte Tilbury-branded car featuring the signature Hot Lips logo, merging high fashion with high speed.
Ultimately, these partnerships deliver distinctive fan experiences that enhance storytelling and broaden F1 Academy’s social footprint. For proof, the series has grown its cumulative social media audience to 1.38 million followers across Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok as of 2025.
Netflix: F1: The Academy
Whether you love it or hate it, you can’t deny the effect Drive to Survive has had on Formula 1 — the documentary series on Netflix was our pathway into the lives of the legends we looked up to beyond a race weekend.
Since then, other series have tried to replicate its success. F1 Academy’s take was F1: The Academy, a seven-part documentary series produced by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine, which showcased the lives of several drivers during the 2024 season.
Some standout moments in the series include deeper insights into Abbi Pulling’s journey in motorsports and her impressive charge to become the F1 Academy Champion in 2024.
There was also Bianca Bustamante, the first female driver in McLaren’s Driver Development Programme, balancing her life both on and off the track. Sadly, her journey with F1 Academy came to an end when McLaren decided to part ways with her by the end of the 2024 season.
Even if the documentary falls short of strengthening the female presence in motorsports, F1: The Academy is at least a step in the right direction for the racing series to build upon or refine for future iterations.
F1 Academy in 2025: Building Towards The Future
Throughout Formula 1’s long and storied history, only five women have ever competed at its highest level. Among them, Susie Wolff – now the Managing Director of F1 Academy – remains the most recent female driver to have taken part in a competitive F1 session during a F1 race weekend.
When F1 Academy launched, it had a clear vision: to create a sustainable pathway for the next generation of female talent to reach F1. It was never going to be an overnight fix – but few series can claim to have made such significant progress in such a short period.
To start, F1 Academy races exclusively on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends, positioning the series at the very heart of the sport’s global stage. This integration makes it far easier for all ten F1 teams to support a driver and, in turn, helps the championship grow into a global platform.
In 2025, the grid expanded to 18 full-time entries, including a dedicated Wild Card seat at every round – opening the door for emerging regional talents to join select events. This results in a field featuring fewer experienced drivers embarking in their first or second year of single-seater racing.
What’s more, Hitech TGR, renowned for nurturing many of F1’s current generation of drivers, has joined as the series’ sixth team, adding pedigree and technical expertise to the championship. The return of reverse-grid races this season is another step forward, since most drivers would face this format if they were to move up the ladder to Formula 3 and Formula 2.
What Does The Future Hold For The Series in 2026?
The recent landmark agreement between Formula 1 and F1 Academy is the latest in a string of initiatives the series has launched in 2025 to strengthen the global talent pool of young female drivers.
In October, F1 Academy renewed and expanded its support for global karting series Champions of the Future Academy, with up to 27 young female drivers receiving support from F1’s Academy Discover Your Drive initiative in 2026.
A month earlier, the Academy hosted its first-ever Rookie Test in Navarra, Spain, where 18 emerging talents from karting, F4, and other junior categories benchmarked themselves against the current grid.
Back in June, the Academy also introduced its Driver Development Guide – a first-of-its-kind resource designed to help girls at any stage of their motorsport journey. Created by the F1 Academy’s Performance & Talent Development team, the guide provides a clear roadmap for navigating the sport and advancing through its ranks.
All in all, 2025 is a pivotal year for F1 Academy – one focused on building a clear, inclusive pathway for young female drivers. While we may still be far from seeing a woman on the Formula 1 grid, there’s no reason to doubt what 2026 will continue to bring to the series.
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F1 Academy returns November 20th for the season finale in Las Vegas.
Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool