Across the globe, there are a multitude of established female racing drivers with a vast range of experience levels. There are a new wave of female drivers too, with many more on the way. All are eager to test their mettle and show what they’re capable of across a plethora of racing series – but many have a singular focus on single seater racing.
A number of Formula 3 Team Principals themselves have said, not only, that they’d love to see many of them step into their series and for it to become a reality again, but that there are no longer any barriers preventing that reality from taking shape. So what’s stopping them from being the ones to make it happen and for us to see another female Formula 3 driver in 2026? Perhaps more importantly, if we don’t see it happen in 2026, why not?
Previously in Formula 3
Formula 3 last saw a female driver competing in the series full time in 2024. This was when Sophia Flörsch was competing for Van Amersfoort Racing. Before her, the list of female drivers is incredibly sparse. In fact, the most recent time that another female driver competed full time in Formula 3 before last year was back in 2020… when Sophia Flörsch entered the series the first time.
“Well obviously, there has not been many women in our sport, especially successful women, so you still have many people not believing that women can actually also race, especially in Formulas, especially in Formula 1 and you still have people not being convinced that we are actually also there to perform, so that’s what I am and also other girls and women are trying to change.” – Sophia Flörsch
This is in the face of the fact that W Series was in full swing in this time period. It presented Formula 3 with a number of worthy drivers to take on the series, such as Jamie Chadwick and Beitske Visser. Moreover, while Sophia is, and remains to date, the only female driver to compete in Formula 3, she is not the only woman to have experience in these cars in the past.
GP3 and Formula 3 Tests
Before Formula 3, there was the GP3 Series. A flick back through the history books tells that a number of female drivers competed in this category between 2012 and 2018. Carmen Jordá, Vicky Piria, Alice Powell and Beitske Visser all competed in the series. Some only made an appearance for a round or two while others competed for full seasons. But crucially, they were all on the grid.
Tatiana Calderón also competed in GP3 for three seasons between 2016 and 2018. She scored points in every year and consistently did so in 2018. That year, she finished in the points in five of the nine rounds. She finished in P16 out of 26 drivers that year.
Furthermore, in 2021, Nerea Marti and Irina Sidorkova, along with Maya Weug and Doriane Pin took part in a FIA F3 female-oriented test at Magny Cours. In 2022, another test was held at the same circuit. This time, it featured Abbi Pulling, Hamda Al Qubaisi, Nerea Marti and Chloe Chambers. Marti, an incredibly consistent single seater driver, would have been another prime candidate to put into a Formula 3 seat – and is one still very much deserving of a shot.
Since Sophia though, there hasn’t been another female driver actually competing in a season of Formula 3, not even for a one off appearance. With more and more work being done to make motorsport more accessible for female drivers and promote equal opportunities, will we finally see at least one female driver in Formula 3 in 2026?
Female Drivers Available Today
Before F1 Academy even entered the picture, there was W Series. While it ultimately folded, it did lay some pivotal foundations for F1 Academy to rise from its ashes. For multiple years, it showcased a large number of female drivers on an international stage. Jamie Chadwick. Nerea Marti. Jessica Hawkins. Marta Garcia. The list goes on. Collectively, these drivers have since gone on to compete in Indy NXT, the European Le Mans Series, Extreme E and F1 Academy. Hawkins even got to test drive a recent Aston Martin Formula 1 car around the Hungaroring. She put in some very noteworthy lap times too.
“There shouldn’t be any barriers now if they’re determined and they put the work in. I don’t see why they can’t be successful in Formula 3.” – Brad Joyce, VAR Team Principal, Formula 3
Each of these drivers now has a solid amount of seat time under their belts. While they would be rookies in Formula 3, they’d be more experienced than the majority entering the series each year. These women have paved the way for the next generation. But they also shouldn’t have to forfeit the rewards for doing this. They did this for themselves as much as for those that come after them. These women each put in years and years of hard work to get where they are, smashing through each barrier placed in their paths in order to do so. As VAR’s Brad Joyce says, there’s no reason then as to why they can’t be successful in Formula 3. Their track records speak for themselves.
Putting another woman into a Formula 3 seat is already a no-brainer. It would also be a natural progression for their racing careers and, once again, help pave the way for those looking to follow in their footsteps. It gives us, and them, the best of both worlds.
The women above are not the only options though.
The Case for Abbi Pulling
At twenty-two years of age and with a very solid rookie career to date, Abbi Pulling is another obvious candidate for a Formula 3 seat. She competed in both British F4 and W Series. She’s had stonkingly good performances in both, such as in the latter in Austin back in 2022. She dominated F1 Academy last year, 221 points clear of her main Championship rival, Doriane Pin in second. In 2025, she is currently competing in the GB3 Championship – where she recently became the first female driver to stand on a GB3 podium.
An Emerging Market
What’s more, earlier this year, the Nissan Formula E Team recently signed Abbi Pulling be their test and reserve driver. Different teams and race series can see the potential in Abbi Pulling – and it’s backed up by results. Otherwise, she wouldn’t get these opportunities. So why doesn’t Formula 3 do the same?
“Abbi’s best shot at looking at an F3 seat is for either 26 or 27.” – Sam Waple, Rodin Motorsport Team Principal, Formula 3
Formula E also demonstrates further interests in single seater racing from another party. If this interest was looked at through a business perspective, female racing drivers can be seen as an emerging market. Whenever one of these comes along, those in the business world are often scrambling over one another to be the first to take advantage of this and corner the market. So why should it be any different here?
Two Steps Forward
As mentioned above, Abbi Pulling got the opportunity to test drive a F3 car at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in 2022 too. It’s important to note too that this was before both the Formula 2 and the Formula 3 cars had been redesigned to better accommodate all body types in a bid to help level the playing field.
The aforementioned redesign was done ahead of the 2025 season. Tatiana Calderon, Sophia Flörsch and Chloe Chambers were all instrumental in testing out the newly designed cars so that they did what they were meant to – accommodate as wide a range of drivers and make both championships as accessible as possible.
“I’m happy that they took a lot of the things that I maybe wasn’t that comfortable with in the old car, and they’ve made a big step in comfort as well for the driver,” – Tatiana Calderon
Calderon took the Formula 2 car out on track for a shakedown in July of 2023. Flörsch then tested it out more extensively in July of last year. Chambers meanwhile tested the Formula 3 car alongside Flörsch at Silverstone. All three are well versed in single seater racing and it would have made sense to embed all three in F2 and F3 respectively. This would have been not only to further test out the machinery – but because all three of them deserved a shot in Formula 2 and Formula 3.
One Step Back
“It’s extremely important for us to send the right message and to show that a female driver, well prepared, can do a very strong season in Formula 3,” – Bruno Michel, CEO of Formula 2 and Formula 3
Bruno Michel’s words here are of the kind that we would hope for. Like the Formula 3 Team Principals, they show that there isn’t a reason why it can’t happen. Why then, when it comes to putting a female driver in a Formula 3 seat, if only for a round or two, as we saw in the days of GP3, have we not seen any in the current iteration of Formula 3 aside from Sophia Flörsch?
If Michel has stated that a well-prepared female driver can do well in Formula 3, then what more must they do to be ‘prepared’ enough? We’ll only find out how important their preparation is, as well as what the future of females in Formula 3 will look like, when they get the chance to actually compete – a chance which has been scare since the series’ creation.
Thirty-seven drivers competed in the 2025 Formula 3 Championship – twenty-seven of those full-time. The other ten didn’t compete in every round – for a multitude of reasons – but only four of that ten scored points.
Furthermore, of the seventeen drivers finishing below P19 in the Championship, only seven were full-time drivers. The maximum amount of races amount of races that only one of these seventeen drivers scored points in was just four out of a possible nineteen.
If all seventeen of these drivers are worth taking a chance with, either for a single round, a few or even a full season, then what sets them apart from the number of female drivers that are available? What makes giving a female driver the fair shot that she deserves such a huge risk?
Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain
DAMS Lucas Oil, AIX Racing and Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR) all had at least one driver in their roster that was not a permanent part of the team in 2025. Of those ten drivers across the three teams, seven didn’t score any points. Substituting any one, or more, of them for the likes of someone such as Marta Garcia, Abbi Pulling or Nerea Marti, for example, would therefore not have compromised the team’s position in the Team’s Standings. Given also the gaps that we can now see between each team in the points, only a race win for DAMS Lucas Oil or VAR would have moved them up in the Team Standings.
In other words, there definitely would not have been anything to lose by choosing a different driver. So why not do it? Theory and preparation will only take you so far. At some point, an attempt needs to be made otherwise nothing will be learnt and valuable opportunities will be lost. Experience is the best form of preparation and if Bruno Michel wants to prepare female drivers as best as possible, then perhaps he should be encouraging one or two teams at least to explore this avenue.
Numbers Don’t Lie.
Over the last few years, the viewing figures for women’s sports have grown exponentially across the board too. This has been the case both globally and in America. The audiences that watch female sports, such as F1 Academy, will naturally flock to a series such as Formula 3 when drivers that they know from the former make their debut in the latter. You don’t tend to stop watching your favourite team/driver when they make the step up into the next level of their sport. Why would it be any different here?
The cumulative audience for Formula 3 grew by 37% from 2023 to 2024. 150 territories were reached in this time frame and demonstrates the series’ growing appeal. When you combine these numbers with the increase in viewership of women’s sports, the appeal of signing a female driver to a Formula 3 team becomes even more commercially attractive. While many fans will want to prioritise on track abilities over marketability, there’s no avoiding the importance of marketing, sponsorship and personal branding in the motorsport world today. Just look at Bianca Bustamante’s approach to her racing career to see how far it can take you.
The fact that this aligns with the on track abilities of numerous female drivers makes this even more of a logical move for F3 teams to make. So why wouldn’t you want to capitalise on this? Especially when it can give you an edge over your competitors, both on track and off.
There’s More Where That Came From
All the drivers that have already been mentioned are available and more than worthy of a shot. But they’re far from the only ones. A mixture of F1 Academy drivers, past and present are all putting in stellar performances across the motorsport world which should attract the attention of multiple teams.
“With drivers coming through and looking for F3 seats, we always look at all of the feeder series that are coming through.” – Sam Waple, Rodin Motorsport Team Principal, Formula 3
Lena Buhler, for example, finished in P2 in F1 Academy in 2023. In 2024, she then went on to compete in FRECA. She also recently secured victory in the LMP3 category of the Le Mans Cup at Le Mans itself. The Al Qubaisi sisters too have both won races and achieved podiums in single seater Championships. Both are currently racing in the Ligier European Series, sitting in P3 overall. Bianca Bustamante is also competing in GB3 this year. Recently she was signed as a development driver by Cupra Kiro in Formula E too. A driver with wins, podiums and a proven record of large scale marketability, the Filipino driver is another that is packed full of potential.
The F1 Academy 2025 Talent
Over the last and current season of F1 Academy, we’ve also seen a slew of new and familiar drivers begin to establish themselves as contenders for Formula 3 seats. Doriane Pin, Maya Weug and Chloe Chambers are the heavy hitters at the front of this field. Each of these are in their second season of F1 Academy. Backed by Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Ford respectively, these three should be able to continue racing in single seaters in 2026. Whether that’s GB3, FRECA or even Formula 3 itself remains to be seen. But each of them is showing that they’re more than capable of progressing to the next level. Again, why shouldn’t they?
“Certainly, within Rodin, we have our GB3 team and obviously our F1 Academy team that we look closely at and use as a benchmark to what we might bring up into the series in the future.” – Sam Waple, Rodin Motorsport Team Principal, Formula 3
Rookies on the grid such as Nina Gademan, Emma Felbermayr, Alba Larsen and Alisha Palmowski are also impressing both fans and teams alike. It’s unlikely that any of them will be on the Formula 3 grid in 2026 though. But these women are worth mentioning because it’ll be surprising if some aren’t there in 2027 or 2028 instead.
Rodin’s Long-Term View
Back at Rodin Motorsport, Abbi Pulling is not their only option either. This year in F1 Academy, Welsh driver Ella Lloyd is racing for the British outfit. Earlier this year in Canada, Lloyd put on an incredible performance to finish in P2 in all three races over the Grand Prix weekend. Backed by McLaren, she sits in P4 currently and is the highest placed rookie driver. Here is yet another exciting prospect for the near future. If she continues on the form she’s presenting, it’ll be difficult to justify not promoting her onto the next wrung of the motorsport ladder. Often times, drivers are criticised for not having performed consistently and that’s why they’ve not been promoted. That isn’t the case here.
“Looking at the series this year, obviously we’ve got close links with McLaren, with Ella Lloyd, and almost everyone in the series, and they’re absolutely considered. We have our test teams and different tools that we can use to evaluate and make sure that they’re ready.” – Sam Waple, Rodin Motorsport Team Principal, Formula 3
It’s great to hear a team like Rodin Motorsport being so vocal about the female drivers in their teams too and their prospects for the future. There is a clear path for Abbi Pulling to progress upwards with the team. That pathway seems open for Lloyd too. The reaffirmation of that by the team when asked is encouraging both for drivers and fans.
Actions Speak Louder than Words
A lot of the time, other teams, in Formula 3 and elsewhere, stick to broad and vague statements where they support the idea of female drivers. But aside from running them in F1 Academy, they appear to do little else in the way of making that idea a reality. If they do indeed do more, it’s not as obvious for the average fan to see and highlights an issue in their approach.
“Well, this one (question), again, is not an easy one, because it’s a combination of different aspects. And generally speaking, I really hope that soon there will be a female in the series and that she will be able to compete at the front.” – Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Principal, Formula 3
There is undoubtedly a lot of talent across the world of junior motorsport. Each driver signing, regardless of gender, is a risk at the end of the day. That’s the essence of motorsport. But who better then to take this risk than teams who specialise in developing junior drivers? The challenge of taking on and helping a female driver to succeed should be something that motivates these teams instead of giving them the appearance of hesitating. Don’t just hope that it will happen – be part of bringing that vision to life yourself. Why wouldn’t you want to do that?
There’s Even a Blueprint
Extreme E did a brilliant job of providing these opportunities when it came onto the scene. From the outset, each team was mandated to have a female driver. Through that, teams had to work out what worked best for them, as well as their male counterparts. Success for one wouldn’t guarantee success for the other – or the team.
“In just four seasons, on track data has proven the gap in performance times between its male and female drivers has narrowed by almost 70%, proving that equitable competition environments can drive measurable progress.” – Extreme E
This measured success came as a result of an encouragement to develop these drivers, provide them with more seat time and the ability to share data. Going head to head with some of the best drivers in the world also enabled these women to not only learn from them but for their confidence to grow as drivers when they were able to measure themselves against the benchmarks set and watch as that gap narrowed and was overtaken.
Moreover, as mentioned above, Formula E have recently taken to running testing sessions where at least one driver is mandated to be female as well as outright female testing sessions to help showcase the talent available. If teams are going to sign female drivers, they want to see what they’re capable of and the only way to do that is to get them into the cars themselves and put them to the test.
Formula 3’s Tried & Tested Method
It’s not just Extreme E that knows how to get it done though. Formula 3 Team Principals themselves know too how to prepare their drivers for a season in the category.
“From what we are doing on our side, we are organising several days to coach them and teach them how to drive the car and the basics. We can also recognise immediately if the driver can reach the right pressure with the brake and those kinds of things. We can understand, even from the sim session, if the basics are right,” – Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Principal, Formula 3
The fact that Formula 3 teams already do this with the new drivers that they sign each season shows that they actively seek to mitigate the risk of putting them into a Formula 3 car for the first time in a Championship setting. They have an obvious interest in their drivers doing well and so, regardless if they’ve come from regional Formula 4, the Euro-3 Cup or elsewhere, do all that they can to make that transition, as big or as small as that may be, into Formula 3 as easy as possible – so that when it’s time go racing properly, they can be in the best position possible to perform for the team, both on and off track.
“…we try to involve them in the team as soon as possible, even starting from the year before. We have, within the window that is allowed, some private testing.” – Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Principal, Formula 3
If that’s not the kind of well preparedness that Michel Bruno is referring to – then what is? Especially if it’s good enough for male drivers. What more should a female driver have to do and if there is more, why are the Formula 3 teams that say that they want to see female F3 drivers not providing that?
The blueprints are there and the only way to know if they work for everyone is to test it. So why wait?
The Cost of Success
It’s not a secret that motorsport is an expensive sport. Unlike other sports, like football, basketball or tennis for example, you can’t just go and practice any time that you feel like it. Costs can get eye wateringly high before you even get out onto the track too. From race suits to helmets, safety equipment and transport to and from the circuit, let alone everything else, the costs can add up very quickly.
This is easily a topic that could warrant an entire article of its own. But in short, there simply aren’t enough companies, sponsors and individuals getting behind female drivers yet. Maybe, as Flörsch said, it’s because many aren’t yet convinced that it makes sense to back these drivers, or maybe they just don’t know about them because they’ve not seen them in the series they pay attention to – like Formula 3. That’s why Susie Wolff’s motto of “If she can see it, she’ll believe it.” is so important and applies to everyone beyond young girls too.
A Shift is Underway
But it’s not all doom and gloom. With more female orientated brands such as Charlotte Tilbury and Wella getting involved in motorsport, this balancing of the scales appears to be gradually moving in the right direction. There is still much more work to be done though. As Extreme E has proven, when this balance is struck, the results on track can, and do, follow. That’s not an opinion. That’s what the data proves.
“As the stats prove, when given equal opportunities, barriers fall, and excellence knows no gender.” – Extreme E
So what’s stopping it from happening? What’s more is that when this happens, it will have a knock on effect to both Formula 2 and Formula 1 too. Moreover, with a number of changes engulfing the world of F1 next year, might we see a positive impact shooting down from on high too?
Formula 1 Reverberations
Two big changes are coming to Formula 1 next year too which may create some positive reverberations. Honda join forces with Aston Martin in 2026. Will we see them influence who the British team support in F1 Academy? Will we see them get involved in Formula 3? If so, might we see one of Japan’s own in Juju Noda enter F1 Academy or even Formula 3? Japanese motorsport has always felt like a constantly emerging market. Now though, it’s even more so with a range of female drivers coming onto the scene.
“For me it was so clear I had to get the F1 teams on board, because of their knowledge and their power in junior categories of building drivers up. I mean, that’s their business, that’s what they do.” – Susie Wolff
Cadillac too are arriving in Formula 1 in 2026. Naturally, it’s expected that they’ll back at least one driver in F1 Academy. With the combination of an ever emerging American motorsport market and female drivers becoming more commonplace, will the Americans make waves and help one of their own get into Formula 3 too?
“I think that as long as they are training hard, I don’t see a barrier. I do think that there’s no, as long as they have the testing, have the backing that all the other drivers have, then there’s nothing stopping that now.” – Sam Waple, Rodin Motorsport Team Principal, Formula 3
Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport. It should be at the very least helping to set the example for everyone else. Getting each team on the grid to support the development of a driver in F1 Academy has been a great first step. But now, they need to ensure that the drivers that do well don’t just vanish into Feeder Series obscurity once their time in F1 Academy is over. As they would for any other successful driver in their stable, they should reward them. The logical way of doing this is to help get them a seat in Formula 3.
What Can We Do?
There are thirty seats available in Formula 3 spread across ten teams that have three each. At the time of writing, only six of these has been claimed for 2026. Two rounds remain in F1 Academy in 2025 with the last of those taking place in Las Vegas in November. By then, the current season of Formula 3 will be long over and a number of the seats for next year will have been filled. But that doesn’t mean that we should wait until then to make the case for a number of the drivers in F1 Academy – or that we should limit our options for Formula 3 to just them. Plenty of others, as highlighted are already available, experienced and ready to take on Formula 3 in 2026. They just need the call.
People should highlight all of these drivers, their accomplishments and promote their potential. Spread the word over social media, raise awareness and put the spotlight onto them. The more people that question why a female driver hasn’t already been selected for Formula 3, the less those in charge can shy away from, at the very least, properly addressing the question. Motorsport is a cutthroat sport, we know this. But at the end of the day, all that is being asked for is as fair a shot as the next person. That shouldn’t be too much to ask.
Formula 3 Teams – the ball is in your court. Don’t fumble it.
Feature Image Credit: Mercedes Media Centre, Alpine Media Centre, Red Bull Content Pool, Kick Sauber Media Centre, IndyCar Media Centre and PREMA.