Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Why the next big step in women’s sports might just come on the racetrack
Women’s sports are having a moment.
Excitement over Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has propelled women’s basketball to new heights. Not only were some of the games in the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament the highest-rated in history — surpassing World Series and NBA Finals games — but that has translated to the WNBA. The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics will also feature some of the best female athletes in the world, and other women’s sports are primed for their own explosions.
Could the next such explosion come from the world of Formula 1?
2024 marks the second season of the all-female F1 Academy, a series with its roots back in the now-defunct Formula Woman series. That championship was replaced in 2019 by the W Series, which lasted three campaigns until it was shuttered after the 2022 season due to financial issues.
F1 announced in November of 2022 the creation of F1 Academy, the latest all-female series aimed at developing young female drivers and giving them a chance to move up the competitive ladder. When the project was announced so too was the naming of a new Managing Director, and perhaps the perfect choice for the role: Susie Wolff.
Wolff’s experience as a racer — her racing resume includes a stint as a developmental driver for Williams and a number of F1 practice sessions — and as a Team Principal for Venturi Racing in Formula E gave her extensive experience on the track and off, and under her stewardship the series is reaching new heights.
The second year of the F1 Academy began with significant buy-in from the current F1 teams on the grid, as it was announced that each current F1 team would support a driver who would compete with that team’s livery on their F1 Academy car.
That change to the series has brought more coverage to the F1 Academy and as a result, a lot more attention.
“In terms of preparing for the season, as well as the growth of F1 Academy and the excitement for it,” said Abbi Pulling to me earlier this season, ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. Pulling, who is in her second season of the F1 Academy and drives for Alpine, has seen a marked increase in the attention the F1 Academy has received this year. “It’s definitely got more eyes on it, last year wasn’t really aired anywhere. There was certainly no live coverage … It’s the Formula One support package, you can’t get any better than that.”
The evolution of the F1 Academy is, in many ways, in line with the continued growth of women’s sports.
“It’s been it’s been really, really great to see the championship evolve,” added Pulling earlier this spring. “I’m just looking forward to to seeing how it keeps progressing throughout the year. Really. And [seeing it] getting bigger and bigger and just becoming a bigger part of the conversational topic about women in sport.”
In a series filled with fascinating drivers and stars, Pulling might be at the top of the list. Pulling currently leads the series with 147 points, having won four of the six races this season. The F1 Academy is not the only series Pulling drives this year, as she is also competing in the F1 British Championship, where she has a victory and two additional podium finishes.
In addition to the buy-in from the F1 teams, the F1 Academy is hoping to get a boost similar to the one F1 received from the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive. Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, it was announced that Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company was filming a docuseries focusing on the F1 Academy. Currently in production, the series will launch globally on Netflix in 2025.
According to the release, the series “ … will give fans exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the all-women driving category, highlighting the drama of the races, as well as the personal stories and high stakes for the drivers, their teams, sponsors, and families involved, as they break barriers in one of the most demanding sports in the world.”
Wolff hailed the partnership as a “huge step forward” for what she hopes will be increased female participation in motorsports. “We want to be the rocket fuel that drives female participation in our sport, both on and off the track. To have the F1 Academy docuseries launch globally with Netflix is not just a huge step forward in visibility for our mission, but also a resounding statement about the momentum and demand for women’s sport,” said Wolff. “We want to inspire and empower the next generation of young women, and Netflix will open up F1 Academy to a global audience of existing and future fans.”
Witherspoon paid tribute to the drivers in F1 Academy, while noting that “people show up to watch” female sporting events.
“We started Hello Sunshine to change the narrative for women, and Susie Wolff and F1 Academy are doing just that by creating new opportunities in the thrilling world of motorsport,” said Witherspoon. “As these dynamic and fearless drivers break barriers behind the wheel, we are excited to partner with Netflix to tell the stories of these powerhouse leaders. What we know is that when we put women at the center, people show up to watch.”
And in Pulling, the F1 Academy has a star who has her eyes set higher up the single-seater ladder.In the eyes of many observers, Pulling is among the drivers with a chance at breaking F1’s glass ceiling. While this F1 Academy season is unfolding, Pulling certainly has her eyes set higher in the racing chain. When we discussed her training regimen — more on that in a moment — she discussed F3.
I asked her if that was the next step.
“Yeah, 1000%,” was the immediate reply.
“Formula Three is is the next jump, whether it’s the British Formula Three championship, FIA Formula Three. Or there’s even kind of a midpoint called Formula Regional. There’s a few different options. It’s just weighing them up, seeing which one is doable,” she added.
“It’s obviously a big financial commitment. Hopefully my driving on track speaks for itself. Physically, I think I’m ready,” Pulling continued. “I’ve been at kind of a similar level for a few years, So I think, you know, I’m ready for the challenge.”
So too is the F1 Academy itself, the next frontier in the future of women in motorsport.
