Sponsors, Points and Broadcast

"The deals happened easily because they could see the value this platform would bring. PUMA and Tommy Hilfiger are already in the sport and were very keen to support from the very beginning. With Charlotte Tilbury, it's her first time doing sports sponsorship, but there was so much brand alignment. Her feeling of makeup giving you confidence and empowerment - that was something which just very quickly we aligned. " - Susie Wolff, MD, F1A

PUMA, Tommy Hilfiger and Charlotte Tilbury

Seeing the success of F1 Academy and the audience enthusiasm when the race was broadcasted live, several brands have stepped to form good partnership with the series. Its rising global audience and the brand value carried by the drivers is a powerful selling point. Additionally with the last race being paired with F1 there's new focus on the series.

"We've always known that there's a financial barrier to racing, so giving this exposure to the drivers is something that I hope will help them to progress in their careers. We've always said we want to be the rocket fuel for progression, so that I think is really helpful."- Susie Wolff, MD, F1A

Another reason

For the second season of F1 Academy it was announced that the series would be supported by F1 teams themselves. In doing so all 10 F1 teams are set to choose and support one driver and showcase their livery on that driver. The remaining 5 cars would be supported by other partners.

Abbi Pulling, who's an Alpine F1 junior, will be supported by Alpine. The Qubaisi sisters are being supported by Red Bull Racing and RB Visa Cash app team. American constructor Haas F1 has chosen American racer Chloe Chambers. McLaren signed the famous Filipina Bianca Bustamante. Taking the Block name ahead, Lia Block has been signed by Williams F1. Endurance racer Doriane Pin joined Mercedes. Tina Hausmann is chosen by Aston Martin F1 and Ferrari junior driver Maya Waugh is being supported by Ferrari.

The remaining five drivers - Lola Lovinfosse is set to Charlotte Tilbury sponsored livery, Jessica Edgar - a F1 Academy livery, Emerly De Hues - a Red Bull livery, Nerea Marti featuring Tommy Hilfiger and Aurelia Nobels in a Puma Livery. With F1 supports, other sponsors are also willing to invest more in the series.

"We created F1 Academy to bring about real and lasting change to ensure young female talent have the right system in place to follow and achieve their dreams." -Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1

Making it into a global series

The 2024 season also changes the Euro-US nature of the championship. This season the series is set to visit Saudi Arabia, US, Spain, Netherlands, Singapore, Qatar and the UAE. The 7 country stint across the globe makes its a global series. This will help the series reach global audience and also inspire girls across the world.

The series is also set to have a "Wild card entry" this season with last year's winning team Prema operating the 16th car. The wild card entry will be given to a driver from the hosting area. This is being done to promote regional talent and provide opportunities to local drivers. For the first round, Saudi Arabian FIA Bronze-rated GT driver Reema Juffali is confirmed as a wildcard entry.

The series has also made other changes like reducing the number of race per round by 1 and reducing the qualifying to a singular format to allow for more learning and provide better structure throughout the weekend. The top five classified drivers in 2024 season are also now eligible to receive super license points in 10-7-5-3-1 order respectively.

"Our top five drivers receiving FIA Super Licence points is testament to the strength of F1 Academy’s on track proposition and will help fuel their progression as they move up the single seater pyramid." - Susie Wolff

F1 academy has also stated two initiatives. The first being Discover your drive which encompass all activities at grass root level to increase participation and in turn the talent pool of young girls and women entering the sport both on and off track. The second is a new global championship aiming to increase female participation and inclusion in national and international karting championships - Champions of the Future.

"We've always said we want to be the rocket fuel for progression" - Susie Wolff

With all these efforts F1 academy has emerged as the leading voice of change that can in the coming years reduce the gender participation gap significantly.

This article is part of series titled "The long road to seeing a woman drive in Formula 1". Find out about the changes fans wait to see in the participation of women in motorsport in the next article.