The initiative will offer girls and young women the opportunity to take part in entry-level programs and professional schemes to promote and enhance female participation in the sport.
F1 Academy has today launched F1 Academy Discover Your Drive, a global initiative aimed at increasing the female talent pool in motorsport both on and off track.
With a focus on the four pillars of Youth Engagement, Talent Identification, Participation & Progression, and Community, the initiative will offer girls and young women the opportunity to take part in entry-level programs and professional schemes to promote and enhance female participation in the sport.
The first talent identification program to launch will be F1 Academy Discover Your Drive Karting UK, a national program to find and nurture the next generation of young female karters.
The program will be operated by Motorsport UK, the governing body for four wheeled motorsport in the UK, utilizing the organizations experience in talent development through its Academy program, and TeamSport Karting, which operates 35 karting venues across the country.
Recent statistics show that around 45,000 young girls visit TeamSport venues every year, but only a small percentage ever progress to competition. Of the 2,275 cadets aged 8-12 in the TeamSport Race Academy, only 146 cadets are girls. The disparity further increases at senior level with only 5% of all Motorsport UK race license holders being female.
F1 Academy Discover Your Drive Karting UK will address this, acting as a gateway to motorsport for young girls, making them more aware of the opportunities available and removing the barriers that often inhibit girls to compete.
“When we launched F1 Academy in March, one of our key objectives was to increase the pipeline of talent entering our sport, both strengthening the pool of drivers aiming to make it to an elite level and supporting those who want to pursue roles off track,” said Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy. “The launch of F1 Academy Discover Your Drive is an important step to achieving this and as we join the F1 global calendar next year, the reach of the program will be huge and will give us the platform to inspire many girls and young women around the world. To have the support of likeminded organizations like Motorsport UK and TeamSport Karting to deliver our first national program is hugely important, and I look forward to seeing it grow and be impactful long term.”
This new pilot program, which will be rolled out at six venues across the UK for the remainder of 2023, will see the participants supported through the qualifying stages of the Motorsport UK sanctioned British Indoor Karting Championships – an entry level for many British drivers – after completing their training. The program aims to scale up to all 35 TeamSport venues across the UK next year.
In 2024, F1 Academy will be a support series to Formula 1 and F1 Academy Discover Your Drive will also run activations around the world in the days leading up to races. These events will engage local communities and invite girls aged 8-18 to attend a variety of workshops and activities to inspire them to consider a future in motorsport. More information on these activities will be announced in due course.
