The starting grid begins to take shape F1 Academy, the all-female championship organized by Formula 1 as the ‘fourth category’ of the pyramid that leads to access to the Circus and which has traditionally been made up of F2 and F3. The series, which does not want to be a competitor of the W Series but a sort of preparatory championship possibly also for that category, will see five teams compete – ART GP, Campos Racing, Carlin, MP Motorsport and PREMA – with three single-seaters each for a total of 15 cars lined up at the start of the first race.
The goal of the series is to develop and prepare young female drivers to reach the highest levels of motorsport and includes seven events with three races each – for a total of 21 races – plus 15 days of official testing. The first girl to be selected by a team was the Swiss Lena Buhler, who signed with ART Grand Prix. The 25-year-old had started competing in a completely different sport, cycling BMX at an international level, before switching to karting in 2016.
Four years later, Buhler made her single-seater debut, achieving six top-10 finishes in the Spanish Formula 4 Championship. She later became the first woman to compete in the European Formula Regional by Alpine Championship in 2021, finishing best result in 20th place. Buhler is currently racing in the UAE Formula 4 Championship ahead of her F1 Academy debut.
BREAKING: Lena Buhler takes the first of fifteen spots on the F1 Academy grid! 🙌
The Swiss driver will compete for @ARTGP ✨#F1Academy pic.twitter.com/Rrtht3UIxM
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) February 2, 2023
#Academy #Lena #Buhler #selected #FormulaPassion.it