With the new Formula 1 season only a few days away, here are the top 3 women in Motorsport moments to look forward to this year.
1. The New F1 Academy
In November 2022, Formula 1 announced they would launch a new all-women driver’s series, F1 Academy, for the 2023 season. The F1 Academy is designed to prepare women drivers for higher levels of competition, such as Formula 3, Formula 2, and, ultimately, Formula 1. This initiative is unique because the series will consist of five teams run by current F2 and F3 teams—ART, Campos, Carlin, MP Motorsport, and Prema. Each team will enter three cars each, making up a 15-car grid. Drivers will participate in the first official testing session on April 11-12th at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The season begins in Spielberg, Austria, on April 28th.
2. Sophia Flörsch to Race in F3
This season Sophia Flörsch will be returning to FIA Formula 3 with PHM Racing by Charouz. Flörsch previously raced in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2020 with Campos Racing, where she placed 29th. Since then, Flörsch has competed in Le Mans 24 Hours and the World Endurance Championship.
Flörsch will be the only woman on the grid this season, and we look forward to cheering her on!
3. Jamie Chadwick to Race for Indy NXT
Three-time W-Series champion Jamie Chadwick will be racing with Andretti Autosport for the upcoming Indy NXT season. She will be the first woman to compete full-time in the series in over 13 years and is the only woman on the grid for the 2023 season. Indy NXT is a feeder series for the IndyCar series, where Chadwick will gain hands-on experience competing against male drivers. Chadwick’s ultimate goal remains to reach Formula 1, and she has stated that she believes that Indy NXT will give her better opportunities to get there. Chadwick will also continue to work with Williams as part of the Williams Driver Academy.
Honourable Mention: The Return of the W-Series
While there has been no news yet regarding the future of the W-Series, we are certainly holding out hope for its return for the 2023 season. In 2022, the W-Series season ended prematurely due to a lack of funding, and they announced they would focus on securing long-term fundraising to return even stronger for the 2023 season. However, the W-Series has been relatively quiet regarding their return, leaving fans to speculate if we will see them on the grid this season.