
The F1 Academy has launched “Discover Your Drive” in a bid to increase female participation in motorsport. The global initiative is set to support young female drivers and encourage them to pursue opportunities within the industry. The programme is built on four essential pillars: Youth Engagement, Talent Identification, Participation & Progression, and Community.
Youth Engagement seeks to inspire the next generation of girls, promote opportunities and display the viability of a career based in motorsport.
Talent Identification brings in new talent: young girls who are yet to be discovered, racers waiting for a major sponsor, and a big break.
Community opens the dialogue between people and brings together young girls, their teams and their families to show the world what is possible when we come together.
Of 2,275 cadets aged 8-12 in the TeamSport Race Academy, only 146 are girls. The disparity increases at the senior level, where only 5% of all Motorsport UK race licence holders are women and girls. This ratio will seem further skewed when we consider that these women have made it to motorsport despite the odds. To think if these women had given up earlier at the inevitable obstacles, then this percentage would be even lower.
We see these people on the screen, fighting their peers and contending for wins. However, other integral participants of motorsport are the unsung heroes behind the scenes: the mechanics, the strategists, the pit crew and the managers. Discover Your Drive aims to push forth roles for women both on and off the track.
The pilot programme is set to roll out in 6 venues in 2023 as a precursor to the 35 venues it aims to target in 2024. The participants will be supported through the qualifying stages of the British Indoor Karting Championships – an entry level for many British drivers – after completing their training.
In 2024, F1 Academy’s “Discover Your Drive” will run “activations” around the world in the days leading up to races hosted by the Academy. These events will engage local communities and invite girls aged 8 onwards to attend workshops and activities to inspire them to consider a future in motorsport.
Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, said, “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 programme will be huge and will give us the platform to inspire many girls and young women around the world.”
Follow us on Zeroto30s social channels:
Much of motorsport is dominated by men at the moment, but the conversation is slowly shifting towards a more open and level playing field for any racer, irrespective of gender. Discover Your Drive has been one of the many steps taken by F1 to make the sport more approachable and accessible for all.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeroto30s/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zeroto30s
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeroto30s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.co