Lyn St. James has backed Formula 1’s plans to launch F1 Academy, an all-female development class from next year.

St. James, co-founder of the Women in Motorsports NA charity which encourages, supports and mentors women to pursue careers in motorsport, said that “anything that provides an opportunity for women to get more racing experience is a good thing.”

“Formula 1 is one of the most difficult levels of motorsports to reach, and the learning process and experience required is critical. It’s great to see the leadership of Formula 1 acknowledge the importance of women in their diversity initiatives by being proactive.”

Women in Motorsports NA aims to educate women about motorsport and the whole range of careers that can be found in the industry – as well as driving – and better communicate those opportunities to women and advocate and inspire more programs to be created.

“So pleased to see this initiative from F1 to provide an opportunity for women to develop skills on the ladder to reach the top levels of motorsport,” added WIMNA co-founder Beth Parett. “Creating a race season with adequate testing days is key, so I am especially glad to see that in the schedule from the start. Growing our sport is key to growing our audience, and this is an exciting step forward.”

The F4-level F1 Academy will debut in 2023 with five teams of three cars and driver budgets capped at $155,000.