W Series welcomes F1 Academy announcement

The founder and CEO of the W Series says the creation of the all-female F1 Academy championship is a sign of opportunities growing for women in motorsport.

Although W Series is currently facing an uncertain financial future – curtailing its 2022 season due to a lack of funds in order to try and focus on 2023 – Catherine Bond Muir (pictured above, right) has welcomed the announcement that Formula 1 is launching the F1 Academy and will subsidize race seats in the F4 category to the tune of over $2million per season.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali insists the new series is not designed to compete with or replace W Series but be complimentary and even allow drivers to compete in both championships, and Bond Muir believes it is a positive addition to the ladder.

“W Series created the first platform for women in motorsport which has inspired young girls all around the world since our inaugural season in 2019,” Bond Muir said. “It is fantastic to see this grow as a result of our pioneering work.

“W Series welcomes any initiative which shares our ambition to provide more opportunities for women in motorsport. Our objective from the start has always been to increase the talent pool of women racing drivers, and the addition of the F1 Academy as a feeder to W Series and other series is a further step in inspiring the next generation to progress up the motorsport ladder.”

And Bond Muir reiterated her hopes to soon be able to announce a longer-term plan for W Series, having decided to end the current season early to safeguard the championship’s future.

“We are looking forward to finalizing W Series’ plans for 2023 and beyond, providing exciting racing and entertaining our fans around the world. Our mission is still clear: to offer women racing drivers a platform to race globally at the pinnacle of women’s motorsport, and in doing so continue to spread our message further and wider.”