Since 2018, the number of fans of Formula One has grown by 63 per cent, with the fanbase incrementally growing by 12 per cent every year. Amongst that, as of 2025, 42 per cent of Formula One’s fans are female. The Australian Grand Prix held its opening race weekend here in Melbourne, with race day falling on International Women’s Day.
Since 2018, the number of fans of Formula One has grown by 63 per cent, with the fanbase incrementally growing by 12 per cent every year. Amongst that, as of 2025, 42 per cent of Formula One’s fans are female. The Australian Grand Prix held its opening race weekend here in Melbourne, with race day falling on International Women’s Day. At this very race, Albert Park debuted the turn six corner “Mueller Schmitz” named after Hannah Schmitz, head of race strategy at Redbull Racing, and Laura Mueller, Haas’s race engineer for Esteban Ocon.
For a smashing start this year in Formula One’s representation of sportswomen, why watch the men race when the women’s feeder series, F1 Academy, has just opened its season?
Launched in 2023, F1 Academy is a spec series (a motorsport racing series where identical or similar parts, engines and vehicles are used) where drivers race in Formula Four equivalent machinery. Managed by former Formula One development driver Susie Wolff, the series’ aim is to bridge the racing gap for young women by nurturing and preparing them to break into single-seater series.
Most appealingly, F1 Academy is free to stream on YouTube. In Australia, to watch Formula One on Kayo, you need to pay $29.99 a month for a standard subscription—roughly $360 per year. That is a lot of money if you wish to only access Formula One racing. Need another reason? F1 Academy has double the racing (and double the fun) with at least two races every weekend.
Let's say you got into Formula One because of Drive to Survive on Netflix. The docuseries’ appeal comes from the social interactions, the reality TV style melodrama, and the behind-the-scenes of these racers’ lives. F1 Academy have their own docuseries on Netflix titled F1: The Academy with just as many juicy details for you to enjoy. Reece Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine, started shooting with the drivers following the 2024 season with season 2 ready for release this year. If you catch up now, you will be in the know of all the drama and behind-the-scenes lore.
In its first two racing seasons, F1 Academy had five teams: PREMA Racing, ART Grand Prix, Rodin Motorsport, MP Motorsport, and Campos Racing, with the addition last year of Hitech Grand Prix. After 2024, F1 Academy teams have raced alongside at some races on the Formula One calendar, with each Formula One team representing an Academy driver on track. As of this year, with races in the Middle East cancelled, F1 Academy are set to participate in 6 of 22 Formula One race weekends this year.
In F1 Academy, racers are granted a maximum of two years (allowing a third as of 2027) to compete and display their talent. In recent years, the winners have been granted a fully funded seat in another higher-level championship series. In 2023, winner Marta García was granted a fully funded seat in the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) in 2024. The 2024 winner, Abbi Pulling, received a fully funded seat in 2025 in the GB3 Championship, and now in her second year with Rodin Racing is also the simulator driver for the Nissan Formula E Team. You will be watching women who are the future peak-performance athletes of the motorsports industry.
If you are looking to get into motorsports, or looking to try your hand at expanding your knowledge and consumption beyond just Formula One, the F1 Academy is an amazing racing series to get invested in.