Where it All Went Wrong: What F1 Academy is learning from The W Series

In the wake of the W Series making their final pitstop, many doubted the potential for success of a series like F1 Academy. But 3 years in, momentum is only building.

As F1 Academy continues to gain momentum and multi-million dollar title sponsors, people are beginning to wonder what the future holds for these talented young women. Not long ago, a similar series sparked interest but didn’t deliver the results many had hoped for. This series, known as the W-Series, was one of the first female-only racing championships. It was created to give women greater representation and opportunity in motorsport, with the ultimate goal of helping female drivers reach Formula 1. The W series ran for 3 seasons in 2019, 2021, and 2022 before facing severe financial difficulties that ultimately shut it down in 2023. When the series folded, many assumed it marked the end of all-female racing. But at that very moment, a new idea was just getting started.

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F1 Academy began in 2023 as a series that was initially seen as a step below the W Series. Still, it quickly became the only all-female racing championship when the W Series ended that same year. This left F1 Academy as the primary and highest level of women-only motorsport currently in existence.

In the wake of the W Series making their final pitstop, many doubted the potential for success of a series like F1 Academy. But 3 years in, momentum is only building. Here are some key lessons F1 Academy took from the W Series to help it stay on track and pull ahead where others stalled.