Chloe Grant, 17, is one of the hopefuls. She drives for the ART Grand Prix team founded by Frédéric Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal.
Grant said she felt lucky to be one of the drivers competing in the debut season.
“It’s a massive step up for me,” Grant, who finished ninth in last year’s GB4 Championship, said in an interview. “Last year, I was learning the basics of single seaters, but I wasn’t really learning that much.
“But after just a few rounds of F1 Academy, I’ve learned so much more this year than I ever did last year, and you can see that in my progress through my times, my pace and confidence in the car.”
As with every driver in F1 Academy, the goal of reaching Formula 1 is obvious, but money remains a hurdle. To progress up the motorsport ladder, from karting to Formula 1, would likely cost around $7 million.
“Financially, to even get to that point, to get through F3 and F2, at the minute it is unrealistic for me,” Grant said, “unless I get backing and support.”
Wolff said it could be eight to 10 years before a woman drives in a Grand Prix again.
“It pains me to say that, because obviously there are a lot of young girls racing now who might be good enough,” she said, “but we’ve got to always be realistic with our expectations. This is definitely a long-term project, and that’s why it’s so important Formula 1 is behind it, because we will see and reap the rewards, but it’s going to take time.”