F1 Academy Explained: Full 2025 guide including drivers, format and how to watch LIVE

The 2025 F1 Academy season gets underway this weekend for the first stop on their calendar at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The all-female championship enters its third year of competition at the Shanghai International Circuit, and its second alongside F1 as a support series on the calendar.

However, with reigning champion Abbi Pulling off to pastures new in GB3, a different driver will take the title in 2025, with returning and rookie competitors all vying for the trophy from the first race in China.

So, what is the F1 Academy and how does it work? GPFans has assembled the ultimate guide to the series' cars, format, points system, drivers, calendar and more to help you get accustomed to the racing series.

What is F1 Academy?

F1 Academy is a single-seater racing series that champions the next generation of female racing talent, consisting of drivers between ages 16 and 25.

Its first full season launched in 2023 with a calendar containing grand prix circuits such as the Circuit of the Americas and the Red Bull Ring but it did not run alongside F1 as a support series until last year.

The category is designed to give young female drivers access to vital track time, racing and technical preparations, with hopes to create a progression ladder up to Formula 3, Formula 2 and eventually F1.

Lella Lombardi was the last female driver to compete in an F1 race at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix, and the last woman to drive in an F1 session of any kind was Susie Wolff during FP1 at the 2014 British GP.

Since retiring from motorsport and her role as a Williams development driver, Wolff now leads the F1 Academy as their managing director.

From the 2024 season onwards, Wolff managed to acquire the backing of all 10 F1 teams who each provide their liveries and support to a driver on the F1 Academy grid.

F1 Academy weekend format

The 2025 weekend format starts with up to two 40-minute practice session on the Friday, followed by 30-minutes of qualifying on the Saturday.

However, if there is only one practice session, qualifying will take place on Friday to establish the grid for Race 1 and Race 2.

Race 1 takes place on the Saturday and lasts 30 minutes, whilst Race 2 is reserved for a Sunday, again set to last for 30 minutes.

As a new rule for 2025, the grid for Race 1 is set by reversing the top eight drivers from the qualifying session results, and Race 2 is set by the results of the final classification of the qualifying session.

If a race is cancelled, it may be moved to another race weekend on the calendar, as was the case last year when a race in Qatar was cancelled and moved to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

F1 Academy points system

Two points will first of all be awarded to the driver who claims pole position for Race 2, unless they receive a grid penalty for this race.

In this case, the second-fastest qualifier (or lower if the drivers ahead also have penalties) will acquire pole and the two points awarded despite not setting the fastest time.

The driver starting on the reverse grid pole for Race 1 does not obtain any extra points for this grid position.

Only the top eight drivers receive points in Race 1, with the winner scoring 10 points, down to 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point for P8.

However, the stakes are higher for Race 2 as the winner can earn a staggering 25 points here. Second place takes 18, third place 15, and then 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 as you go down the order to P10.

Unlike in F1 this season, the fastest lap point is up for grabs in both races. In Race 1 a driver must finish in the top eight to claim the fastest lap point, and in Race 2 the point can be claimed if she finishes in the top 10.

No points will be awarded if the leader has completed less than two laps of racing, or unless a minimum of two laps have been completed by the leader without a Safety Car intervention.

The maximum number of points a driver can score over a weekend is 39, whilst a team can score 86 points.

Which car is used in F1 Academy?

F1 Academy drivers all race in identical cars with a Tatuus T421 chassis that is also used in Formula 4, with Pirelli acting as the tyre supplier.

The cars can reach a top speed of 240kph (149mph) and are powered by turbo-charged engines supplied by Autotecnica which are capable of 174 horsepower.

Who has won the F1 Academy championship?

The first F1 Academy champion was Spanish driver Marta Garcia, who claimed the 2023 title with PREMA Racing and achieved seven wins over the course of the inaugural season.

Former Alpine star and returning driver Abbi Pulling earned the 2024 F1 Academy championship in dominant fashion, securing 9 race wins.

Drivers may only compete in two seasons of F1 Academy and will be deemed to have participated in a season if they compete in two or more rounds, NOT two races, including any appearance they may make as a Wild Card Driver.

F1 Academy drivers' champions are also prohibited from participating in any further seasons of the series.

What do champions get for claiming the F1 Academy title?

Garcia's championship win saw her receive a fully-funded seat in the Formula Regional European Championship with PREMA.

The cost of her seat was jointly funded by F1 Academy, Prema, Tatuus and Pirelli, but Garcia switched midway through the year to the Iron Dames squad.

Pulling has gained a fully-funded seat in GB3 with Rodin Motorsport for 2025 after her F1 Academy win, alongside a further 20 days of testing in the GB3 car.

The prize for the 2025 F1 Academy champion is yet to be announced, but it is likely it will offer a similar path for a driver to move up the feeder series ladder.

Who are the F1 Academy teams and drivers?

The 2025 F1 Academy season will feature six teams - PREMA Racing, ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, Rodin Motorsport, Hitech and MP Motorsport - who will all enter three cars to make up a grid of 18 drivers.

All six teams compete in F3 and F2, and have experience of bringing through young talent into F1.

All 10 F1 teams, and Red Bull Ford, will support a driver, with the 2025 lineup including: Ella Lloyd (McLaren), Maya Weug (Ferrari), Doriane Pin (Mercedes), Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull), Tina Hausmann (Aston Martin), Nina Gademan (Alpine), Courtney Crone (Haas), Rafaela Ferreira (Racing Bulls), Lia Block (Williams), Emma Felbermayr (Sauber) and Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford).

The remaining seven liveries will be supported by iconic brands such as American Express, Charlotte Tilbury, Tommy Hilfiger, Tag Heuer, PUMA, Juss Sports and F1 Academy itself.

Each round will see one Wild Card Entry drive for Hitech, with Shi Wei the first entry for 2025 at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Full-time F1 Academy drivers, such as Palmowski, earned their drive in the series by previously competing as a Wild Card Driver, proving the role to be a golden opportunity for young racing drivers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by F1 Academy (@f1academy)

To view the full driver lineup of all 18 drivers for the 2025 F1 season click here!

F1 Academy 2025 calendar

The F1 Academy season will take part exclusively on F1 race weekends with seven rounds in 2025, starting during the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on March 21.

Here is the full schedule for 2025:

To see the complete 2025 F1 Academy calendar and the start times over every race click here!

Where to watch the F1 Academy LIVE

Fans across all regions can stream qualifying and the races from all seven rounds live and for free on F1 Academy's YouTube and X channels and via F1 TV.

Fans in the UK can also catch all the F1 Academy action live on Sky Sports F1, with the series yet to announce their full broadcast details across the globe on terrestrial television.

F1 Academy 2025 standings

Make sure to keep an eye on this page as GPFans updates the F1 Academy drivers' standings as the 2025 season progresses.

READ MORE: F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as full grid complete

Related

F1 Academy 2025

F1 Academy 2025 Driver Lineup: Meet the racing stars of the future

• Yesterday 13:56

Chinese Grand Prix

Axed driver announced at Chinese Grand Prix in official grid return

• March 19, 2025 17:59