Ferrari has set up a joint initiative with motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, to find the next female racing star.
As part of a four-year deal, the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) will partner with the FIA’s Girls on Track – Rising Stars programme with the aim of finding female racers between the ages of 12 and 15 and supporting them through the junior categories of the sport.
The last woman to take part in a world championship race in Formula One was Lella Lombardi in 1976. She is also the only woman to finish in a points-scoring position in F1, securing half a point at the shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. Desire Wilson and Giovanna Amati entered races in the 1980s and 1990s but failed to qualify.
The selection process for the new programme will lean on support from the FIA’s national sports associations and will choose a candidate from a shortlist of four to join the FDA and enter a national Formula 4 championship in 2021. The same process will take place again in 2022, giving the FDA two new additions to its driver programme in as many years.
“We are really pleased to be collaborating with the FIA in this innovative Girls on Track-Rising Stars programme,” Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said. “We are firm believers in the value of helping youngsters develop in motor sport. The FDA has been operating for over a decade now, not just purely and simply selecting the best drivers, but also working on their cultural, technical and ethical education.
“With this in mind, we felt we had to make a further effort to expand our area of operation to include female youngsters who want to get on in motor sport. Although there is no actual barrier to their participation, we are aware that it is harder for women to progress in this field.
“That’s why we have responded enthusiastically to the FIA initiative and we believe that we can help introduce even more young women to this fantastic sport. Who knows, maybe one day we will once again see a woman competing in a Formula 1 World Championship race for the first time since 1976.”
The programme will receive support from the FIA’s Innovation Fund, which is aimed at long-term projects to improve motorsport. The president of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, former rally driver Michèle Mouton, said she hoped the two drivers would go on to become race winners for Ferrari.
“FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars is another immense step forward at the grassroots level of the sport and, with manufacturer partners, we have a really concrete opportunity to find, develop and support young women drivers,” said Michèle Mouton, President of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission. “To be able to collaborate with Ferrari, our first partner of the programme, is fantastic and real recognition of the progress we continue to make after 10 years of our Commission’s work.
“It is an incredibly exciting multi-year agreement, which we hope will result in two winning drivers becoming Ferrari’s first-ever female racers. That is a very special thought and would be an historic moment for our Women in Motorsport Commission.”