Ferrari partner with FIA to detect and nurture female racing talent
Thursday 11 June 2020 11:14, UK
Ferrari have become the first partner of the FIA's Girls on Track-Rising Stars programme, an initiative set up to help young female drivers reach the highest level of motorsport.
The FIA, F1's governing body, have launched the project to unearth the best female drivers between the ages of 12 and 16 from around the world.
And Ferrari will collaborate with the FIA, signing a four-year agreement with the aim of having two female youngsters competing in full-time FIA Formula 4 Championships as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy - which current Scuderia F1 star Charles Leclerc recently came through.
"We are firm believers in the value of helping youngsters develop in motorsport," said Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto. "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 motorsport. 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."
Sophia Floersch, who races in Formula 3, is set to be the only female driver competing in the FIA's leading three categories this year.
Ross Brawn told Sky F1 earlier this week that Formula 1 is working on improving diversity, creating greater opportunities at grassroots level for young drivers, engineers and other potential roles.
