Marta Garcia, the first title winner in the F1 Academy, will race in 2024 with the title-winning Prema team in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, which sits between F4 and F3 on the motorsport ladder; Garcia won seven times in the inaugural F1 Academy season
Thursday 26 October 2023 17:49, UK
Newly-crowned F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia will race in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) next season in a fully-funded seat as reward for winning the inaugural all-female series.
Garcia, who won the title last weekend in the USA when F1 Academy featured on the Formula 1 support bill for the first time, will drive for the title-winning Prema team in FRECA.
The cost of her seat is being jointly funded by F1 Academy, Prema, manufacturer Tatuus and Pirelli, Formula 1's tyre supplier.
FRECA is a series that helps prepare drivers for the step between the various Formula 4 series and Formula 3, which sits on the F1 junior bill.
F1 Academy was launched this year for female drivers aged between 16-25, with the aim of supporting their journeys through the motorsport ladder.
As part of F1 Academy's initial agreement for Garcia's seat, FRECA has also agreed to grant its top teams a season-long fourth entry if they sign a driver who finishes first, second or third in the F1 Academy standings.
"I'm so thrilled and excited to be racing in FRECA next year," said Garcia, who also raced for Prema in F1 Academy.
"Coming from F1 Academy, it's going to be a big step. We know we will have to work a lot with the team to succeed but I'm really determined to do well. I can't thank F1 Academy enough.
"It is such a fantastic initiative, and it is the right way to do it, trying to take drivers with the best results to the top level. What an amazing opportunity, I'm looking forward to it and to the work that we have ahead, inside and outside the track."
Susie Wolff, F1 Academy's managing director, hailed the significance of the agreement and also the fact that the series has decided to reduce the driver contributions to race from €150,000 to €100,000 for the 2024 season
"F1 Academy is all about progression and creating more opportunities for young women across motorsport, so to offer a fully-funded seat in FRECA for our inaugural champion is a significant moment," she said.
"The fact that she will also continue to race with PREMA, whom she has built a relationship with and are current team champions in this category, will also aid in her future development.
"I am proud of the progress we have made in our first season, and as we begin to build for our 2024 season where we will join the F1 calendar, this announcement, alongside the decision to further subsidise the 2024 F1 Academy driver contribution to €100,000, is a statement of our continued commitment to make motorsport more accessible and break down the barriers faced by female drivers."
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