Emma Felbermayr thrilled: Third place in the F1 Academy!

Emma Felbermayr thrilled: Third place in the F1 Academy!

Emma Felbermayr won the first race of the F1 Academy reached third place in Canada. The competition, which is intended to give young women an introduction to motorsport, has already generated a lot of attention. Felbermayr, who drives for the Rodin Motorsport team and is 18 years old, is only 1.094 seconds behind winner Doriane Pin from France, who won the race. Ella Lloyd took second place.

Felbermayr's performance today represents significant progress. Previously, her best result was a fifth place in Shanghai. The next race for the talented driver will take place on Saturday evening European time at 8:50 p.m. at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Her participation in the F1 Academy is her debut in this racing series. She will also compete in a Rodin Motorsport car over the course of the season while driving for the Kick Sauber team.

Driving career and challenges

Felbermayr began her racing career in karting at the age of seven. She has continued to develop and competed in the Micro Class in 2021, whereupon she quickly moved up to the Mini Class and then to the Junior category. Her second place in the ADAC Ladies Cup 2021 is particularly noteworthy. After a year in the senior category, in which she took part in the German Championship and the World Championship, among other things, she had to fight her way back after a rib injury in 2023. Despite these setbacks, she qualified for the World Championships in Wackersdorf and finished 23rd out of 119 riders.

The F1 Academy was founded in 2023 and aims to increase the presence of women in motorsport. The competition is intended to support young female drivers on their way to higher levels of competition. In over 70 years of Formula 1, there have only been two women in the cockpit - Lella Lombardi and Maria Teresa de Filippis. The last woman to take part in a race was Lombardi 47 years ago. Susie Wolff, Managing Director of the F1 Academy, sees a female driver in Formula 1 in the near future.

The F1 Academy in detail

The F1 Academy is an official feeder series for Formula 1 and was created to increase the proportion of women in motorsport. With five teams – including Rodin Motorsport – 15 drivers took part in 21 races in the first season. The previous title holder Marta García, who previously drove in the “W Series”, shows the potential of the drivers.

An important element of the F1 Academy is funding, which is an obstacle for many talented female drivers. The Academy subsidizes 150,000 euros per car, while the drivers themselves have to raise 100,000 euros to make it easier for them to get started. Studies show that despite physical equality between men and women in motorsport, female talent is often confronted with stereotypes and a lack of investors. The proportion of women in motorsport is currently around 10%, in karting it is 13%.

Felbermayr has the opportunity to demonstrate her skills in the F1 Academy and be part of this promising development in motorsport. With the support of teams like Kick Sauber and Rodin Motorsport, she has the chance to make her sporting career sustainable.