The Ferrari Driver Academy is proud to be the first partner of the FIA Girls on Track-Rising Stars programme, an initiative set up by the "FIA (International Automobile Federation) Women In Motor Sport Commission". Its aim is to help the best female drivers between the ages of 12 and 15, from around the world, to achieve their goal of competing at the highest level of motor sport.
The four year agreement between Scuderia Ferrari, through its Academy and the FIA could, over a two year period, see the two most promising youngsters join the Maranello team’s programme for young drivers. Established at the end of 2009, the FDA has had 19 students to date, some of whom made it through to Formula 1 and in the case of Charles Leclerc even getting to drive for Scuderia Ferrari.
At the end of a comprehensive selection process that will involve first the National sports associations affiliated to the FIA and then the engineers of the same FDA, the Ferrari Driver Academy will choose one of the four candidates to become a fulltime student who will be entered in one of the national FIA Formula 4 championships. The same selection process will also take place the following year so that, in 2022, there could be two young female drivers flying the Ferrari Driver Academy flag at race tracks in Italy and around the world.
Mattia Binotto Managing Director and Team Principal Scuderia Ferrari
“We are really pleased to be collaborating with the FIA in this innovative Girls on Track-Rising Stars programme. 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.”
Laurent Mekies Head of FDA and Sporting Director of Scuderia Ferrari
“This partnership with the FIA is a special and very important milestone for the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA). Bringing the gender perspective into our scouting strategy will boost the already young and diverse FDA environment and help us create greater opportunities for talented women pursuing careers in motorsport.
We are highly confident that this programme will inspire more and more women to discover and engage with the world of motorsport.”