Delve into a behind-the-scenes look at the F1 Academy and More than Equal
Eighteen ambitious young women. Six elite teams. Three identical Formula 4 cars each. Fourteen high-stakes races. All for one extraordinary goal: to become the next female Formula 1 driver.
Welcome to F1 Academy, the sport’s groundbreaking feeder series that’s reshaping the track for women aged 16 to 25 from around the world.
Here, talent, not gender; takes the wheel. In identical F4 machinery, these drivers battle for a future in the world’s most elite motorsport.
And now, with Hollywood cameras rolling, the world is watching. Each of Formula 1’s ten teams support one F1 Academy driver, adorning her car in the same livery as her top-tier counterpart.
World Champion Max Verstappen, whose mother Sophie Kumpen was a karting star in her own right, puts it simply: “More girls in racing is great.” But let’s not mistake support for sentimentality
The road to F1 is brutal. “If you can’t cut it in F1 Academy, there is not going to be much of your career left for you,” says Susie Wolff, the Academy’s CEO. A former racer herself and wife of Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, she knows just how unforgiving the sport can be.
Mercedes, under Toto, dominated F1 with eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2014 to 2021. Susie’s vision? To open the gates; but only for those ready to charge through. Now in its third season, F1 Academy enters 2025 with a burst of star power.
Netflix’s new docuseries, F1: The Academy, backed by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, delivers raw, adrenaline-charged, behind-the-scenes access. Cameras capture not just the racing, but the real stories of grit, failure and fire.
But the dream doesn’t start on the track. It begins much earlier, in grassroots karting, where the smallest hands grip steering wheels with the biggest hopes. That’s where More than Equal (MTE) comes in.
Founded by former F1 driver David Coulthard, business leader Pavel Turek, and Karel Komárek, the Allwyn-founder and MTE board chair, the organisation exists for one reason: to find and develop the first female Formula 1 World Champion.
“MTE is not a diversity campaign,” Coulthard says. “We are a high-performance driver development program focused on results.”
With a data-driven approach and scientific insights into gender-based performance differences, they identify and remove the barriers holding girls back from going wheel-to-wheel with the best.
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The spark for MTE was personal. Coulthard’s sister, Lynsay, once showed even greater promise than he did in karting. “She was probably more talented, but didn’t get the same level of support that I got.
Eventually, she stopped,” he recalls. “She came to Grands Prix with me; we had a great life together until she died when she was 35.” Her untold story fuels his mission: “In her memory, I help women in motorsport.” The challenges are steep.
“Thousands of young boys start karting, and only a handful of girls. The talent pool is smaller. A lot of talented girls don’t believe there’s a path to becoming professionals; or families can’t afford it.
The costs are a staggering up to USD $250,000 a year for karting, USD $350,000 for Formula 4, USD $1 million for F3, and over USD $2 million for F2
MTE isn’t just looking for sponsors. They’re looking for partners; those who believe in the long game and in the untapped value of female excellence. “Our partners get more than a role model.
They get access to global data on elite performance that can be applied far beyond motorsport.” And science is on their side.
“There’s no physical reason why women can’t compete at the highest level,” Coulthard states.
With expert support, like from performance specialists Hintsa Performance; fitness barriers such as neck strength and reaction times can be overcome. But how long will it take? “Three years? Five?10?”
Coulthard shrugs. “We’re scouting girls as young as six in Bambino classes. But you can’t manufacture a miracle.” What makes a Serena or Venus Williams? A Federer? A Senna? “They’re doing the same thing as others; but at an exceptional level.
In sport, we’re not looking for good. We’re looking for exceptional.” So, is there already a girl who’s ahead of the pack? Coulthard smiles but refuses to name names. “We want More than Equal to become the go-to foundation. Somewhere families and young girls can turn for support and advice.”
And when skeptics question whether a woman could ever make it in Formula 1, Coulthard has a ready answer.
“Just because one person doesn’t see the potential doesn’t mean it’s not possible. The guy who built the first computer probably never imagined we’d all have one in our pocket.”
On the circuits of F1 Academy, and behind the data labs of More than Equal, the miracle is being engineered, not out of luck, but out of grit, science and belief.
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