Ferrari working with FIA to find potential female F1 star

Ferrari has partnered with the FIA’s new Girls on Track initiative to help young female drivers potentially reach Formula 1 in the future.

Places on the Ferrari Driver Academy, which brought the likes of Charles Leclerc into F1, will be awarded to the best female drivers aged between 12 and 16 from around the world.

F1’s governing body, the FIA, has announced a ‘shoot-out’ between 25 drivers will take place at the Winfield Racing School at Paul Ricard in October.

12 will then be selected for karting and Formula 4 training camps before the drivers are whittled down to four, of which the best candidates will be offered a placement within the Ferrari Driver Academy and a drive in F4.

The last woman to take part in a world championship race in F1 was Lella Lombardi in 1976.

"We are firm believers in the value of helping youngsters develop in motorsport," Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto said.

“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,” he added.

"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.”

Formula 3 driver Sophia Floersch is set to be the only female driver competing in the FIA’s leading there categories this year.