There have not been any female racers to successfully feed into Formula 1 in the past several years. In an attempt to fix those issues, Formula 1 Academy was created. However, some drivers feel as if creating a racing series for women is just a marketing plot and useless. One of those is Formula 3 driver Sofia Florsch.
Making it to Formula 1 is not just about racing skills. It is also about money and sponsorships. Martha Garcia, 2023 F1 Academy champion, recently announced that her F1 dream/single-seater career was ending as early as the end of this season. With all ten F1 teams being involved in F1 Academy and sponsoring one driver and their car liveries, it is still very expensive to race in F1 Academy.
Sofia Florsch’s response to Marta Garcia giving up on F1 Dream
Sofia Florsch is not a new critic when it comes to female motorsports. She has been extremely outspoken about how certain series have been operated such as the W-Series and F1 Academy. She has mentioned how certain female racing series demote them and their skills. Florsch took to Facebook to share more of her opinions on Marta Garcia’s announcement.
Speed, Passion, Glory! 🙌
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) October 21, 2023
Relive Marta’s Journey to Becoming the first ever F1 Academy CHAMPION. 🏆🥇#F1Academy pic.twitter.com/hS4NNTQXv5
Florsch mentioned that she did not want to be a marketing number but also that she felt as if Garcia had been used. She said, “It looks like they used you [in] 2023 for short-time marketing.” Florsch apologized to Garcia for how she had been treated by the industry. Florsch also went on to say the sport was “pinkwashing” as well as questioning what is being done for female drivers.
Why is Marta Garcia giving up on F1 dream?
Martha Garcia raced for F1 Academy in 2023. During her F1 Academy season, she had 5 poles, 12 podiums, and 7 wins. Garcia went on to win the F1 Academy 2023 championship. This provided her with a fully funded seat in the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA). However, after a less-than-spectacular season, Garcia has announced that her single-seater career looks as if it is coming to an end.
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FRECA races using F3-level equipment while F1A uses F4-level equipment. Garcia’s move to FRECA was a huge step for her career. Unfortunately, her seat was only funded for the 2024 season. On her social media pages, she released a statement saying that her race at Monza “is probably my last race in a single-seater. At least for the near future”. She also mentioned that her F1 dream, despite being over, would always stay with her.
Do you think the FIA and Formula 1 could be doing a better job with how they are trying to get women into F1?
