F1 Academy Season Review | Grid Walk Bonus Episode | October 31, 2023

The finale of the first season of F1 Academy is the perfect reason for a special bonus episode of Grid Walk!

F1 Academy had their final race of 2023 in Austin during the weekend of F1’s United States Grand Prix and Marta García was crowned the first F1 Academy champion! Briana and Nicole give a recap of the inaugural F1 Academy season. Who wins Grid Walk’s F1 Academy prediction competition?

Briana and Nicole discuss if the first season of F1 Academy can be considered a success. Was this year of F1 Academy supposed to happen? How can F1 Academy prove the doubters wrong? If a driver is “fast” in F1 Academy does this mean they will be “fast” in another racing series?

Well F1 Academy is already “feeding” its first driver into another series!! F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia has been announced as a driver for Prema Racing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA). What is FRECA? Why is this announcement about Marta Garcia moving to FRECA such a HUGE deal? What can we infer from how quickly F1 Academy made this announcement? In what ways is FRECA incentivizing teams to have a female driver?

It is no secret that in order to be a driver in motorsports it requires A LOT of financial backing. How is F1 demonstrating their belief in the value of F1 Academy as it moves into the 2024 season? Will F1’s new subsidizing strategy help more drivers get access to motorsports?

Briana and Nicole share their hopes for the second year (and beyond) of F1 Academy. How will having consistent live broadcasts affect the fanbase of F1 Academy? With the F1 Academy 2024 schedule aligning with the F1 schedule, will fans see more crossover content with drivers? What F1 teams will show their support for F1 Academy (beyond the sponsorship requirement F1 has created)?

Grid Walk is a weekly Formula 1 show that releases every Thursday. For daily F1 content follow@gridwalkshow on all social media platforms.

00:00 Formation Lap

00:50 Prediction Competition Winner Announced

02:19 How to Watch the Final F1A Race

03:04 Refresher on the F1 Academy

05:29 Was Year 1 of the F1 Academy a Success?

10:28 F1 Academy vs Other Feeder Series

12:01 Marta Garcia's 2024 Plans Announced!

17:40 The Giant Cup Returns

18:00 F1 Announces Even Cheaper F1A Seats for 2024

20:41 Our Hopes for 2024

- Episode 40 of the Gridwalk podcast featured a discussion on the inaugural season of the Formula One Academy (F1 Academy).
- The podcast hosts, Briana L. Klein and Nicole Katz, expressed their excitement about the series and its potential impact on women's representation in motorsports.

## Season Recap and Highlights:

- The F1 Academy season concluded with Marta Garcia emerging as the first-ever champion.
- Garcia dominated the season, winning multiple races and securing the title with a commanding lead.
- The series faced challenges, including limited broadcasting and initial skepticism due to its rushed implementation.
- However, the season was deemed a success by the hosts, considering the progress made and the positive steps taken towards increasing opportunities for women in racing.

## F1 Academy's Goals and Significance:

- The F1 Academy is a Formula 4 series aimed at bridging the gap for women drivers transitioning from karting to higher levels of motorsport.
- It addresses the lack of female representation in feeder series and aims to push women through the ranks.
- The series is not intended to be an all-women series, but rather a platform to provide subsidized track time and support for talented drivers.

## Season Two Outlook and Developments:

- The hosts expressed optimism for the upcoming season, highlighting improvements in the schedule, broadcasting, and team involvement.
- Every F1 team is now required to endorse a driver in the series, indicating a stronger commitment to supporting women in motorsports.
- Recent announcements, such as Bianca Bustamante joining the McLaren Driver Academy, showcase the growing interest and recognition of the F1 Academy.

## The Importance of Funding and Accessibility:

- The hosts emphasized the significance of funding and accessibility in promoting diversity in motorsports.
- F1's decision to reduce the driver contribution for Academy seats from $150,000 to $100,000 was praised as a step towards breaking down financial barriers.
- The hosts expressed hope that the series would eventually become fully funded, ensuring equal opportunities for all drivers.

## Hopes for the Future and F1 Team Involvement:

- The hosts expressed their hopes for continued growth and support from F1 teams in the Academy.
- They emphasized the importance of teams genuinely investing in the development of female drivers, rather than merely meeting the requirement to sponsor a driver.
- The potential for exciting content and collaborations between F1 teams and Academy drivers was discussed.

## Conclusion:

- The hosts concluded the episode by reiterating their support for the F1 Academy and encouraging listeners to tune in for future episodes.
- They highlighted the importance of continued progress and the role of fans in supporting the series and advocating for increased opportunities for women in motorsports.

[00:00.000 -> 00:05.840] Episode 40 of Gridwalk, which came out last Thursday before the Mexico GP, had so much
[00:05.840 -> 00:09.240] content in it, so we had to cut some of it out.
[00:09.240 -> 00:13.480] And what we decided to pull out was our whole conversation about a season wrap-up for the
[00:13.480 -> 00:16.000] F1 Academy, and that's what you're about to hear now.
[00:16.000 -> 00:22.200] And we also thought it'd be fun to put out a standalone bonus episode all about the Season
[00:22.200 -> 00:26.500] 1 of the F1 Academy and our thoughts on how it went. And thankfully, because of that,
[00:26.500 -> 00:29.500] we actually get to talk about all the news,
[00:29.500 -> 00:34.500] the announcement about Margaret Garcia's plans for 2024.
[00:35.500 -> 00:39.000] So you're gonna hear us talk a little bit from last week
[00:39.000 -> 00:41.500] and then we're gonna interject in the middle of it
[00:41.500 -> 00:43.500] and give you an update about
[00:43.500 -> 00:45.200] what the first F1 Champions
[00:45.200 -> 00:49.040] plans are for next year and our thoughts and our takes on that.
[00:49.040 -> 00:53.360] What was the final race of the F1 Academy season?
[00:53.360 -> 00:54.360] We got to watch it.
[00:54.360 -> 00:58.700] They even put them live for everyone on YouTube, which was incredible.
[00:58.700 -> 01:00.600] The broadcast was great.
[01:00.600 -> 01:07.000] But before we talk about all things F1 Academy, we did wrap up our predictions for it.
[01:07.000 -> 01:12.000] And congratulations, Nicole, you won the predictions!
[01:12.000 -> 01:14.000] Woo!
[01:17.000 -> 01:24.000] I won the predictions that we definitely never had any stakes set up for, and we did entirely for fun,
[01:24.000 -> 01:26.000] and because we were really excited
[01:26.000 -> 01:32.000] about the series but yay winning! I mean the truth is you and I are competitive enough
[01:32.000 -> 01:37.080] we don't actually the stakes are for you the audience not because we need them to be competitive
[01:37.080 -> 01:45.240] but yes you won uh last week you scored 91 points which was the second highest total in the entire time doing the
[01:45.240 -> 01:46.240] predictions.
[01:46.240 -> 01:53.840] I scored 69, which means that you won with 346 points to my 324.
[01:53.840 -> 01:54.840] Dang!
[01:54.840 -> 01:55.840] Still really close!
[01:55.840 -> 01:59.000] This was a fun competition.
[01:59.000 -> 02:00.000] Really good stuff.
[02:00.000 -> 02:04.440] It's also, predicting F1 Academy is really fun because there's, since there are the multiple
[02:04.440 -> 02:08.440] races every weekend, you get like varying amounts of points and it's so very different.
[02:08.440 -> 02:14.760] And it was really hard to be, you know, predicting a series we've never seen before.
[02:14.760 -> 02:18.160] So this was a great time and I'm super hyped for next year.
[02:18.160 -> 02:20.280] But yeah, it's super cool to be able to watch it.
[02:20.280 -> 02:23.800] If anyone hasn't watched it yet, it's still on YouTube.
[02:23.800 -> 02:28.160] You can even watch it at two times speed if you are crunched for time and you are that kind of
[02:28.160 -> 02:34.120] person like me where I just consume everything at 2x speed including our own podcast.
[02:34.120 -> 02:40.520] No judgment, if you are listening to us right now at 2x speed, you are one of us.
[02:40.520 -> 02:43.640] But I think it's interesting that this was the first time I went live.
[02:43.640 -> 02:47.100] It seems like tons of people watched it, at least based on the public YouTube numbers.
[02:47.100 -> 02:50.700] And we don't get to see how many people watched it on F1 TV or on Sky Sports, etc.
[02:51.500 -> 02:58.900] So thank, if you are one of those people, like, thank you for, like, investing your time into F1 Academy
[02:58.900 -> 03:04.200] and really showing in the numbers that people care about this as much as we all hoped people would care about it.
[03:04.800 -> 03:05.000] But I think another thing that came from this is that a lot of people, because it hasn't been broadcast, numbers that people care about this as much as we all hoped people would care about it.
[03:05.000 -> 03:09.040] But I think another thing that came from this is that a lot of people, because it hasn't
[03:09.040 -> 03:13.720] been broadcast, weren't exposed to what F1 Academy is, what its goals are. So I'm going
[03:13.720 -> 03:18.080] to do a quick crash course and then we're going to talk about some season wrap up things
[03:18.080 -> 03:25.000] for F1 Academy is a Formula 4 series.
[03:26.240 -> 03:31.240] So it's meant to be in line of like the feeder series
[03:31.920 -> 03:36.860] into F1, it's meant to help women who have graduated
[03:36.860 -> 03:41.860] out of karting and are struggling to get time in a car.
[03:42.280 -> 03:47.480] And we've seen that people don't want to sponsor women and that teams
[03:47.480 -> 03:52.480] don't want to give women opportunities in seats. So this is meant to fill that gap in
[03:52.480 -> 03:57.960] the run. W Series was a whole separate thing. I have lots of thoughts about the W Series
[03:57.960 -> 04:01.560] that I'm not going to waste time going into, but W Series, they were racing more at a Formula
[04:01.560 -> 04:07.600] Two, Formula Three level. So these cars are quote-unquote slower
[04:07.600 -> 04:13.240] cars and that's because it's meant to fit a specific need in the development ring where
[04:13.240 -> 04:19.080] F1 identified that a lot of women are dropping off. So there's not enough women in karting
[04:19.080 -> 04:22.720] but there are more women in karting and they're just not getting the opportunities and then
[04:22.720 -> 04:33.040] we're not seeing them in F3 and F2 and then F1 because they're not not enough women are getting time in seats in cars. The goal of this
[04:33.040 -> 04:40.960] series is to bridge that gap and to push women through the feeder series and I think that's
[04:40.960 -> 04:45.360] really important to note because while the W series we watched for multiple years
[04:45.880 -> 04:50.040] women stall out in the W series. The success of
[04:50.760 -> 04:54.400] F1 Academy is going to be can it push
[04:54.920 -> 04:56.920] these women into other
[04:57.440 -> 05:03.040] co-ed feeder series. This is not meant to be an all-women series where women just race over here.
[05:03.380 -> 05:07.680] Which is not a good idea because there's no physical difference in being
[05:07.680 -> 05:15.160] able to go pedal forward, but it's, um, you know, how well can they give these
[05:15.160 -> 05:19.200] women track time at a subsidized rate and push them along?
[05:20.200 -> 05:24.020] Um, so with that recap, just to catch everyone up on what F1 Academy is and
[05:24.020 -> 05:25.760] what the goals are and why it exists,
[05:25.760 -> 05:29.440] in your opinion, Nicole, was year one a success for you?
[05:29.440 -> 05:34.560] So I do think year one was a success.
[05:34.560 -> 05:38.160] Going in with the disclaimer that I'm also under the belief
[05:38.160 -> 05:42.640] that this season of F1 Academy was not necessarily ever really going to happen.
[05:42.640 -> 05:45.040] It was a really rushed put together,
[05:46.760 -> 05:46.840] like there is no W Series,
[05:48.760 -> 05:48.840] there needs to be this kind of space.
[05:51.000 -> 05:51.080] And I think at least in the beginning
[05:53.300 -> 05:53.380] when they were doing everything with F1 Academy,
[05:54.800 -> 05:54.880] we weren't really getting that,
[05:57.060 -> 05:57.140] not that that was ever communicated,
[05:59.020 -> 05:59.100] but the rush of being put together
[06:01.980 -> 06:02.060] and at first not being able to watch all of the races
[06:10.320 -> 06:16.240] and it just happening at tracks that weren't correlating with F1, seemed like it was being set up almost for failure. And then throughout the summer, we started getting more announcements from Susie Wolf and the Discover Your Drive initiative.
[06:16.240 -> 06:21.040] And then last month about how every single F1 team is going to have to have like endorsing
[06:21.040 -> 06:30.020] a driver in the series and seeing the most recent announcement with Bianca and McLaren. I'm just seeing more and more hope next year about, like, what this
[06:30.020 -> 06:34.320] series can really be. I mean, the fact that we even got, you know, the schedule and that
[06:34.320 -> 06:39.780] it lines up next year is entirely with F1 races and that the F1 Academy Series starts
[06:39.780 -> 06:48.960] and ends with the F1 Series, I think, will make a big difference. So I think as the two series begin to overlap more,
[06:48.960 -> 06:52.000] we'll begin to have it showcase more.
[06:52.000 -> 06:55.360] I do hope that it will continue to grow,
[06:55.360 -> 06:58.480] especially what we need is F1 drivers showing their support.
[06:58.480 -> 07:01.680] I know that we were able to see Louis showing his support
[07:01.680 -> 07:04.160] this weekend with F1 Academy, as he consistently does.
[07:04.160 -> 07:07.640] Carlos was seen taking pictures with Marta after she won her championship, which was
[07:07.640 -> 07:08.840] really really sick and cool.
[07:08.840 -> 07:09.840] So just-
[07:09.840 -> 07:10.840] Yeah, congrats Marta!
[07:10.840 -> 07:11.840] Yeah!
[07:11.840 -> 07:15.800] It's awesome being that first champion- like the first championship of this series, and
[07:15.800 -> 07:20.280] she really dominated the entire time in a rightful way, and there were some races that
[07:20.280 -> 07:22.200] were a lot closer.
[07:22.200 -> 07:25.000] So I think it was a really good,
[07:25.000 -> 07:28.000] almost like a practice year that they got to go through.
[07:28.000 -> 07:31.000] I'm sure there was a lot of bumps in the road that they were able to
[07:31.000 -> 07:34.000] clear up and go through that the public never got to see.
[07:34.000 -> 07:38.000] I think it had to be really difficult to be making all these announcements
[07:38.000 -> 07:40.000] at the beginning, probably knowing that, you know,
[07:40.000 -> 07:43.000] there is going to be broadcast, there is going to be all these things,
[07:43.000 -> 07:47.080] but they couldn't vocalize that to the very upset fan base that occurred.
[07:47.080 -> 07:51.380] But I do feel like where the fan base is at the end of the season feels very optimistic
[07:51.380 -> 07:52.680] moving forward.
[07:52.680 -> 07:57.620] It seems like F1 Academy is currently being set up to be put in a place of success, whether
[07:57.620 -> 08:04.720] it's the connection to teams, the better schedule, being able to watch it, exposing these drivers
[08:04.720 -> 08:05.200] and connecting
[08:05.200 -> 08:07.560] them in the right ways, everything's lining up.
[08:07.860 -> 08:09.800] So I feel very hopeful for next year.
[08:10.100 -> 08:11.940] So that's why I think this year was a success.
[08:11.940 -> 08:15.160] I mean, it wasn't necessarily the most talked about thing, but it lined
[08:15.160 -> 08:18.540] everything up so that I think next year can be what they want the series to be.
[08:19.480 -> 08:23.440] I agree with everything you said, and I think you did a really good recap of
[08:23.440 -> 08:28.600] everything that's coming in year two, particularly the investment from every team to
[08:28.600 -> 08:39.320] sponsor at least one driver on the grid. I think that the it was a success because
[08:39.320 -> 08:47.320] it didn't fall apart, interest didn't wane, and most importantly the rousing support I
[08:47.320 -> 08:54.640] saw all season for it online and the expectations of wanting it to be broadcast and then the
[08:54.640 -> 09:00.200] interest it got this weekend, all are things that make this season, like, for a rush together
[09:00.200 -> 09:11.920] because I am in the same camp as you, I believe that this was a rushed together season so there wasn't this gap for a year with the W Series folding. I think it was a success.
[09:11.920 -> 09:19.920] It's a rousing success if they can get Marta a seat in F3 next year. And she said in her
[09:19.920 -> 09:27.980] post-race interview, and Susie said in her post race interview that they're using every connection and every string they can pull to get her a seat in.
[09:28.540 -> 09:35.100] The series above next year, because to me, the F1 Academy over the next three
[09:35.100 -> 09:39.740] to five years will only be as successful as its ability to move drivers up the
[09:39.740 -> 09:44.300] feeder series ladder. And because the whole point is increasing the pool and
[09:44.300 -> 09:45.440] pushing them up.
[09:45.440 -> 09:50.400] It gains that legitimacy. It will gain the legitimacy in the eyes of all the doubters.
[09:50.400 -> 09:57.280] If you if it can work, if they can get if it can feed drivers into a different series,
[09:57.280 -> 10:01.680] and doesn't create that painstalk. And to your point of it's that three to five, like there's
[10:01.680 -> 10:07.400] only that slight window that you have before people just like label it as another place where you just get stuck
[10:07.400 -> 10:08.080] in your career.
[10:08.760 -> 10:11.560] And I had this conversation with multiple people this weekend, because
[10:11.560 -> 10:14.240] this is the most exposure because it was actually broadcast. It was on the
[10:14.240 -> 10:17.880] YouTube channel and it was being posted about an F1 and Lewis was there
[10:17.900 -> 10:21.800] actually at the race because he could be because it was with the same place.
[10:21.960 -> 10:28.800] Yeah, George handed out the trophies Esteban and handed out the pole position, so there was all this exposure, so a lot of people were coming to me, my life,
[10:28.800 -> 10:32.520] and like, asking me questions about it. And the number one question I was getting are,
[10:32.520 -> 10:36.960] were, are these drivers any good? And I went, you could say the same thing about every driver
[10:36.960 -> 10:41.200] in F3 right now. You don't know if any driver in F3 is good, but you know that if they can
[10:41.200 -> 10:45.280] win a lot, and if they're fast, that they then deserve to go to F2.
[10:45.280 -> 10:47.200] And then you see if they can beat the drivers in F2.
[10:47.200 -> 10:49.440] And if you're really good and fast in F2,
[10:49.440 -> 10:52.240] then you might get a testing opportunity for F1.
[10:52.240 -> 10:53.360] And then if you're really good at testing,
[10:53.360 -> 10:54.960] then you might get a seat in F1.
[10:54.960 -> 10:57.360] But the whole reason there's a feeder series,
[10:57.360 -> 10:59.760] all these feeder series is you beat the people
[10:59.760 -> 11:02.960] you can around you, and then you deserve the opportunity
[11:02.960 -> 11:05.280] to try to beat the next group of people around
[11:05.280 -> 11:10.560] you. So I think it's just important, especially because they've decided to go this route of
[11:11.760 -> 11:18.080] sir question like, hey women you go over there, that that cannot be used as an excuse to think
[11:18.080 -> 11:22.880] they're slow because it's the same thing. Like these drivers are in the car, they're beating
[11:22.880 -> 11:29.960] the people around them. Marta for a series that did have a lot of winners and a lot of podium finishers, she
[11:29.960 -> 11:32.560] was really dominant this season.
[11:32.560 -> 11:35.880] So she beat the people around her, put her in the next seat.
[11:35.880 -> 11:37.560] And let's end, maybe, who knows.
[11:37.560 -> 11:41.000] Who knows what that's gonna mean if she goes in F3.
[11:41.000 -> 11:50.240] But we just need more people being pushed along along because that's the whole point of this and I think it's important to remind everyone that you can only we can't expect just because they're
[11:50.240 -> 11:56.560] women to be magical right like all you can do is beat the people you're in the series with
[11:56.560 -> 12:03.200] and then move to the next one no one no one else can do any more or any less. They did the thing.
[12:03.200 -> 12:06.500] In the days since we were last in these seats
[12:06.500 -> 12:08.800] recording the thing you've been watching,
[12:08.800 -> 12:11.320] they actually announced, they answered the question.
[12:11.320 -> 12:13.660] We spent so much time that has now been cut out
[12:13.660 -> 12:16.120] going, the series only works
[12:16.120 -> 12:18.640] if the champion gets to move up,
[12:18.640 -> 12:22.080] if people get to progress through the feeder series.
[12:22.080 -> 12:22.920] And guess what?
[12:22.920 -> 12:24.720] Marder Garcia is gonna get to progress
[12:24.720 -> 12:26.720] through the feeder series. And guess what? Marder Garcia is gonna get to progress through the feeder series.
[12:26.720 -> 12:28.760] Feeder series are feeding.
[12:28.760 -> 12:30.400] That's so incredible.
[12:30.400 -> 12:32.520] I wanna listen to like Tyra rant
[12:32.520 -> 12:35.020] about like the legitimacy of a series only works
[12:35.020 -> 12:36.760] if you're like actually doing the thing
[12:36.760 -> 12:38.240] and they did the thing.
[12:39.200 -> 12:40.240] The thing.
[12:40.240 -> 12:42.040] Yeah, it's a great first step.
[12:42.040 -> 12:45.600] It's more than the W Series was ever able to do.
[12:46.240 -> 12:54.800] So I think this is a positive shining light. So some details here. The Formula Regional European
[12:54.800 -> 13:02.560] Championship by Alpine Freca is where she's moving to. It is a Formula 4 Series. She is going to
[13:03.120 -> 13:08.160] keep driving for Prema, which is who she drove for in F1 Academy,
[13:08.160 -> 13:14.040] which just shows a sign of how positive it is that 5 feeder series teams are running
[13:14.040 -> 13:20.460] and operating in the F1 Academy, because Prima already knows Marta, they probably liked her,
[13:20.460 -> 13:25.380] so getting this promotion is easier because you already have built those relationships
[13:30.220 -> 13:30.820] Her seats being funded by the f1 academy also by Prema and Pirelli
[13:36.400 -> 13:39.120] Also sidebar Pirelli has been very involved in funding a lot of the series and like shout out to them Like because they've been very actively involved in all of this
[13:40.460 -> 13:41.580] now
[13:41.580 -> 13:42.700] Freka
[13:42.700 -> 13:49.500] Had the series has agreed that any team that signs a driver who finishes in the
[13:49.500 -> 13:55.740] top three of the F1 Academy standings will get an additional fourth car that they're
[13:55.740 -> 13:57.500] allowed to run in the series.
[13:57.500 -> 14:04.300] So teams are only allowed to run three, but if they poach a podium finisher from the F1
[14:04.300 -> 14:07.760] Academy, they get to run a fourth. So I think the idea
[14:07.760 -> 14:14.880] is it's easier to subsidize, like for a team to provide a cheaper or subsidized seat if
[14:14.880 -> 14:18.520] they're not losing any of the funding from the other three seats. So you're just trying
[14:18.520 -> 14:24.080] to further incentivize teams to like, also teams make money based on the drivers paying
[14:24.080 -> 14:25.560] to run the cars. So you're basically telling teams you get based on the drivers paying to run the cars.
[14:25.560 -> 14:29.920] So you're basically telling teams you get four times the revenue instead of three times
[14:29.920 -> 14:33.920] the revenue if you grab a driver from the F1 Academy.
[14:33.920 -> 14:39.360] And instead of, I can, like, I feel like I can get behind, but, you know, I feel like
[14:39.360 -> 14:49.680] you're about to get into a but. The but is I've seen reports that in recent years Frecka has had a same,
[14:50.640 -> 14:54.720] a similar incentive that if they run a female driver they get a fourth seat
[14:54.720 -> 14:57.200] and they eventually abandoned the rule because no one did it.
[15:00.000 -> 15:06.320] But I admittedly like don't know the I don't know the details maybe that's not why they abandoned it
[15:06.960 -> 15:14.480] um I don't know but I'm excited that this one exists so it's not like a butt butt it's just a
[15:14.480 -> 15:21.280] asterisk. Asterisk is a great way to say it and hopefully F1 Academy is you know now the new
[15:21.280 -> 15:26.080] like paving way of like doing it the right way and the things and such like you know, now the new like paving way of like doing it the right way and the things and such
[15:26.080 -> 15:32.480] like, you know, things, things will be different. I say hopefully and confidently.
[15:34.480 -> 15:40.720] Yes. Yeah. I just every time I get a moment of hesitation with the F1 Academy,
[15:40.720 -> 15:45.840] I feel like an announcement comes out. That's like, I hear you, this worry is
[15:45.840 -> 15:49.840] valid and here's all the things we did to work towards achieving that.
[15:49.840 -> 15:50.840] 100%.
[15:50.840 -> 15:58.540] I feel that like with everything across the board, like down to, you know, the broadcasting
[15:58.540 -> 16:02.780] uproar that was happening on social media, like now it's been addressed and things.
[16:02.780 -> 16:06.480] The piece that I mean, is so huge of all of this
[16:06.480 -> 16:14.080] fully funded seat like fully funded that is major huge it's I think across the board no matter gender
[16:14.080 -> 16:19.120] of your driver it's a big issue in motorsports of like having that piece to support yourself.
[16:19.680 -> 16:26.720] So like particularly within females in motorsports it's been real rough so the fact that that is
[16:26.720 -> 16:35.120] acknowledged right away a plus yeah they also got this announcement out very quickly so she won the
[16:35.120 -> 16:40.320] championship and then we heard the murmurings that they were working on getting her a seat
[16:40.320 -> 16:48.720] and then i think it was like two days. Two days later this announcement came out. And so that feels like a big deal. Like you can tell that this wasn't
[16:48.720 -> 16:53.120] haphazardly put together. Like this is something they have, they meaning the
[16:53.120 -> 16:57.700] people running the F1 Academy and F1, have understood that the priority with
[16:57.700 -> 17:03.040] this is that you need a feeding of the feeder series and they, this doesn't feel
[17:03.040 -> 17:05.120] sloppily put together.
[17:12.960 -> 17:18.320] No, almost in my brain. I think it was anticipated, especially with like how the competitive competitive edge, but just like how dominant she was this year that like this conversation had to be happening
[17:18.320 -> 17:25.060] previously. And I think because of the way things normally go. We did not expect the announcement to be so soon.
[17:25.060 -> 17:26.920] I'm so glad it was.
[17:26.920 -> 17:28.180] It's better.
[17:28.180 -> 17:29.500] It was right away.
[17:29.500 -> 17:32.420] Cause it, again, the legitimacy of it all.
[17:32.420 -> 17:33.860] So yay, more kudos.
[17:33.860 -> 17:35.100] Glad I don't have to wait.
[17:35.100 -> 17:36.940] I thought it was going to be a next year thing
[17:36.940 -> 17:37.960] if it did happen.
[17:37.960 -> 17:40.980] And so I'm, it's a pleasant, wonderful surprise.
[17:43.780 -> 17:50.400] I need the assistance of the biggest cup in the world. It's just becoming a character.
[17:55.280 -> 18:00.480] It's gonna be the bit that never dies. Literally this cup lives at this station.
[18:01.760 -> 18:06.800] Now this announcement was also paired with an additional announcement of a 2024 change
[18:06.800 -> 18:12.720] that hadn't been announced when we were recapping all the things coming for 2024. So this year
[18:15.200 -> 18:25.000] F1 subsidized half of the every F1 Academy seat. So a seat was $300,000, which just makes me want to keel over.
[18:25.000 -> 18:31.680] And the drivers were expected to contribute, whether personally or with their own sponsors,
[18:31.680 -> 18:34.240] $150,000, so 50% of that.
[18:34.240 -> 18:39.480] F1 announced that they're reducing that instead of $150,000 to $100,000.
[18:39.480 -> 18:46.400] So now two-thirds of all these seats are going to be fully funded by F1 and F1 Academy with only a
[18:46.400 -> 18:50.720] third of it having to be provided by the drivers themselves going out and getting sponsors. And
[18:50.720 -> 18:55.600] this is huge because it's just continuing to break down that barrier because we've seen
[18:55.600 -> 19:03.120] consistently that the reason carters aren't carters who are not male are not getting
[19:03.120 -> 19:07.120] opportunities in cars because they can't build the funding
[19:07.120 -> 19:10.080] and the sponsorship because people don't want to give them opportunities.
[19:10.080 -> 19:13.880] So if you're reducing how much sponsorship they need to get, it's more and more likely
[19:13.880 -> 19:18.800] that more women are going to be able to compete for F1 Academy seats, get times in cars, go
[19:18.800 -> 19:21.080] up the feeder!
[19:21.080 -> 19:28.000] And in the most legitimate sense, this is F1 showing that they are willing to invest
[19:28.000 -> 19:32.480] and putting value in female drivers.
[19:32.480 -> 19:37.020] They are willing to cover more for each driver.
[19:37.020 -> 19:39.520] No one can really be saying, oh, they don't care, they're just doing this.
[19:39.520 -> 19:41.040] No, that's a lot of money.
[19:41.040 -> 19:45.120] That's legitimately, you know, and they're all about the money. So
[19:49.920 -> 19:51.680] in the literal sense, expanding the value, showing the value that they're wanting to invest.
[19:59.200 -> 20:04.400] Yeah, they're now F1 is subsidizing $3 million worth of costs, because there are 15 seats, and they're doing 200,000 for each. And that's $3 million, it's going directly to these,
[20:04.400 -> 20:05.040] thousand for each and that's three million dollars that's going directly to these
[20:12.480 -> 20:18.080] the five teams that are running the F1 Academy teams. So that's it that's incredible like three million dollars they're literally putting their money where their mouth is. Incredible. Hope it
[20:18.080 -> 20:28.840] continues. Maybe it'll just be a fully funded series. Imagine that one day. Imagine a day where we weren't talking about large, large millions of dollars
[20:28.840 -> 20:35.320] sums worth of money being like a thing for 15 year olds, male or female, to do
[20:35.320 -> 20:39.400] to be able to be competitive in motorsports. Wouldn't that be a wild
[20:39.400 -> 20:39.720] day?
[20:40.080 -> 20:41.960] Accessibility, what a thought.
[20:42.640 -> 20:45.720] What are your hopes for year two of F1 Academy?
[20:45.720 -> 20:51.480] I'm excited to see the involvement of the F1 teams and kind of,
[20:51.480 -> 20:53.480] you're really going to be able to see like,
[20:53.480 -> 20:56.760] okay, if every single F1 team is required to be doing some sort of investment
[20:56.760 -> 20:58.560] in this type of way of selecting a driver,
[20:58.560 -> 21:00.560] you know that there's going to be some teams that are putting,
[21:02.000 -> 21:03.480] whether it's all the same amount,
[21:03.480 -> 21:05.520] but like quality of money where their mouth
[21:05.520 -> 21:09.680] is and like who's really paying attention to it will really say a lot to me to see how
[21:09.680 -> 21:13.400] F1 teams are showcasing their driver.
[21:13.400 -> 21:16.680] If they're just like, oh, we're doing this because we have to, or if we're doing this
[21:16.680 -> 21:21.720] because like we really feel passionate about it and want to make a difference.
[21:21.720 -> 21:25.440] So that's what I'm hoping to really shed some light in there
[21:25.440 -> 21:27.000] and just kind of like continued success
[21:27.000 -> 21:29.640] and continued spotlight on it.
[21:29.640 -> 21:32.280] I think CODA made me really hyped to see
[21:32.280 -> 21:33.540] how much exposure there was,
[21:33.540 -> 21:35.480] and there's just going to continue to be more
[21:35.480 -> 21:39.140] with the overlap with F1 and F1 Academy
[21:39.140 -> 21:40.480] being at the same places.
[21:40.480 -> 21:43.480] I think it's going to really wonderful things,
[21:43.480 -> 21:45.840] but hoping it is a feeder series and not just
[21:45.840 -> 21:49.880] a dead end series.
[21:49.880 -> 21:53.320] I think I have similar hopes.
[21:53.320 -> 22:00.080] I would like to, my biggest hope is that the connection and the support from F1 continues
[22:00.080 -> 22:01.080] to grow.
[22:01.080 -> 22:09.080] This is very clearly something that Liberty Media and Formula One Management are emphasizing and care a lot about and they're putting a lot of
[22:09.080 -> 22:15.640] money into it. So I would I can't wait. I'm interested in which teams care more
[22:15.640 -> 22:19.160] versus just sponsoring for the sake of sponsoring. I think there are certain
[22:19.160 -> 22:28.820] teams on the grid like Aston Martin that have done a ton of diversity initiatives and have really publicly
[22:28.820 -> 22:35.260] pushed that forward. So I'm excited to see which driver ends up in their driver academy.
[22:35.260 -> 22:40.780] I am not excited for the next couple months as we get announcements and we get more and
[22:40.780 -> 22:46.120] more, ah, this is the first, it is not something to celebrate that this is
[22:46.120 -> 22:51.280] the first women in the McLaren driver Academy and I'm going to probably have
[22:51.280 -> 22:55.000] to bite my tongue for the next couple months as we hear all these fantastic
[22:55.000 -> 22:59.760] like this is the first driver female driver McLaren has ever sponsored and
[22:59.760 -> 23:05.400] everyone's like no no this like, do you know how devastating
[23:05.400 -> 23:06.600] that is to hear for me?
[23:06.600 -> 23:08.120] And the only reason they're doing it
[23:08.120 -> 23:11.160] is because they are required now to do one.
[23:11.160 -> 23:14.680] Like, do you really think they would have invested in it?
[23:14.680 -> 23:16.360] So it's like, I'm not excited.
[23:16.360 -> 23:19.120] McLaren has so many drivers, I get nervous.
[23:19.120 -> 23:22.600] It's like, oh no, they just collected another Infinity Stone
[23:22.600 -> 23:26.120] and I like Bianca and I want her to have opportunity
[23:26.840 -> 23:30.800] Right, but she's trapped in the Rolodex. Maybe maybe not
[23:31.680 -> 23:37.740] No, so I hope they actually support her and so I agree with you that I'm excited to see which
[23:38.080 -> 23:44.600] like how f1 further ingrains itself and Susie made some very pointed comments that it's always Lewis Hamilton and
[23:46.080 -> 23:53.320] itself and Susie made some very pointed comments that it's always Lewis Hamilton. And I hope the forced proximity over the seven races next year is going to inspire other drivers
[23:53.320 -> 24:00.320] to start to care and put a focus on this. And so I'm excited for all the ways that can
[24:00.320 -> 24:06.660] happen and like the content we can get. Like Bianca is the perfect choice for McLaren and their brand.
[24:06.660 -> 24:07.660] Yep.
[24:07.660 -> 24:13.260] So like those races like I want to see Bianca Oscar Lando content that sounds awesome.
[24:13.260 -> 24:18.700] So be a really exciting year for F1 Academy with the full year they definitely already
[24:18.700 -> 24:20.300] have planned moving forward.
[24:20.300 -> 24:21.900] I'm hyped.
[24:21.900 -> 24:25.800] Hopefully we'll continue to be exactly what it says it is. And in Suzy Wolf, we trust.
[24:25.800 -> 24:28.500] True. She's doing such a good job.
[24:28.500 -> 24:35.900] Thank you so much to tuning into this extra special bonus F1 Academy episode of Gridwalk.
[24:35.900 -> 24:41.100] We really want to continue to support this series and hope you do too.
[24:41.100 -> 24:47.780] So if you enjoyed this extra special bonus episode, definitely subscribe to the channel and check out the rest of the pod
[24:48.000 -> 24:54.900] We absolutely would love to have you joining for our daily grid walks every single Thursday on our regularly scheduled episodes
[24:54.900 -> 25:01.920] And you can also find us on all social media platforms at gridwalk show Twitter threads Instagram. You name it
[25:01.920 -> 25:06.880] That's where you'll be able to find us. TikTok, I think that's what I, whatever, all the things.
[25:06.880 -> 25:10.720] And we will see you back this Thursday
[25:10.720 -> 25:13.240] for your regularly scheduled Gridwalk Chaos,
[25:13.240 -> 25:15.720] and we sincerely hope you join us.
[25:15.720 -> 25:17.480] And congratulations to Marta.
[25:17.480 -> None] ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, you