A deep dive into Formula 1 and F1 Academy

Formula 1, aka F1, is the pinnacle of motorsport, representing the highest level of racing in the world. Sure, NASCAR enthusiasts might disagree, but the two sports are vastly different — if NASCAR is a marathon, F1 would be a sprint. A sleek, glorious, international sprint.

Though the number of races (aka Grands Prix) can vary from season to season, the goal remains the same — collect the most points as an individual and as a team. There are currently 10 teams in the F1 paddock (more on that later) with each team fielding two drivers.

• Points are accumulated based on where a driver finishes each race. Drivers compete for the individual glory of the World Drivers’ Championship (WDC) while teams race to hoist the World Constructors’ Championship (WCC) hardware. Vroom, vroom.

The “formula” in F1 refers to the ever-evolving, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobiles (FIA)–mandated set of rules that teams follow when constructing their cars. Teams employ hundreds of engineers and mechanics to make their cars the fastest on the grid, while ensuring they meet the requirements and stay under the budget cap.

F1’s roots can be traced back to 1901 when the words grand prix were first used to describe the iconic French Grand Prix at Le Mans. The sport evolved from the European Grand Prix championships of the 1920s and 1930s to the foundation of modern F1 in 1946 when the FIA standardized its rules.

• Since its inception, 777 drivers representing 41 nations have started at least one of the 1,123 FIA-sanctioned races across the globe. The world is literally their playground.

For some context, F1 is open to all genders, with no restrictions preventing women from competing at the highest level, but a woman hasn’t competed on the circuit since the 1970s.

• F1 has an infamous history of inadequate support for women in motorsport — from blatant misogyny to not providing ample opportunities for women to find success on the track.

• But there’s been notable progress of late with last year’s F1 Academy (F1A) launch, the all-women feeder series building an unprecedented pipeline for female talent.

Founded by F1, the series features 15 young, uber-talented women drivers between the ages of 16 and 25. The purpose? To grow, develop, and nurture female talent to provide a direct path to seats in F1’s development circuits (F2 and F3), which could lead to a coveted spot in the F1 paddock.

• Unlike in F1, all drivers race in the same style of car, allowing drivers to truly showcase their abilities. All gas, no breaks.

• This year, F1A had 14 races (two per seven rounds) on three continents, with all seven rounds occurring during F1 weekends. The series will wrap up alongside their F1 counterparts in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

F1A isn’t the first women-only series — most recently, the W series (F1’s female equivalent) provided a place for women drivers to race until its liquidation in 2022 — but F1A is the first series with explicit support from F1 teams. Each team nominates one driver, with the remaining seats supported by external partners, like cosmetics company Charlotte Tilbury.

• The series also features Wild Card entries — where additional drivers from each race host’s region are selected to compete in that weekend's events. This provides even more opportunities for women on the track. Absolutely love to see it.

🏆 Champions

The six winningest drivers in F1 history: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took home his fourth straight WDC at last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, meaning the Dutchman has officially joined the exclusive group of champions who’ve won at least four individual titles.

• The club’s other cardholders? Sir Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, who’ve won a mind-boggling seven titles each, Juan Manuel Fangio and his five championships, and a pair of four-time champs in Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost.

⏩ Trailblazers

Maria Teresa de Filippis: Remembered as the first woman to race in F1, de Filippis was a trailblazer for women in motorsports, wearing her preferred helmet to make her race debut at the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. She finished 10th, which would have secured her a single point had F1 been using their modern point system.

Lella Lombardi: On the heels of de Filippis’ success came Lombardi, who was the first (and only) woman to score points in an F1 race after she finished sixth at a 1975 Spanish Grand Prix that ended prematurely after a devastating crash. Lombardi’s fearlessness was on full display over her 12 F1 starts, including an impressive seventh-place finish in Germany that same year.

Marta García: Last year’s inaugural F1A champ, García won seven races and took home 12 podiums en route to winning the title. Now, the Spanish superstar is racing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, another development circuit, as part of F1A’s commitment to ensuring its winners find a place in the motorsport pipeline.

Abbi Pulling: The Brit (and friend of The GIST) has dominated this year’s F1A standings, amassing a commanding lead over her closest competitor, Doriane Pin, with only two weekends to go. And she’s already making waves on the male-dominated circuits.

The landscape of F1 is constantly changing. From updated technical regulations that can entirely alter a car’s composition (with new ones coming in 2026) to on-track changes like adding (and now dropping) a point for the race’s fastest lap, part of the fun is following the sport’s shifts.

But the biggest change on the horizon is the addition of an 11th team: Cadillac F1, an American-based group that will officially join the grid in 2026.

• With no set standard for the number of teams, there can be fluctuation — the addition of Cadillac F1 marks the first time since 2016 that there will be more than 10 teams on the grid.

Perhaps most importantly for fans, an 11th team expands the grid from 20 drivers to 22. Considering how hard it is to become (and remain) an F1 driver, those extra seats provide that much more opportunity for fan faves, like Daniel Ricciardo, to return to the grid in 2026.

• While those seats could be filled by a Ricciardo-esque veteran — with F1A thriving in its second season — it might provide the perfect opportunity for a woman, like Pulling or García, to compete in the highest echelon of motorsport. What dreams are made of.