F1 Academy 2024: Race calendar, drivers, format, new sponsorships, how to watch and everything to know

Formula 1 Academy returns this week for a second season, following its success in 2023. An updated race calendar will see the campaign get underway in Jeddah, before taking the drivers across three continents to seven exciting destinations, including five new circuits.

The season will support the Formula 1 World Championship and all races will take place during Grand Prix weekends. The inaugural F1 Academy season saw Marta García crowned champion with PREMA Racing. Following her title win, the Spaniard has received a fully funded seat for the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA), alongside runner-up Léna Bühler.

As the series grows in popularity, it has secured partnerships with the likes of British beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury, and US fashion house Tommy Hilfiger, with both splashing their colours on F1 Academy cars this season.

Get ready for another thrilling season of F1 Academy action and find out everything you need to know about its second year on the world stage.

What is F1 Academy?

F1 Academy is an all-female spec series racing championship created by Formula 1 to help springboard women up the motorsport ladder. It was launched in 2022 and made its debut season in 2023. F1 Academy is lead by managing director and former Williams development driver Susie Wolff. All cars in the series compete with an identical Tatuus F4-T421 chassis and Pirelli tyres, with a top speed of 240 km/h.

When does F1 Academy start?

F1 Academy arrives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this week, with practice and qualifying taking place on Thursday, March 7th. Race One will start on Friday, followed by Race Two on Saturday. The 2024 season will run for nine months through to December 8th, and conclude with the finale on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

F1 Academy calendar

Five new locations have been added to the F1 Academy calendar this year, including the opening and closing rounds. Each race weekend coincides with the F1 calendar. Here is the full 2024 schedule:

F1 Academy format and points system

Race weekends will consist of a 40-minute practice session before the official qualifying later the same day. The fastest laps will determine the starting grid for Race 1, and second fastest laps will lock in the order for Race 2.

Both Race 1 and Race 2 will last for 30 minutes with the same scoring system as F1 — the top 10 finishers receive points starting from 25 for the winner, 18 for second, then 15 and so on. Drivers will earn two points per pole position secured and an extra point for the fastest lap, if they finish inside the top 10.

F1 Academy drivers

Following the administration of the popular W Series, a number of drivers moved to F1 Academy, including inaugural champion Marta García.

Familiar names including Abbi Pulling, Nerea Martí, and sisters Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi will return to the grid this year, along with some new faces. The five F1 Academy teams have entered three cars each to make up a grid of 15 drivers.

All ten F1 powerhouses will have a female driver in F1 Academy representing them, meaning the liveries of Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren and more will be on display this season. You can take a look below at which drivers will be supported by the F1 teams. Here is the full list of 2024 F1 Academy drivers and their respective teams:

How can I watch F1 Academy races?

You can watch every F1 Academy race this season live on the Sky Sports F1 channel. The practice session in Jeddah will be shown on Thursday, 11am GMT, followed by qualifying at 6.15pm. Both races will also be shown on Friday and Saturday at 11.55am and 12pm respectively.