Formula One (F1) and Netflix have come together to release yet another docuseries about the open-wheel sport on Wednesday, May 28, called F1: The Academy. This time, however, the series won’t follow the male drivers and rich men running the teams, but the F1 Academy. The F1 Academy is an all-female racing series that took over where the W Series couldn’t succeed. The documentary is produced by Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon’s media company, and will have seven episodes.
The documentary will feature not only the 18 women racing for a chance to win the championship, but those involved in the behind-the-scenes of the series. At the center of the academy is Susie Wolff, a former professional driver and the managing director of F1 Academy. Wolff is also the first woman in 22 years to participate in an F1 weekend, driving for Williams Racing in a practice session. The goal of the F1 Academy is to promote the next generation of female talent in motorsports and provide a chance to secure a seat in the next step up in open-wheel racing, such as Formula 3, and eventually, all the way to Formula One.
The F1 Academy started in 2023, with five teams in the first two seasons: ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, Rodin Motorsport, MP Motorsport, and Prema Racing. In 2025, Hitech Grand Prix also joined the grid. Women driving in the academy must be between the ages of 16 and 25 and are not allowed to compete for more than two seasons. The goal is to promote moving women up into other divisions or to other types of racing, such as IndyCar. Each F1 team must also support at least one driver on the grid. For more information on how the Academy operates, including rules and regulations, the F1 Academy has created a helpful guide on their website for anyone interested in learning more about the sport.
One of the current drivers is from Vancouver Island! Nicole Havrda hails from Comox and started with go-karting in 2019. She quickly started winning and made her open-wheel debut the following year. Now Havrda is currently racing for Hitech and is 17th in the standings after the first two races in Shanghai and Jeddah. However, as Havrda didn’t join the F1 Academy until 2025, she will not be featured in the docuseries unless they introduce the new drivers for the 2025 season at the end.
Doriane Pin is a racer to look out for this season as she came in second place last year, just missing out on the title to Abbi Pulling—a title fight that will surely be at the forefront of the series. Pin is currently sitting in second place this year as well, but is challenging Maya Weug, who leads the championship by just one point. Chloe Chambers is not far behind Pin in the standings. It is bound to be an intense season with the top three drivers rather close together in terms of points within the first three races of the season.
Just as Drive to Survive captures the season as it’s happening and releases it just ahead of the following year’s season, it can be assumed that this docuseries will do the same. I will be sat on May 28 to watch F1: The Academy for a chance to look behind the scenes of a sport full of adrenaline, racing, and competition, and I hope you will be too!