Formula 1 has released all the details ahead of the inaugural all-female F1 Academy series campaign, which will get underway in Austria.

As part of the ambitions to make Formula 1 a more diverse landscape, there is a push to make the series further accessible to female personnel, including on the driving side with hope that in the coming years a female driver will be part of the grid.

And a key step to opening up those opportunities is the formation of the F1 Academy series, with information now having been released on how the category is going to work.

What is the 2023 F1 Academy calendar looking like?

The first season of F1 Academy action will feature seven rounds and a total of 21 races, with one of these rounds taking place outside of Europe.

The campaign will begin in Austria, with Round 1 held at the Red Bull Ring from April 28-29.

For the following weekend the series moves on to Valencia, with visits to Barcelona, Zandvoort, Monza and Le Castellet following, before the season-ending round in Austin from October 20-22, where the series will run alongside the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix weekend.

How will the race weekend format work?

Each round will consist of three races, with two 40-minute practice sessions that are followed by a pair of 15-minute qualifying sessions.

The first qualifying session decides the grid for race one, while the second determines the grid for race three. The driver who achieves pole in each session will receive two points.

The first and third races are to be the longer ones of the race weekend, running for 30 minutes with 25 points up for grabs for the winner, down to one point for P10 using the same system which is used in Formula 1.

Race two meanwhile runs for 20 minutes with 10 points available for the winner, eight for P2, six for P3 and then a point less per position down to one for the driver that claims P10.

For race two, the top eight from qualifying 1 will be reversed when forming the starting order, with those P9 and below starting where they qualified. Like in Formula 1, each race will have a bonus point available for fastest lap, if they finish in the top 10.

An opening testing session has been confirmed to take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from April 11-12, with a further 13 days of testing to be allocated throughout the season.

Who is taking part?

Five teams have been confirmed for the series, those being ART, Campos, Carlin, MP Motorsport and Prema, all of whom will be fielding three cars to create a 15-driver grid.

Alpine junior Abbi Pulling and Sauber Academy’s Lena Buhler have already been confirmed for season one, as have Jessica Edgar, Bianca Bustamante, Nerea Marti and Carrie Schreiner.

There are nine spots still to fill then ahead of that Barcelona test.

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F1 Academy general manager Bruno Michel, who also oversees the Formula 2 and Formula 3 series, said: “I’m very pleased to reveal the calendar of F1 Academy’s inaugural season.

“Our goal was to be able to race on as many Formula 1 Grand Prix tracks as possible, with circuits that could be a great challenge for the drivers. The teams know these layouts very well, so they will be able to help their young talents get to grips quickly.

“We had announced that F1 Academy would be racing alongside Formula 1 at one event, so it’s fantastic to be part of the F1 Grand Prix package in Austin, where we will also conclude the first season, in front of the F1 paddock and the American crowd.

“There is quite a gap in between Rounds 6 and 7, but that is mainly due to the fact that we will be sending the cars and equipment by ship, to save on logistical costs.

“Additionally, there will be 15 days of testing to add to the track time in 2023, with the first two days in Barcelona on April 11 and 12. We will reveal the rest of the dates in due time.”

The article Revealed: F1 Academy announce seven-round calendar, format and points allocation appeared first on Planetf1.com.