Italian motorsport team Prema have announced they will run a team in the brand new all-women driver series, the F1 Academy.
The series aims to develop and boost young drivers and aid in their development in the steps towards a Formula 1 career.
The F1 Academy will use the Tatuus T421 chassis, fitted with a 165-horsepower, Autotecnica-prepared engine with Formula 1’s Global Partner Pirelli providing the tyres.
Managed by the CEO of Formula Motorsport Limited Bruno Michel, the series will see Formula 1 subsidise the cost of each car with a budget of €150,000, while the drivers cover the same amount of costs. The teams will cover the rest of the budget.
Prema join MP Motorsport, Carlin Racing, Campos Racing and Art Grand Prix in the series, with each of the five teams involved will fielding three cars. The inaugural season will see the teams race in seven rounds, each consisting of three races.
Prema is said to be relishing the new challenge and is excited for the opening event.
Rene Rosin, the Team Principal of Prema looks forward to the new series;
“We are proud to take part in this new project. Driver development has always been our vocation and we cannot wait to work with new and highly-motivated drivers. It’s particularly exciting to see drivers work hard, improve and achieve outstanding results. In addition, we have a considerable history supporting the efforts towards women drivers and hopefully, in a short time, we will be celebrating another success story.”