Formulation E organisers have formally confirmed that an all-female pre-season take a look at will happen subsequent month forward of the 2024/25 season.
Pre-season testing for the all-electric championship will get underway on the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia between 4-7 November for all 11 groups and 22 full-time registered drivers, which would be the solely official working earlier than the season begins in Sao Paulo on 7 December.
Whereas working will happen throughout 4 days, the afternoon session on Thursday, 7 November, shall be solely for feminine drivers with groups required to run at the least one driver, however inspired to area two within the newest Gen3 Evo vehicles.
A female-only take a look at was beforehand held in Diriyah in 2018 and though groups have but to formally announce which feminine drivers shall be taking part on this take a look at, a number of squads have already got hyperlinks to girls drivers.
This contains three-time W Sequence champion and Indy NXT driver Jamie Chadwick, who races with Andretti and examined one of many American crew’s IndyCars earlier this week.
The 26-year-old Briton was additionally given the chance by Formulation E to drive the Gen3 Evo automobile final season in Portland between official classes.
Earlier within the yr, inaugural F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia took half within the official Berlin rookie take a look at with ERT, as did Alice Powell in her function with Envision.
Marta Garcia, ERT Formulation E Crew
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photographs
In the course of the 10-year interval since Formulation E was based, solely three feminine drivers have ever competed in any races, all within the Gen1 period.
Katherine Legge made two begins with Amlin Aguri in 2014, ending neither within the factors, as did Michela Cerruti with the Trulli Crew throughout the identical interval, whereas Simona de Silvestro made 12 begins for Andretti, registering a finest end of ninth on two events in 2016.
Whereas all drivers will get to pattern the brand new Gen3 Evo automobile in Spain, improvement on the Gen4 machine, which shall be used from the 2026/27 season, is already underway and which it’s believed will embrace energy steering – a system missing in F2 and F3 vehicles that has been broadly acknowledged as a barrier for feminine drivers.
Jeff Dodds, Formulation E CEO, mentioned: “We all know there isn’t a easy answer for better range in motorsport. If we’re going to really give girls equality, alternative and visibility in our sequence, nevertheless, circumstances for all must be the identical to assist their improvement and take a look at themselves in opposition to these already on the beginning grid.
“Not like different sequence the place girls drivers have to make use of previous or restricted equipment, they’ll be utilizing the state-of-the-art Gen3 Evo automobile that accelerates 30% quicker than an F1 automobile, simply as our championship drivers do.
“We additionally recognise that one take a look at won’t resolve the longstanding problem, however we’ve to start out someplace, understanding there’s a lengthy approach to go and ensuring we’re making proactive, constant steps that proceed to make ahead progress.
“As a motorsport with an almost-equal cut up of female and male followers, as nicely inside Formulation E together with my Exec and Director groups, we imagine it’s solely proper that our drivers and wider ecosystem is consultant of people who comply with and assist the game.”