FIA Under Fire After F1 Academy Fails To Be Broadcasted: "Extremely Disappointing"
The Formula One community was filled with excitement when the all-female F1 Academy was announced. However, as the series got underway this weekend, the enthusiasm was quickly dampened when it became apparent that the races will not be broadcasted live. The controversial move has raised concerns that the series may not be living up to its stated intentions of providing female drivers with the best opportunities to reach their potential.
The F1 Academy series, consisting of seven rounds and 21 races, aims to raise the profile of female drivers and inspire the next generation of women to pursue their dreams in motorsport.
Despite the series' noble aspirations, the decision not to broadcast the races live has raised eyebrows and drawn criticism from within the motorsport community. Critics have pointed out the irony of a series designed to inspire girls and women around the world, but not providing a platform for them to see the action in real-time. Without live or full-race footage, some have questioned the authenticity of F1's commitment to its stated ambitions.
It is worth noting that the lack of broadcasting is not down to F1 Academy managing director, Susie Wolff.
The female motorsport community has not shied away from expressing their disappointment with the decision. Females in Motorsport took to social media to express their concern. In a tweet, they wrote:
"We're deeply disappointed that #F1Academy won't be streamed live. This series is meant to inspire girls and women around the world and provide a platform for the 15 drivers on the grid.
"So many F4 championships have live streams but an F1-owned entity won’t. How are we meant to inspire the next generation if we can’t even properly follow the action?"
Another disgruntled Twitter user responded:
"Exactly this. There’s some great live coverage of other F4 championships so it’s really disappointing that there won’t be any for F1 Academy. More coverage would also surely help participants get increased sponsorship, which many desperately need to progress."
Another F1 Academy fan posted:
"We WANT to support these women (and everyone working behind the scenes). How can we expect to change a male-dominated Motorsport space when women aren’t even getting close to the same exposure the other series receive?"
Someone else called out the FIA for falling short on their claims of increased inclusivity within motorsport, they wrote:
"It’s extremely disappointing, as they were making noises about not repeating the mistakes of the W Series. Having no viewable coverage is somehow ten times worse. It kind of shows the @fia for all its promise of improving diversity, has done nothing more than bluster."
The lack of live broadcast is also in stark contrast to W Series which secured a multi-year broadcast deal with Sky Sports. F1 Academy will only release a 15-minute round-by-round highlights programme to rights-holding broadcasters the Wednesday following a race weekend, which will also be available on F1-controlled channels. A race highlights video will also be made available across several F1 channels on a Monday following the race weekend.
It has been reported that F1 Academy aim to live broadcast the season finale which will be held at the Circuit of the Americas as a supporting race to the F1 Grand Prix. The target is to increase live coverage next season when the Academy will be on the support bill for a select number of F1 Grands Prix.
It is great that more is being done for women in motorsport and the F1 Academy is a fantastic example of that. However, failing to show any of the on-track action and broadcast it to a wider audience is a disappointing start to something so positive. More needs to be done for the inclusivity of female drivers as well as providing a larger platform for them.