Written by Aimee Palmer, Edited by Vyas Ponurri
Current W Series drivers Abbi Pulling, Chloe Chambers, and Tereza Babickova will take part in a Formula 3 test on September 16th-17th at Magny-Cours, along with Formula Regional and Formula 4 driver Hamda Al Qubaisi.
This is a massive opportunity for these women in the field of motorsport, and has only happened once prior, for female drivers. This women specific FIA Formula 3 car test will allow these women to gain more experience driving these advanced cars, and hopefully pave the way for them to come through feeder series such as FIA Formula 3 or even Formula 2, and finally have a shot at a Formula 1 seat in the years to come.
To introduce these women to the different car set-ups and to the series in general, two cars will be on track per day, and each driver will be testing for a full day. This will enable them to have a better understanding of these cars and showcase their talents too. On day one, it is said that Abbi Pulling and Hamda Al Qubaisi will take to the track, and then the other drivers, Chloe Chambers and Tereza Babickova will do so on the following day.
There is no doubt that these women are excited for this opportunity, and will use this as a chance to learn and develop new skills, and come to know of the demands to become an Formula 3 driver. It is clear that the talk of diversity in the motorsport industry is being taken seriously, with the FIA Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel stating, “it’s very important to us to ensure that more and more female drivers join our championship.”
Abbi Pulling stated “I’m looking forward to the challenge and trust that I will get the support I need from the team to adapt and learn as much as possible.” This shows her ambitions to work hard and learn more about the Formula 3 car.
Additionally, Hamda Al Qubaisi highlighted the importance of this for female drivers by saying “it’s a very strong message in acknowledging female drivers and I would personally like to thank Bruno Michel for the opportunity.”
Tereza Babickova aims to take full grip of this opportunity and stated, “my goal is to step up to F3 in the future, so expect this test to show me what my real abilities are today and what I need to work on in order to be ready.”
Moreover, Chloe Chambers' excitement for this test is clear when she states, “it’s something that I’ve looked forward to for a long time and I’m so grateful to have it.
I see this test as a great learning opportunity to gain experience in the F3 car at a new track with new people that I can learn from. I expect to gain invaluable experience and a greater understanding of where I need to further develop my skills.”
The F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali also supports diversity and more women competing and driving in these advanced cars as he stated, “Providing more opportunities for women drivers across single seater racing is a key priority for all of us at Formula 1 and across the whole sport.”
Hopefully these women will take this test in their stride, and not only learn more and develop their amazing driving abilities, but also have a better understanding of the Formula 3 series, so as to follow their dreams of moving into these series in the future.