Each year we see rookies making their F3 debuts, coming up from all different series and background. The one rookie we don’t see is a female, with the only female driver in F3 history being Sophia Flörsch.
Speaking to media outlets in a Press Conference, including Pit Debrief, the F3 Team Managers from Trident, Van Amersfoort Racing, and Rodin Motorsport commented on their process of driver selection. They followed on to comment on the potential barriers for females.
Trident’s talent scouting
Trident’s Team Manager, Giacomo Ricci, commented on the current state of scouting for F3 drivers in Trident. His list consists largely of names he could not mention, though one he could mention was Matteo De Palo.
Trident driver in FRECA, De Palo, currently sits in P2 in the Championship standings, making him a clear option. Other than De Palo, the team’s line of sight remains on drivers prepared to repeat F3, or drivers in GB3.
“Well, regarding Trident, I don’t want to tell you the most of the names but I can mention one that is already in our family and of course this one is the Palo. He’s currently racing with us in the regional and he’s doing a great job. He’s currently second in the driver’s team standing and that’s for us, it would be nice to promote him, of course inside in the same family.
“And then apart from him, driver coming from maybe staying from Formula 3 one more year, the driver who are willing to repeat the series or again a driver coming from the regional or GB3 series or this kind of championship.”
Van Amersfoort Racing has similar strategy to Trident
Brad Joyce, Van Amersfoort Racing’s Team Manger, acknowledge that their process is much the same as Trident. Van Amersfoort Racing look firstly at their teams in other series’, like FRECA. The Van Amersfoort Racing FRECA team is currently performing well, preparing great drivers for an F3 Campaign.
Following their search within their current drivers, Van Amersfoort Racing will then look into other feeder series. This time of year is the key point for identifying current and potential talent. With Championships reaching the pointy end, teams can identify talent performing the best.
“Yeah, so we’ve been quite happy with our FRECA team, so yeah, that’s a natural area to look at, and then you keep an eye on all the different feeder series and identify any talent you can and progress from there really.
“At this time of the year as well, you’re really identifying a pool of people that you would look to try and recruit from.”
Rodin adds an extra step in their search
Much like Trident and Van Amersfoort Racing, Rodin Motorsport also scouts the feeder series categories like GB3 or FRECA. Although, they also take a further step – a largely beneficial and important one. Rodin Motorsport is one of six teams, that support F1 Academy, by hosting a team of drivers in the category.
Abbi Pulling is undeniably one of Rodin Motorsport’s most prominent signings, winning the 2024 F1 Academy season, continuing to GB3. This has added an extra, and more clearly specified step for the team, with looking at F1 Academy.
As well as Abbi Pulling, Sam Waple, their F3 Team Manager, also brought up the team’s close links with McLaren. With each F1 team backing a driver in F1 Academy, McLaren is backing British driver, Ella Lloyd. She is another female being looked at by Rodin Motorsport.
The main consideration for Waple and his team, is the readiness of the potential driver. The do not strive to take a driver out of their comfort zone, or promote them too early. The best chance for Abbi Pulling in Formula 3, will most likely come in the 2026 or 2027 season.
“With drivers coming through and, you know, looking for F3 seats, we always look at all of the feeder series that are coming through. Certainly within Rodin we have our GB3 team and obviously our F1 Academy team that we look closely at and use as a benchmark to what we might bring up into the series in future.
“Obviously Abbi Pulling is one of ours now. She’s supported by Rodin and if she does well enough in her series that she’s in now, then absolutely she’ll be looked at as someone that we could give a shot in F3.
“And looking at the series this year, obviously we’ve got close links with McLaren, with Ella Lloyd and almost everyone in the series and they’re absolutely considered. And we have our test teams and, you know, different sort of tools that we can use to evaluate and make sure that they’re ready.
“The most important thing is that we don’t want to take someone out of their, what their comfort zone is, whether they’re male or female and put them into a series that they’re not going to perform in. But absolutely considered and Abbi’s the best shot at looking at an F3 seat for either [2026] or [2027] really.”
Barriers keeping females from F3
Only a single female driver has reached and competed in F3 in the series’ history. This leaves the question of what is holding them back? The three Team Managers deliberated and gave their perspectives on the topic.
Ricci acknowledge that there is no simple answer to the question, rather one made up of many aspects. Although he can’t pick what the barriers are, he hopes to see a female in the series soon.
“Well, this one, again, is not an easy one because it’s a combination of different aspects. And generally speaking, I really hope that soon there will be a female in the series that she will be able to compete at the front. That’s my answer.”
Waple’s hot take
Rodin’s Waple provided a thorough response, challenging the question as a whole. Waple reflected on the positive aspects that F1 Academy brings, while also commenting on the drastic difference in physical demand. With that being said, with incredible strength, as well as testing opportunities, Waple believes there should be no barrier.
He acknowledges the strength of Abbi Pulling and the dedication to her training, praising her abilities.
“I don’t believe there are many boundaries now stopping them, I do think that the initiative we obviously have with F1 Academy has been fantastic. I still think there’s obviously a physical demand, but that doesn’t change from any driver coming from F4 all the way to F2.”
Waple continues to say, “I think that they need to be the strongest type of female, I’ve got to say, Abbi is incredibly strong, much stronger than I am, and I think that as long as they are training hard, I don’t see a barrier.
“I do think that as long as they have the testing, have the backing that all the other drivers have, then there’s nothing stopping that now.”
Joyce remained largely in agreement with Waple, that there should not be barriers for women anymore. Proof of determination and strength, should be enough to have success in F3.
“Yeah, I agree with Sam there, really. There shouldn’t be any barriers now. If they’re determined and they put the work in, I don’t see why they couldn’t be successful in Formula 3.”
