Each year, a new wave of rookies arrives in FIA Formula 3, graduating from a range of junior series and backgrounds. Yet one thing has remained unchanged: the continued absence of female drivers. To date, Sophia Flörsch remains the only woman to have competed in F3.
During a recent press conference attended by outlets including Pit Debrief, Team Managers from Trident, Van Amersfoort Racing, and Rodin Motorsport outlined how they select their drivers—and shared their views on the barriers women still face in reaching the series.
Trident’s talent scouting
Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci offered insight into the team’s current scouting approach. While most names on their shortlist remain confidential, he confirmed earlier in the season that Matteo De Palo—then racing for Trident in FRECA—was a strong contender for an F3 seat.
De Palo, who sat second in the FRECA standings at the time, was a natural candidate for promotion within the Trident system. Since those comments, he has now been officially confirmed to race in FIA Formula 3 with Trident in 2026.
Beyond De Palo, Ricci noted that Trident’s focus typically falls on drivers preparing to repeat F3 or those stepping up from FRECA or GB3.
“Well, regarding Trident, I don’t want to tell you most of the names, but I can mention one that is already in our family, and of course, this one is De 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 the same family.
“And then apart from him, [a] driver coming from [or] 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 takes a similar approach
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Team Manager, Brad Joyce, explained that VAR’s strategy closely mirrors Trident’s. The first place they look is their own talent pool, including their strong FRECA lineup.
From there, they broaden their search to other feeder series—especially as championships reach their decisive final stages.
“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 layer
Rodin Motorsport follows the same foundations as Trident and VAR—scouting FRECA, GB3, and other junior categories. However, their involvement in F1 Academy adds a significant extra dimension.
As one of six teams supporting the all-female series, Rodin has a direct development pathway that includes standout drivers like Abbi Pulling, the 2024 F1 Academy champion now competing in GB3.
F3 Team Manager Sam Waple also noted Rodin’s close ties with McLaren, which supports F1 Academy driver Ella Lloyd—another female talent firmly on their radar.
“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 sorts of tools that we can use to evaluate and make sure that they’re ready.
Readiness a priority at Rodin
For Rodin, the overriding priority is readiness. Waple stressed they will not rush a driver—male or female—into F3 before they are physically and mentally prepared. Pulling’s best opportunity, he suggested, could come in 2026 or 2027.
“The most important thing is that we don’t want to take someone out of 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
Despite growing initiatives to support female drivers, only one has ever competed in FIA Formula 3. The Team Managers were asked what barriers still exist..
Ricci acknowledged that the issue cannot be boiled down to a single reason.
“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.”
Rodin’s Waple gave the most detailed response, challenging the premise that significant barriers remain.
“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.”
He praised the impact of F1 Academy and acknowledged the physical demands of progressing through the junior ladder. However, he emphasised that top female drivers—such as Pulling—are more than capable of meeting these requirements with the right support.
Waple continued, “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.”
VAR’s Joyce agreed, saying success should simply come down to commitment and performance.
“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.”
