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Premiering May 28, 2025, F1: The Academy is a seven-part Netflix docuseries offering an inside look at the all-female F1 Academy racing series. Executive produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, the show follows the 2024 season, capturing the competitive journeys of 16 to 25-year-old drivers navigating one of the most physically and financially demanding sports in the world.
At the center of the series is Susie Wolff, former professional driver and the current managing director of F1 Academy, who works to increase female participation in motorsport with support from all ten F1 teams.
The series features 18 identical cars across six teams, and profiles standout drivers like Abbi Pulling, who secured the 2024 championship title after overcoming major financial setbacks. According to Formula 1's official announcement dated May 3, 2024, the docuseries is part of a broader effort to expand women’s roles in racing and make the sport more accessible.
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As F1: The Academy unfolds, it highlights the real-life pressures, training, and ambitions behind the high-speed performances fans rarely see.
F1: The Academy helps young women advance in motorsport, aiming to move from F4 to F1
Netflix’s latest sports docuseries, F1: The Academy, set to premiere on May 28, 2025, chronicles the journey of young female drivers aiming to climb the ranks in motorsport. Created by Formula One and launched in 2023, the F1 Academy is structured to support progression from Formula 4 to Formula 3, with the ultimate ambition of preparing women for entry into Formula 1.
The seven-episode series offers viewers behind-the-scenes access to the 2024 season, documenting key moments both on and off the track.
The project is executive produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and follows drivers aged 16 to 25 competing in identical F4-spec vehicles across international tracks like Miami, Zandvoort, and Singapore.
At the forefront of the series is Susie Wolff, managing director of F1 Academy and the last woman to participate in an F1 weekend. Wolff leads the initiative with the backing of all 10 F1 teams, each of which sponsors a driver in the series.
In a TODAY.com interview, dated March 21, 2025, Wolff stated,
“It has always been a man’s world, but we’re breaking that down now,...We’re showing young women (that) we’re creating role models, we’re inspiring the next generation, it’s no longer a man’s world.”
This mission is reinforced through F1: The Academy, which captures the professional milestones and personal obstacles faced by drivers, most notably Abbi Pulling.
Pulling, who secured the 2024 F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship title in Qatar, overcame financial difficulties that forced her to exit British F4 in 2021. Her win earned her a fully funded seat in the GB3 Championship, a key step toward her F1 dream. She told TODAY.com,
“I really took in that (last) lap and really appreciated what I’ve had to overcome,”.
Despite placing second in the final race, her point total guaranteed her the title.
Inside the structure and stakes of F1: The Academy
Each season of the F1 Academy consists of 18 cars across six teams, with drivers competing in qualifying sessions and two races per round. This uniform structure ensures that driver skill, not machinery, determines outcomes.
Pulling revealed during filming that she might not have continued racing beyond 2024 had she not won, citing the high financial demands of the sport. Even karting, often an entry point into single-seaters, can cost over £70,000 annually.
The showrunner, Lisa Keane, and producers at Hello Sunshine chose not to script the series. Instead, as Sara Rea of Hello Sunshine told TODAY.com,
“We really are following the drivers’ journey so what’s pivotal presents itself to us… highs and lows and everything in between.”
The goal is to present racing life in its full scope—from gym training and simulator prep to media pressure and mental toll.
The broader impact of F1: The Academy
Beyond documenting racing, F1: The Academy addresses systemic challenges. Wolff points out that although 42% of F1 fans are women, the participation rate among female drivers has historically remained below 5%.
As Formula1.com reported on May 3, 2024, Wolff’s goal is to use the series to be the rocket fuel that drives female participation in our sport, both on and off the track.
The docuseries also touches on gendered assumptions in motorsport. Wolff challenges the notion that women are not physically suited to F1, noting that the physical requirements of current F1 drivers range widely. She has called for the introduction of power steering in F2 and F3 to improve accessibility.
The success of F1: The Academy on Netflix is expected to parallel the influence of Drive to Survive. As Wolff said in TODAY.com,
“We want our docuseries to be just as powerful… to show the individuality of our drivers.”
Pulling echoed this, noting that she let cameras into her personal space because it was “super necessary”, adding,
"I knew it was so important for people watching to see what goes on behind the scenes and how intense it can be"
Ultimately, F1: The Academy is more than a docuseries. It functions as an outreach tool, aiming to normalise women's presence in motorsport while spotlighting the barriers still in place. Through real stories and strategic visibility, the series contributes to reshaping the pipeline toward Formula 1 for future generations.
Stay tuned for more updates.
