International Women's Day: Five talents who may be F1's next female driver

F1 has seen just five female drivers in its 75-year history and it has been nearly 50 years since a woman has taken part in a grand prix.

The last woman to compete in an F1 grand prix was Lella Lombardi in 1976 but there are growing hopes that a female driver can make it to the top in this male-dominated sport.

F1 Academy, which launched in 2023, hopes to break down the barriers for women getting into the sport by providing a clear pathway for female drivers to progress up the motorsport ladder with the aim of one day reaching F1.

21-year-old Abbi Pulling dominated last season’s F1 Academy championship and has secured an all-paid season in the British GB3 series for the upcoming 2025 campaign. Pulling also became first woman to win a race in British F4 at Brands Hatch last May.

Asked when she thinks F1 will see a woman on the grid, Pulling recently told The Sun: "I don't think it's something you can put a number on, I don't think we should.

"We should let it happen and whoever gets there if it's not me, make sure it isn't for a box-ticking exercise it's because they deserve it.

“Allow a woman to have the space to keep performing. The media will take over so she needs the right people around her so that doesn't get in the way.

"I'd like to think it will be me but I've still got ways to go. I'm focused on this year and have done a good enough job to get racing in 2026. I’ve got to take it year by year.”

Looking to follow in Pulling’s footsteps, here are five of the most exciting female talents to keep an eye on in 2025…

Doriane Pin

Doriane Pin finished runner-up to Pulling in F1 Academy in 2024 and heads into the new campaign as one of the red-hot favourites for the championship, along with the likes of Maya Weug, who finished third last term.

The 21-year-old Frenchwomen has already made a strong impression in the series but knows 2025 will mark her second and final year in the F1 Academy, meaning she has to make it count.

A three-time winner last season, Pin, who has Mercedes backing, will be looking to go one better in 2025 and bow out of the series as a champion. Pin will also contest the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) with Prema.

Chloe Chambers

Heading into her second F1 Academy season with Campos Racing, Chloe Chambers will be looking to cement herself as a championship contender after finishing sixth last year.

Now representing Red Bull, the 20-year-old China-born American aims to build on her four podium appearances she achieved in 2024, including an impressive breakthrough victory in Barcelona.

Much like Pin, Chambers is entering her second and final year in the series and will be expected to be a regular at the sharp end of the field as she looks to progress up the European Formula ranks. 

Alisha Palmowski

Fresh from scoring a fifth place as a wild card entry in Qatar, Alisha Palmowski is returning to F1 Academy on a full-time basis in 2025.

Not short of confidence, Palmowski has already set herself the goal of winning the title in her first F1 Academy season. Selected as a BRDC Rising Star for 2024, the 18-year-old Briton secured three wins, two pole positions and 11 podiums on her way to finishing second in the GB4 championship.

Palmowski joins the Red Bull Racing Pepe Jeans Academy Programme with Campos Racing, where she will team up the aforementioned Chambers. She will be one to watch in 2025.

Alba Hurup Larsen

One of the most exciting talents on the 2025 F1 Academy grid is Alba Hurup Larsen, who has become something of a motorsports sensation.

Despite being a late arrival to competitive racing, only making her single-seater debut in 2024, Larsen made an instant impression in Indian F4 and the recent 2025 Formula Winter Series.

Larsen has been mentored by fellow Dane and former Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen. At just 16 years old, she will be one of the youngest drivers on the grid as she represents Tommy Hilfiger with MP Motorsport.

Luna Fluxa

Yet to announce her 2025 racing plans, 14-year-old Luna Fluxa Cross is already being touted as a star of the future, having become the first female winner of an FIA international championship since 1966 by claiming the OK-N Senior title by 125 points.

The Spaniard already caught the attention of Mercedes, who added her to their junior programme in 2022. Luna won received the Rising Star Award from F1 Academy at the Autosport Awards. She is expected to compete in the FIA Karting World and European Championships in 2025.

"Luna is an incredibly exciting karting talent,” Mercedes driver development advisor Gwen Lagrue notes.