W Series race winner Garcia completes F1 Academy grid by joining Prema · RaceFans

The 15-car grid for the new F1 Academy series is complete as W Series race-winner Marta Garcia has joined Prema.

Launched by Formula 1 and run jointly by Formula 2 promoter Bruno Michel and former Formula E team principal Susie Wolff, the Formula 4-spec series caters exclusively to women. It has been created following the demise of another women-only championship, W Series.

Garcia spent one-and-a-half seasons in Spanish F4 at the start of her car racing career, when she was a Renault F1 junior. Over three campaigns in the Formula Regional-spec W Series she claimed two pole positions, a race win and three other podiums.

She is the third signing for Prema, one of the five teams that will enter cars in F1 Academy.

“I’m super happy to be racing for Prema in F1 Academy,” said Garcia. “I think this is a great opportunity for me to show what I am capable of and it’s great to do it with Prema, which is one of the best operations in motorsport. I’m looking forward to working with them and putting their colours at the front in this new series.”

Eight of the 15 drivers in F1 Academy will be stepping down from, or already have experience in, Formula Regional. Five are already racing in F4 and one will switch across from GT racing. Only one driver, Garcia’s team-mate Chloe Chong, arrives with no single-seater racing experience.

“We are looking forward to racing together with Garcia as she had some impressive showings in the past,” Prema’s team principal Rene Rosin said. “We think she can be a leading competitor in the F1 Academy field so to join forces was really natural. She also has a good amount of experience which is a bonus asset for the whole team.”

The opening round of the F1 Academy championship takes place at the Red Bull Ring on April 28th and 29th.

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