Formula E will hold an all-female test aimed at promoting diversity and equality within motorsport, it was learnt.
The event will feature 22 female drivers at the Ricardo Tormo circuit near Valencia, Spain, using the new ‘Gen3 Evo’ cars that will be utilized in the upcoming season.
Although the drivers have not yet been announced, Formula E stated that the test will provide “a tangible platform for a wide pool of elite drivers who wouldn’t otherwise get an opportunity.”
All current teams in the Formula E championship are mandated to include at least one female driver for the half-day test in November, with an encouragement to field two.
Currently, there are no female drivers in active Formula E race seats.
In the inaugural 2014 season, three women competed in Formula E races: experienced British sports car and IndyCar driver Katherine Legge, Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro, and Italian Michela Cerruti.
The last female driver to compete in Formula 1 was Italy’s Lella Lombardi in 1976.
Frederic Lequien, CEO of the World Endurance Championship—which includes the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours—previously mentioned plans for a female competitor to participate at the highest level of the series by 2025.
Formula E, which features identical lithium-ion battery-powered open-cockpit cars, has hosted female drivers in testing before, including former W Series drivers Alice Powell and Jamie Chadwick.
Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds emphasized the complexity of achieving greater diversity in motorsport, stating, “If we’re going to truly give women equality, opportunity, and visibility in our series, however, conditions for all need to be the same to aid their development and test themselves against those already on the starting grid.”
The Formula E season is set to commence in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 7, with Pascal Wehrlein defending the title he won with Porsche.
