Formula 3 driver Sophia Floersch says F1 Academy is being used as “pinkwashing”, a term which indicates being superficially sympathetic towards equality or inclusion without seriously attempting to improve the situation.

The claim comes after inaugural champion Marta Garcia conceded that last weekend’s Formula Regional European event in Monza was “probably my last race in a single-seater”.

Garcia had been competing for the Iron Dames team and completed the campaign as the lowest-placed driver to have started all 20 races – failing to score a point and recording a best finish of 14th.

Reacting to Garcia’s news on social media, Floersch, who has long been a critic of all-female categories such as the F1 Academy and W Series before it, said: “I’m so sorry for you, Marta.

“It looks like they used you [in] 2023 for short-time marketing. With female drivers, [that] visibility doesn’t help to keep up with the stopwatch. That’s not a secret. Visibility just helps F1 but not female pilots.”

As part of the prize for claiming the F1 Academy title, Garcia’s FRECA seat for 2024 was fully funded, with this cost being split between F1 Academy, Prema, Tatuus and Pirelli.

Marta Garcia, F1 Academy champion

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images

She was partnered in the Iron Dames set up by Doriane Pin, who currently sits second in the F1 Academy standings but equally failed to register a point in FRECA.

“Have you found one sponsor, Marta?” added Floersch, who is set to compete for Nissan at Formula E’s all-female test in November. “They then drive you onto the sideline.

“What happened in 2024 was so bad. They point the finger at you even though they know exactly what it takes. The male talents of the team bosses show how it’s done.

“Where are all the women’s programmes that were announced in 2021/2022? Why media doesn’t ask the right questions? It’s so sad. Pinkwashing. Let’s make a list of female drivers since 2021 and ask them what happens in racing.”

Motorsport.com has reached out to Formula 1 for comment.

The Le Mans 24 Hours organiser the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has announced a series of changes to improve the fan experience at its event in 2025.

This has been done “in response to the growing popularity” of the World Endurance Championship’s blue-riband round having acted on “precious feedback from loyal fans”, according to the ACO.

The race organisers have added new track viewing areas, grandstands, fan parks and screens at three key parts of Circuit de la Sarthe where Ferrari will arrive having won Le Mans for the previous two years.

A popular location to have watched the Prancing Horse take those victories would have been the Porsche Curves, which are fast, sweeping corners in the latter part of the 8.467-mile circuit.

Previously fans have watched the action on the outside of the sequence, but from 2025 spectators can now view the racing from a new grass bank on the inside of the track.

It will provide views of the cars as they exit the corners and can fit several thousands of fans located at the Circuit Alain Prost with no extra ticket needed for access.

Start action

Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo

Other new facilities in that area include a fan zone which holds a big screen to watch the historic race, as well as bathrooms and places to eat and drink with it all accessible via the Karting, CIK and Maison Blanche gates.

Maison Blanche is another area that provides a stunning view of the Porsche Curves, so the ACO has built new grandstands plus a big screen there – though this area will require a separate ticket.

Changes are also being made at the start of the lap, as Tertre Rouge will feature a new fan zone that can hold over 10,000 spectators at Turn 7.

The “Chill Zone”, as it is officially called, is replacing the popular Tertre Rouge camping area where members of that site have been offered alternative pitches. No additional ticket or upgrade is required for the fan zone, which will feature places to eat and drink plus a big screen for the race.

The 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours is due to take place on the 14-15 June with general sale tickets available from Wednesday 13 November.

Max Verstappen was not much interested in talking after Formula 1’s Mexico Grand Prix about the controversy over his double penalty because it was nowhere near his biggest worry.

In fact, it was not lost on him that, while his 20-second punishment robbed him of a chance to fight for a podium, he knew that his Red Bull was unlikely to be up there even without the sanction.

While he had managed to qualify on the front row, and even lead early on, Verstappen quickly found out that the ultimate pace was not there – especially on the medium and hard compounds.

“The problem is that we are too slow, and that’s why I’m being put in those kinds of positions,” he said of the controversial battle with Lando Norris. “That is my problem.”

That Verstappen ended up sixth, 59.558 seconds behind race winner Carlos Sainz, did owe a lot to his punishment.

But if you dig a bit deeper into the data of his performance – and pull out the influence of time lost in the pits – then the situation is not actually any better. In fact, in pure data terms, it could be argued that Mexico was Red Bull’s worst race of the season so far.

One of the best ways to properly evaluate the speed of cars is to look at their race pace, and see how it stacks up against the opposition.

Using data that has been helpfully collated by website f1pace.com, we can pull out some key information to show us how Verstappen’s pace stacks up against the opposition across the season so far.

These are based on pure racing laps run at speed, so the first lap is not counted and neither are those when drivers are either coming into the pits or leaving the pits. Laps completed under the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car are also discounted.

Going through the season, we can show how Verstappen’s race pace stacked up compared to the fastest non-Red Bull rival.

* Engine grid penalty meant he started 11th

Based on the above information, this data can then be turned into a percentage figure to give us a baseline of Red Bull’s relative race pace over the course of the campaign – with Australia removed because Verstappen was a DNF.

As the below graph shows, Verstappen’s season has been going in the wrong direction.

The data clearly shows two-step changes over the season. From its dominant start, Red Bull fell back to going toe-to-toe with McLaren in Miami, and since the British Grand Prix, the trend seems to be of it dropping further backwards.

And while the Mexico figure of 0.73% adrift is in numerical terms the worst of the season, it is very similar to what the team delivered in Monza – which suggested that when there is no downforce at play, the RB20’s weaknesses get exposed a lot more.

Cynics at other teams would have loved Red Bull’s race pace to have fallen away dramatically since the Singapore GP weekend, when rivals became alerted to its front bib adjuster – which some suggested may have been used to help adjust its ride height between qualifying and the race and better balance pace across both sessions.

But the data does not seem to back that up and suggests that Red Bull’s form has just steadily drifted backwards as other squads have made gains.

The issue in Mexico appears to be more tyre-related than anything else – with the Red Bull just not getting the hardest of the compounds into the right operating window.

As Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “On the hard tyre, we just didn’t have the same pace. Max had no grip, we didn’t feel we could switch the tyres on.

“So that’s the biggest challenge in the next four days, to understand what caused that.

“Obviously, Brazil is a very different challenge to this circuit, but it’s a pattern that particularly at the end of stints, you see the McLaren is very strong – particularly at the end of grands prix.”

With a 47-point gap between Verstappen and main title rival Lando Norris, plus Ferrari in resurgent form, Red Bull knows that it needs to quickly turn a corner in its form.

And, while Mexico has triggered some worries, it will hope that some venues coming up that play to the high-speed aero efficiency Red Bull strengths that were shown in Belgium will perhaps help it get across the line.

As Helmut Marko told ORF: “We can’t afford another race like this.

“We have to find speed – and it’s no secret that we’re currently losing out to the competition, especially Ferrari and McLaren, in the slow corners.

“But we have two tracks, Qatar and Las Vegas, where things should be better again. And if we have the normal set-up times, then we’re not as far away from the leaders as we were this time.”

When developing a new electric powertrain for Formula E, multiple objectives must be balanced and prioritised. Power, efficiency and controllability are all crucial for manufacturers, and compromise is inevitable when determining the best overall package. A highly efficient powertrain is of little use if it cannot reach maximum power quickly enough, has too much inertia, or lacks the necessary software controls for energy management.

Each of these core elements also involves additional considerations, highlighting the extensive work required to bring a project from concept to the track. Since Formula E began a decade ago, and powertrain development was opened up in season two, several aspects of the design and development process have matured hugely. We now have more knowledge and better tools than we did back then.

Proof of this can be seen in the inverters, which convert DC current from the battery into AC current for the motor. The inverters are now over 99% efficient, and the electric motors we use are more than 98% efficient. This high level of development can largely be attributed to improvements in motor construction, electronics precision and speed, and advances in materials science, resulting in increased hardware capacity.

When Formula E first began with a standard powertrain capable of 150kW in race mode, we used a five-speed gearbox as we couldn’t achieve maximum power early enough. My team, Abt Sportsline, reduced this to three gears in season two, two gears in season three, and eventually one gear in season four.

Eliminating multiple gears was a major breakthrough in the Gen1 era as gear shifts result in time loss and hurt efficiency. Now, every team uses a single gear, which requires specific treatments for the gear teeth. These teeth are made wide and shallow to reduce friction, which improves efficiency and allows the cars to accelerate seamlessly from 0-300km/h.

In the first season of Formula E, teams used five-speed Hewland gearboxes, but when powertrain development was opened up the focus turned to eliminating multiple gears

Photo by: Mark Sutton

Arguably the biggest difference between past and present development lies in advances in software calculations and predictive engineering. These impressive advancements allow for more precise simulations of reality, streamlining the development process and enabling faster innovation. Instead of producing several powertrain iterations and testing them physically to find the best solution, much of the optimisation can now be done virtually before parts are manufactured.

So, what are the main criteria we look for in a Formula E powertrain? First, it’s essential to achieve maximum power across all revs as early as possible. We are limited to 350kW, so the motor must operate at its peak without exceeding that limit, which would result in a penalty. Power control is challenging, particularly when the motor, gearbox and driveshaft oscillate over kerbs or bumps.

A throttle map that delivers torque smoothly is a key area where the driver can influence development. I focus on how the motor behaves under braking, how its positioning affects the car’s balance, and optimising software controls, like how the motor responds to regenerative braking.

A larger motor with thicker copper wiring typically has less resistance. However, a larger motor also means more mass and weight

Incremental gains in efficiency are a continuous area of focus. We’re always looking for an extra 0.1% or 0.2%. The important thing is achieving efficiency across the entire package, not just in the motor and inverter.

In addition to high peak efficiency, we aim for high average efficiency, which requires a large motor. A larger motor with thicker copper wiring typically has less resistance. However, a larger motor also means more mass and weight, so other factors must also be considered. Lightness has clear benefits for efficiency, and low inertia is also critical.

Striking the right balance is a complex task that always requires compromises, but the advances made over the past 10 years have been truly remarkable.

Di Grassi is now a key cog in the development of new Lola/Yamaha Formula E powertrain that will be used by Abt next season

Photo by: Lola

The double penalty that Max Verstappen was hit with in F1’s Mexico Grand Prix will change the way that all drivers race from now on, reckons Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Verstappen was handed two 10-second penalties in Mexico – the first for forcing Lando Norris wide early in the race, and the second for overtaking him off the track just a few corners later.

The incidents, and the stewards’ hardline stance, came just one week after controversy over Norris being handed a five-second penalty for overtaking off track at the United States Grand Prix after a clash with Verstappen there.

Verstappen’s aggressive defending in Austin, and his obsession with making sure he gets to the apex first at all costs because that is what the rules put an onus on, has triggered a push for a revamp of F1’s Driving Standards Guidelines.

But while that will not come until the Qatar Grand Prix, the way that Verstappen did not get away with such tactics this time out will be a game changer in stopping it becoming a common approach, reckons Wolff.

Having been on the receiving end of seeing Verstappen’s aggression up close during Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 title battle, Wolff senses that the Mexico decision could lead to a change in behaviour.

“A driver will always push to the limit and when the rules – or the interpretation of the rules – allow a certain way of racing, a driver like Max is always going to exploit it,” said Wolff.

“I think now there has been a new interpretation and execution of those regulations that I think will change the way everybody races in the future. You won’t see that anymore.”

Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Wolff thinks that laying down the law in demanding drivers do leave room for rivals on the outside is critical to helping deliver good racing.

“I always say that the drivers know exactly what’s happening,” he said. “You know when somebody is releasing the brake too late and just drags you into the corner, and pushes you wide.

“From the early days in go-karts, you know that you’re not going to survive on the outside if you’re not ahead. So I think the rules are pretty clear, and the drivers know that.

“Everybody’s trying to push that and, if you get away with things, that is the new limit. So will it change? Absolutely.

“I think now there is precedent, and I think there were others taking penalties in race too.

“From now on, you’ve got to leave space on the outside of the corner if the car is next to you. Braking late and dragging the other car out of the track whilst also driving off track – I think that’s not on anymore. That’s not allowed and I think it’s good for racing.”

But while Wolff thinks that the situation for battling is now improved, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has a different view of things.

He fears there is a risk now of the latest rulings meaning drivers will try to hold on too long around the outside.

“It used to be a reward of the bravest to go around the outside,” he said. “I think we’re in danger of flipping the overtaking laws upside down, where drivers will just try to get their nose ahead at the apex, and then claim that they have to be given room on the exit.

“You can see quite clearly, he [Norris] has effectively come off the brakes, gone in super, super late, to try and win that argument, as far as the way these regulations are written, and then at that point, you’re penalised.

“Every indoor karting circuit around the world, if you got the inside line, you control the corner. It’s one of the principles in the physics of racing.

“And I think that they just need to get back to the basics. That if you’re on the outside, you don’t have priority.

“Otherwise, we will end up with a mess over these last five races. So I think it’s really important that the driver steward, together with the drivers, agree something that is sensible, rather than what we’re getting.”

Three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick and Ferrari driver Lilou Wadoux will complete November’s all-female Formula E pre-season test in Valencia.

Chadwick, who competed in Indy NXT this season and became the first female driver to win on a road or street circuit in the history of the category, has previous Formula E experience, having driven in the two tests for NIO during season five.

Currently attempting to secure an IndyCar seat, Chadwick will also take part in the rookie test in Berlin later next year, again featuring in Jaguar colours.

“I’m very excited to be back working with Jaguar TCS Racing – a team that have seen so much success recently – and to be back in the world of electric racing,” said Chadwick, who raced for Veloce in the 2021 Extreme E season.

“Formula E is such an exciting, future-facing championship and I’m really looking forward to testing out the Jaguar I-TYPE 7.

“It will be a great opportunity to grow my relationship with the team, meet many other talented drivers and get to experience the mind-blowing technology in these cars.”

Partnering Chadwick is Wadoux, who brings a wealth of sportscar and GT experience. Most recently, the 23-year-old has featured in the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s LMP2 category and in Super GT, but her racing CV includes two appearances at the Le Mans 24 Hours – in LMP2 and LMGTE Am.

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Lilou Wadoux

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

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In 2023, she made history by becoming Ferrari’s first female factory driver, and then became the first female winner in any WEC class, topping the podium in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

“This will be my first time in a Formula E car and I can’t wait for the experience,” said Wadoux.

“This test is an amazing opportunity for me to get involved in the sport, one that is so well known for inspiring the next generation, and to get women more involved in motorsports.”

Of the pairing, team principal James Barclay added: “I have no doubt that we have two of the best drivers joining us.

“The test provides an important opportunity to showcase this highly talented group of women drivers in the pinnacle of electric racing. We’re looking forward to building on our relationship with Jamie after witnessing her amazing success in W Series and recently in Indy NXT.

“Lilou has gone from strength to strength with some impressive results in WEC, IMSA and other series, so I’m really excited to work with her for the first time and see her excel in Formula E with all of us here at Jaguar TCS Racing.”

The news leaves only Abt, Kiro Race Co and Mahindra without a confirmed pairing for the test.