MP Motorsport’s announcement of Hamda Al Qubaisi, Amna Al Qubaisi, and Emely du Heus – supported by Red Bull Academy programme for F1 Academy 2024 – sets new precedent for Women in Motorsport.
The initiative not only accelerates the elevation and status of F1 Academy Series driver’s who will race 7 Rounds within F1 Championship, but in doing so shoves complacency out the window on how Brand association with female driver’s can extend gender, social, cultural, and geographical reach, not seen to the present day.
There are a number of smarts about such a move by Red Bull honcho’s – namely sponsorship of all 3 women who competed in F1 Academy inaugural season in 2023 under MP Motorsport – along with the generic value of providing visual Brand awareness to women racing the single-seater Series, which will be included within the F1 Championship Media platforms.
Take the mandate one step further, under the pre-requisite that all 10 F1 Teams would support one F1 Academy driver – including livery on one car for 2024 season – Red Bull have exceeded expectations and anticipation of supporting 3 women within the same Team, not only increasing the credibility of the global Brand, but also adding lustre and important intel for all 3 women and their Team crew personal.
All of which adds up to a nice, tight unit, with Hamda, Amna, and Emely gaining once-in-a-life-time career opportunities to further develop their racing prowess on the track, under the guidance of their Team and sponsors, whose vision remains planted on accelerating driver development for Brand and Team alike.
As noted in MP Motorsport bio, their penchant for plucking talented driver’s from regional competitions, to molding their racing skills within feeder Series of F4/F3/F2, FRECA, and F1 Academy ultimately rests within previous alumni, most notably Max Verstappen.
For the trio ready to race F1 Academy Rounds, the known experience of competing within the Team set-up will aid smooth transition heading into the Opening Round in Jeddah on March 7 – 9, along with confirmed results from previous season: Hamda P3, Amna P6, and Emely P9 overall.
The unknown experience will be producing results against highly competitive field, on tracks raced in 2023 – Round 3 at Barcelona and Round 4 at Zandvoort, along with new circuits – Round 1: Jeddah, Round 2: Miami, Round 5: Marina Bay, Round 6: Losail, and Round 7: Yas Marina.
Add in the pressure to live-up-to expectations – whether self imposed or reflection of the calibre of Brand and Team profiles supporting their racing – all 3 women will undergo a metamorphosis through-out the up-coming season. Each will set the tone on how they want to pursue goals both on and off track, while at the same time operating under the radar, knowing that the next rung of the motorsport ladder, depends on what they each achieve on track this season.
Header photo: F1 Academy line-up of driver’s for MP Motorsport Image: Team Graphics: MXLink
Words: Sharon Cox.
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