Formula E’s women’s dedicated session test is in three days. This test will mark a historic day in the motorsport world!
A few weeks ago, Formula E announced the first all-women test session for any FIA category, with the event in Madrid on 8th November. The drivers involved will try for the Gen3 Evo cars for the first time, which will be used during Season 11.
The teams are required to select at least one female driver for the test, with Formula E encouraging them to choose two women. The session will be half a day long, and it will take place at the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid. The testing was to be hosted at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia but after the recent floodings that hit the area, FE changed the location.
The female drivers involved will also participate in the media activities planned by FE, such as press conferences, interviews, and social media content creation. The championship wants to send an inclusive message and involve more women in the paddock. A Girls on Track event is also planned during the test, with 400 local young women expected to be at the circuit.
The teams’ choices
After the announcement, the FE teams started to select the drivers to bring on track during the test. The first team to announce its lineup was Andretti, who chose Chloe Chambers and Nerea Marti. They both race in F1 Academy with Campos, with Chambers sponsored by Haas.
McLaren selected Ella Lloyd and Bianca Bustamante, both involved in F1 Academy. Lloyd races with Rodin and, starting from next year, will represent the Woking team in the category. She signed with the McLaren Driver Development program. Bustamante races for Art GP and is part of the McLaren Young program.
Envision chose Alisha Palmowski and Alice Powell. Palmowski finished second in the GB4 championship this year, while Powell is the team’s development driver. Maserati selected Tatiana Calderon, an IMSA driver, and Carrie Schreiner, an F1 Academy Campos driver who races with Stake.
Marta Garcia and Gabriela Jilkova will drive for Porsche. Garcia, the F1 Academy champion in 2023, competed in this year’s Formula Regional European Championship under Iron Dames, while Jilkova is Porsche’s development driver.
Abbi Pulling and Sophia Floersch are the drivers chosen by Nissan. The first one is the current leader of the F1 Academy drivers’ championship and a member of the Alpine Academy. Floersch, who races in F3, is also part of the Alpine program.
DS Penske announced Beitske Visser and Jess Edgar as the lineup for the test. Visser is an experienced driver and has finished W Series 2022 in second place. Edgar is racing in F1 Academy with Rodin. Jaguar presented two important names for the testing session: Jamie Chadwick and Lilou Wadoux. The first one, the W Series champion, races in Indy NXT. Wadoux is an AFCorse driver in Imsa Lmp2.
Teams that selected one driver
There are some teams that have selected only one driver for FE’s Women’s test.
Lola chose only one driver for the session: Miki Koyama, a Japanese racing driver in SuperGT 3000. Mahindra, like Lola, selected only one driver: Lena Buehler. She is a member of the Sauber Academy and competed in Formula Regional by Alpine in 2024. The third team that has chosen one driver is Kiro Race Co, with the new entry in the paddock selecting Simona De Silvestro. She isn’t only a driver, but also a bobsleigh pilot.
FE Women’s test: the lineups
- Andretti: Chloe Chambers & Nerea Marti
- McLaren: Ella Lloyd & Bianca Bustamante
- Envision: Alisha Palmowski & Alice Powell
- Maserati: Tatiana Calderon & Carrie Schreiner
- Porsche: Marta Garcia & Gabriela Jilkova
- Nissan: Abbi Pulling & Sophia Floersch
- DS Penske: Beitske Visser & Jess Edgar
- Lola: Miki Koyama
- Mahindra: Lena Buehler
- Race Kiro Co: Simona De Silvestro
- Jaguar: Jamie Chadwick & Lilou Wadoux
