R01 Red Bull Ring – F1 Academy Race Preview

PREMA Racing is set to embark on an exciting new challenge this weekend, joining the brand-new F1 Academy championship for its inaugural race at Red Bull Ring.

The series, aimed at developing and preparing young woman drivers to progress to higher levels of competition, will feature 15 cars competing in a seven-round calendar on a mix of famous racetracks, leading to the finale at Circuit Of The Americas during the US Grand Prix weekend. The cars will use the same technical platform of the major Formula 4 series featuring Tatuus-built chassis, Abarth engines and Pirelli tyres.

PREMA will rely on three highly promising drivers. Coming from the Philippines, 18-year-old Bianca Bustamante will continue to race with the team after impressing in the F4 UAE Championship, which is run with a similar technical package as F1 Academy. Spaniard Marta Garcia will be the most experienced competitor of the trio. A 22-year-old racer, she has achieved considerable success in karting and single-seaters. Chloe Chong will be the freshest face. A fast-learning 16-year-old prospect, the British-Canadian will be making her competitive single-seater debut.

The weekend at the Austrian venue, home to the Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix and a traditional destination for junior single-seaters, will feature three races that will go underway on Saturday, with practice and qualifying on Friday.

Rene Rosin – Team Principal
“This is a new chapter for our team and a challenge we are really looking forward to. We believe that there is great talent to be found and that with a high-quality, consistent development programme, we will be able to highlight it. Our goal is to provide our drivers with the instruments to make a step in their careers, but we are obviously there to compete and fight for victory as well. We are confident that our trio will be very competitive and we can’t wait to see them succeed.”

Weekend Timetable

Thursday, April 27th, 2023
9:00-12:00 Test 1
13:00-16:00 Test 2

Friday, April 28th, 2023
8:15 – Free Practice 1
10:40 – Free Practice 2
15:10 – Qualifying 1
15:30 – Qualifying 2

Saturday, April 29th, 2023
10:45 – Race 1
14:05 – Race 2
17:20 – Race 3

Source | Photo: PREMA Racing