When Netflix highlights a subject, it is almost guaranteed that the world will look.
The streaming service has been the director of many cultural talk points, and the latest docuseries, F1: The Academy, shows a gear shift in the story for women in motorsport. Formula 1 has long been a space dominated by men and F1: Academy Series, produced by Reese Witherspoon, follows the professionals who try to change that.
In episode one, the director of the Academy, Susie Wolff, outlines the goal of the championship, to develop the career of female drivers with the ultimate goal of getting an Academy Driver on Formula 1 -Raster. Drivers can compete for a maximum of two racing seasons, where the winner of each season deserves a fully funded chair in the GB 3 championship, so that they take a step closer to that goal.
It is a high -pressure environment, and with established teams such as Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari Backing Talent, it speaks volumes about how the sport evolves. The stories of Netflix emphasize this important moment.
In contrast to Formula 1, the F1 Academy is a spec series, which means that all cars are identical and are built according to the same specifications. Each car is based on the Formula 4 model. It is a high -quality design that focuses on the assets of the driver, rather than technical benefits. Although the cars are identical in structure, small adjustments can still be made to better match the personal preferences of each driver.
Within the technology that shape the future of women in motorsport
This can come as a surprise, but according to experts, the F1 Academy Cars do not need a major redesign to support female drivers. A person who knows the adaptability of the car first hand is Prema engineer Simone Bechini. He works closely with Doriane Pin, one of the striking drivers that highlights in the Netflix series.
“Formula 4 has done a good job to prepare the car to fit any form of driver in the academy, even for Doriane, who is one of the lightest in the paddock,” explains Bechini. “Not much was needed to accommodate female drivers, because everything was already possible with a normal Formula 4 car.”
Although the cars did not need major changes, small specific adjustments from the driver can have a significant impact on the performance of the drivers. To guarantee better support and control in the car, the chair is tailor -made for every driver. Although this is the standard practice in most motorsport series, engineers who work with female drivers pay more attention to factors such as hip width and pelvic structure.
Made from polyurethane foam, the seat shapes that correspond to the size and dimensions of the body shape of each driver. “This is an important step. As soon as the chair is tightened, it does not move at all. It is essentially locked up,” Bechini shares.
Racing
A separate fit can cause problems based on safety and practical perspective. If the driver’s body moves, they will feel the movement of their hull instead of the movement of the car. A tight secure chair protects drivers at Crashes or during sudden stops, because it prevents the drivers from sliding.
The position of the steering wheel can be adjusted for each driver to help them in a more natural position. This can reduce the fatigue of the driver and it is easier to control the car. But an important step to prepare an F1 Academy Car Race is very simple. It is just adjusting the pedals.
In general, F1 drivers are shorter than the average man, and when it comes to the F1 academy, many female drivers will have shorter legs, so this is housed. In formula racing, the car seat cannot go forward and back, so adjustments to the pedal box are crucial for comfort when the drivers accelerate and brake. According to Bechini, “adjusting the pedals that correspond to the height of the driver of the driver is.”
It is not surprising that safety belts in F1 Academy Cars have a few adjustable positions to make vertical movement possible to prevent the driver’s body from shifting. This is especially important when the heavy braking, the engineer explains. The shoulder straps help to offer stability. Drivers have to put a lot of effort and strength on the brake pedal, Bechini shares. “Loose belts not only influence control, but also into performance problems.”
Thanks to Netflix
F1 vs F1 Academy: comparison of the cars
And what are the most important differences between the two championships?
“F1 cars are more powerful than the academy and F4. The aerodynamic difference is huge,” notes Bechini. The engineer adds that the cars used in the academy, “the entry level for cars with one is, which means that the downforce level is adjusted at a lower level.” This is a force that pushes the car down on the track that basically helps the tires to grab better, so that the car can go around corners faster.
Although both Pirelli tires championships share, there are important differences. F1 cars are much larger in comparison and offer more grip and strength, which means that they can reach faster speeds. Nevertheless, Bechini points out that the overall ergonomics, the positioning of the driver and the general approach is comparable in the two series. “In both championships, drivers are all as low as possible, the body is well inclined and there are the same FIA instructions (the Motorsport administrative body), “he explains.
Bechini also notes that the FIA has made recent changes to improve inclusiveness. “The steering effort needed to rotate the wheel has recently been changed by the FIA to make it more suitable for female drivers and to make it even more about the ladder,” he shares.
Thanks to Netflix
Getting the Racewid of the cars preparing
Because the F1 Academy is a spec series, the team and the drivers can prepare their car -race job the difference between winning and losing. In the docuseries of Netflix, the driver of Bechini, Doriane Pin, is powered and determined. In addition to 14 other athletes, she competitions for that top position. Doriane generally finishes second, with the Documentary De ABBI of GB emphasized as its most important competition.
Bechini tells us: “Prep is not happening on the circuit, it happens earlier. Traveling cars and material from one race to the other, so one day is often devoted to completely rebuilding the cars.”
Bechini describes the Ethos on Prema Racing and describes how the team and their drivers have multiple meetings before each event. Here they introduce the different characteristics of the races through data and videos that have been collected from previous years. “We have our own simulator, and the standard procedure to have a simulator session with all team neighbor programs. They will ride a few laps and as a team we can make them ready to do their thing,” Come Race Day.
The F1 Academy works with limited traces. Often racing on the same weekends as its F1 and F2 opposite hangers, the track is shared. Bechini says that this makes the preparation even more important. “You have to be very ready from the start. We spend a lot of effort on it.”
Thanks to Netflix
Planning is particularly crucial, because unlike other racing championships, the cars in the academy rarely go back to the workshop to be undressed and inspected, but travel directly to the next event. This makes checklists even more important.
Bechini illustrates that as soon as the team arrives at the next race, the car is rebuilt. This includes routine checks, downloading performance data and inspecting to see if work is needed on the car. The team also monitors the mileage of their drivers.
“The first part is the rebuilding of the car, the second step is setting up the car. These are important steps because it enables us to adapt to adapt to the characteristics of each track.” These adjustments may be that changing the angle of the wheel, feathers and the front wing and the rear wing, which gives the tires more grip. Technical checks must also be carried out, including weighted, so that the car can be cleaned up to participate in a race.
Even with all these rigid steps in place, things don’t always go according to plan. During the Netflix series we see the driver of Bechini, Doriane Pin, facing a number of challenges and in the first place on stage and scary wrong. “Failure happen, they are part of racing and sometimes you just have to accept them,” Bechini shares openly. However, because it is standing, the pin is only one point from the top of the table and closes to that coveted first place.
For Bechini it is incredibly worthwhile to work with PIN. Motorsport has always been a very focused and exclusive environment: “The Academy is much more balanced. It is an interesting challenge for me to help these drivers find their path in motorsport. Getting them in Formula 1 is the ultimate goal,” says Bechini proudly.
F1: The Academy is now streaming on Netflix
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