PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship applications are now open for 2025 and I have the details in this week’s Driver Development Roundup. I also have news on a new FIA Global Karting Plan, how a sim racer got the opportunity to test an F1 car and why F1 teams need to have patience with their new rookie drivers. All this and much more in the last Driver Development Roundup of 2024!
Becoming a Professional Race Driver
As you are no doubt aware if you are a regular reader, hardly a week goes by without me posting a video by Enzo Mucci. Why? Because he knows what he is talking about and always offers actionable tips and advice for the young race driver. Here is a recording of his end of year AMA.
The ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA will introduce a new class for the 2025 season. The Challenge Cup is designed to help drivers who cannot commit to a full ten round championship in the UK’s premier single-seater series.
To be eligible for the Challenge Cup, drivers will be limited to competing in a maximum of seven pre-selected rounds that form the main 10 event championship. Prior to the start of the season those competing drivers must nominate their chosen rounds at which they wish to race.
More details can be found here.
Last week’s Sim Racing Roundup featured the incredible journey of Sebastian Job from sim racer to testing a Red Bull F1 car. You can read about it and watch the video here.
The popularity of F1 these days means that mainstream media is starting to look closer at motorsport and The Washington Post is no different. Their article “How go-karting has become a multi-million dollar path to F1 racing” looks at the role of karting in building an F1 champion.
“As its popularity has boomed, Formula One has faced a problem: how to identify future champions who can’t yet drive a car. Karting is the sport’s best approximation, a birthday party diversion that has been bankrolled and professionalized into a series of miniature Grand Prix races. Every current F1 driver started in a go-kart.”
Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard explains why the death of his younger sister had a role in his work with increasing female participation in motorsport with organizations like More Than Equal.
“His mind goes back to when his late sister Lynsay was at that sort of age but unable to pursue her own motor racing dream due to family finances already being stretched supporting his rise through the ranks. “Long story short, I always regretted that she missed an opportunity,” says Coulthard, 53. “And I’ve become more focused on that in my retirement and in her death.””
You can read the whole article at Planet F1 here.
According to former F1 and IndyCar champion Emerson Fittipaldi, Formula E is a viable alternative to F1 for open-wheel talent.
“I think it’s great to have a category like Formula E, because there’s so many drivers want to go to Formula 1 but can’t,” he said. “Then you have [WEC] Hypercar [and] Le Mans). Formula E is very nice for the future — some talents cannot go to Formula 1, why not then have a professional life doing the best they can do for their life and for the sport?”
Read his thoughts on Formula E at RACER here.
With all the rookies moving from Formula 2 to Formula 1 next season, F2 CEO Bruno Michel has advice for the teams, be patient.
“So you have drivers that immediately are on the spot. You have drivers that take a little bit more time. If you think of the first season that Max Verstappen had in Formula One, it was not that easy. And then, after that, he started to be incredibly strong. So it’s difficult to say. What is for sure is that you need a bit of patience with the young drivers. Formula One is sometimes not very patient, let’s put it that way. But I think at the end of the day, yes, give them the time to adapt.”
Read his thoughts at GP Blog here.
Driver Development Program News & Resources
Radford Racing School and Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) joined forces to help three karters successfully transition from go-karts to race cars during the recent Radford Racing School F4 U.S. Scholarship Award School at Radford’s facility in Chandler, Ariz. Taking a three-day course, the students, ages 14-17, learned the basics of handling and car control, while getting acclimated to a Formula 4 racecar.
“We welcomed another group of talented karters for the Radford Racing School F4 U.S. Scholarship School this week,” said Scott Goodyear, F4 U.S. race director. “Watching their progression throughout the three-day course and seeing the smiles on their faces after they got out of the F4 car for the first time — it’s a really special program. The instructors at Radford do a fantastic job at teaching the students all of the basics and giving them the building blocks needed to become successful racecar drivers. I’m excited to see where they go from here, and hope to see them on the F4 U.S. grid in the near future.”
Read more about the initiative at RACER here.
Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) is relaunching its karting team. Set to compete at all major series, including the Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) Pro Tour and Winter Series, World Karting Association (WKA), United States Pro Kart Series (USPKS), Stars Championship Series, and Rotax Max Challenge, the JHDD Karting effort will commence during the annual WKA KartKeek in Daytona Beach, Florida.
“I have had several people ask about where our karting program has gone, and it got me thinking that I really need to provide a platform for the future racers,” explained Jay Howard, former NTT INDYCAR SERIES competitor who started his career in karting. “I have hired talented people to run the operations, and we will run Kart Republic products exclusively, which means we will support all KR brands, including Kart Republic, Fernando Alonso Kart, and DAP.”
More details can be found here.
Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) has opened applications for the 2025 class of the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship. Now entering its fifth year, the program continues to build a more diverse field while empowering drivers from a variety of backgrounds to participate in PMH-owned race series.
With seven series under the PMH banner, drivers are able to utilize the assistance to race in Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.), Ligier JS F4 Series (JS F4), International GT (IGT) or Prototype Sprint Series Association presented by Hankook (PSSA).
In addition to providing financial assistance in the way of waived race entry fees or free promoter test days, the program aligns recipients with a team of executives and mentors, while providing them with a variety of media and fan engagement opportunities.
“We’re thrilled to continue helping young drivers in their racing careers through the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship,” said Tony Parella, CEO of PMH. “With this support, we’ve seen drivers win races and championships, but more importantly, we’ve seen graduates move on from our PMH-owned series to find even more success in their careers. I look forward to seeing who joins us as part of the Class of 2025, and I look forward to watching the progression of their careers for years to come.”
Drivers looking to join the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship Class of 2025 are encouraged to visit SpeedTour.net/Scholarship to apply. All applications must be submitted by January 15, 2025.
More details can be found here.
Formula E has launched a strategic partnership with More than Equal as it seeks to reduce barriers to entry in motorsport. “What started as a very tongue-in-cheek ‘bet’ at the start of the season has evolved into a serious commitment to support gender equity within our championship, with the ultimate goal of seeing women competing full-time in Formula E,” said Jeff Dodds, chief executive of Formula E.
“As a first step, the research we have commissioned in partnership with More than Equal will help us better understand the barriers to entry that women currently face, and how specifically Formula E and our teams can provide greater parity, opportunities and inclusion at the top level of our championship.”
More details can be found here.
The FIA has announced the creation of what they call an unprecedented Global Karting Plan that establishes a clearer and more accessible pathway into and throughout the FIA Karting system.
“Karting is the entry point for the vast majority of motor sport competitors, and the plan focuses on increasing accessibility to the discipline that will provide equal opportunities to drivers all over the world. Through a gradual implementation phase over the next three years, with the first steps taken already in 2025, including first editions of the arrive and drive world cup as well as the Karting Excellence Centre selection.
Here is a roundup of some of the coverage.
- FIA Launches Global Karting Plan (FIA)
- Formula 5 in the Making? Examining FIA Karting’s Spec Racing Plan (The Motorsport Saga by Alan Dove)
- FIA sets karting plan around growth and empowerment (SpeedCafe)
Driver Development Pathways
Here is a fascinating driver development history lesson. After Gilles Villeneuve died, like many Canadians I wondered where and when the next Canadian was going to race in Formula 1. We had to wait until 1986 when promising Canadian Allen Berg raced for the tiny Osella team to be able to cheer on another Canuck. Alas the ride did not last long.
Motorsport.com has an excellent feature from 2018 that profile his journey from British F3 to Formula 1. It is a fascinating tale of sezing an opportunity, sponsorship economics and racing for a small F1 team.
“I spent the weekend of the Canadian Grand Prix with the team in Montreal. Enzo Osella and I signed the deal Sunday night after the race on top of a fuel drum in the old garages, using a copy of Christian’s [Danner] old contract and essentially filling my name over top of his. The contract required a first payment of just $25,000 Canadians! We did a seat fitting the Monday morning and I flew to Detroit for my first race.” Berg recalled.
You can read the full article here.
Feeder Series looks at the driver development path taken by Barbadian Zane Maloney has he transitions from Formula 2 to Formula E. “What got me the Formula E seat [with Lola] was my performances in F2. Once you’re performing on track, the phone calls will come.”
Read the full profile here.
Formula Scout hears from the stand-out Formula 4 racer of 2024, Freddie Slater, and key figures around him, to understand what marks him out as one of the hottest properties below F1. “Though undoubtedly talented, his success is built on three pillars – his Prema squad; his management team at ADD and in particular performance coach Craig Boyd; and his close-knit family.”
Read Formula Scout‘s full profile of Freddie Slater here.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
