F1 Academy Season Review | Grid Walk Bonus Episode | October 31, 2023

Grid Walk

The finale of the first season of F1 Academy is the perfect reason for a special bonus episode of Grid Walk!

F1 Academy had their final race of 2023 in Austin during the weekend of F1’s United States Grand Prix and Marta García was crowned the first F1 Academy champion! Briana and Nicole give a recap of the inaugural F1 Academy season. Who wins Grid Walk’s F1 Academy prediction competition?

Briana and Nicole discuss if the first season of F1 Academy can be considered a success. Was this year of F1 Academy supposed to happen? How can F1 Academy prove the doubters wrong? If a driver is “fast” in F1 Academy does this mean they will be “fast” in another racing series?

Well F1 Academy is already “feeding” its first driver into another series!! F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia has been announced as a driver for Prema Racing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA). What is FRECA? Why is this announcement about Marta Garcia moving to FRECA such a HUGE deal? What can we infer from how quickly F1 Academy made this announcement? In what ways is FRECA incentivizing teams to have a female driver?

It is no secret that in order to be a driver in motorsports it requires A LOT of financial backing. How is F1 demonstrating their belief in the value of F1 Academy as it moves into the 2024 season? Will F1’s new subsidizing strategy help more drivers get access to motorsports?

Briana and Nicole share their hopes for the second year (and beyond) of F1 Academy. How will having consistent live broadcasts affect the fanbase of F1 Academy? With the F1 Academy 2024 schedule aligning with the F1 schedule, will fans see more crossover content with drivers? What F1 teams will show their support for F1 Academy (beyond the sponsorship requirement F1 has created)?

Grid Walk is a weekly Formula 1 show that releases every Thursday. For daily F1 content follow@gridwalkshow on all social media platforms.

00:00 Formation Lap

00:50 Prediction Competition Winner Announced

02:19 How to Watch the Final F1A Race

03:04 Refresher on the F1 Academy

05:29 Was Year 1 of the F1 Academy a Success?

10:28 F1 Academy vs Other Feeder Series

12:01 Marta Garcia's 2024 Plans Announced!

17:40 The Giant Cup Returns

18:00 F1 Announces Even Cheaper F1A Seats for 2024

20:41 Our Hopes for 2024