Formula E conducts 1st women's test of an FIA World Championship in Valencia - with Flörsch & Chadwick?

As part of the Formula E pre-season testing in Valencia (4 to 7 November), there will be a test session in which only women will take part. For the first time in the history of the electric series and in an FIA World Championship, all teams will have to take part in that test. According to media reports, German racing driver Sophia Flörsch could also be among the participants as well as Jamie Chadwick.

As officially confirmed by Formula E on Wednesday, what was started in Diriyah 2018 will be continued in Valencia in 2024: The electric series will hold the first official test session in six years in which women are required to take part. As part of an additional half-day session on Thursday, 7 November, female racers from all teams will have the chance to test the Gen3 Evo car, which will be used publicly on the race track for the first time in Valencia.

It is a kind of the second chapter after the test at the Diriyah E-Prix 2018, where teams were only allowed to start with two cars if one was driven by a woman. Nine of the eleven teams decided to take this opportunity. The most important difference: in 2024, all teams must send a female driver onto the track and are also "encouraged to field two female drivers", according to a Formula E press release.

Dodds: "We have to start somewhere"

"We know that there is no simple solution for greater diversity in motorsport," says Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds. "We also realise that a single test will not solve the long-standing problem, but we have to start somewhere."

"If we want to offer women equal rights, opportunities and visibility in our series, the conditions must be equal for everyone (...) to compete with those who are already on the grid," he continues. "Unlike other series where female drivers have to compete in old or restricted cars, we will have them in the state-of-the-art Gen3 Evo car."

A list of participants is not yet available. We expect the first confirmed names in the next two to three weeks.

Media report: Flörsch, Chadwick & Garcia likely to take part

According to a media report by The Race, both Sophia Flörsch (for Nissan) and W-Series double champion Jamie Chadwick could be part of the women's test. Flörsch was already due to take part in the test in Diriyah in 2018, but had to cancel it after her accident in Macau. Chadwick, on the other hand, has repeatedly completed test drives with various teams since 2018, most recently in Portland.

Marta Garcia, who took part in the rookie test for ERT last season, could also be back for the team in Valencia. Other possible participants include F1 Academy drivers Abbi Bullig, Jessica Edgar and Chloe Chambers.