McLaren Team Principal Ian James: "Confident that we will have a female driver on the grid in Gen4"

The racing series took a big step towards bringing female drivers back into Formula E last year after many years by organising an all-female test at the Formula E pre-season test drives in Madrid for the first time. However, there is currently another formal obstacle that would prevent a female driver from competing in Formula E: The FIA's Super Licence system, which stipulates a minimum number of points to obtain an e-licence. However, McLaren Team Principal Ian James has hinted that there could be adjustments to this.

Formula E is a special case in the motorsport world when it comes to racing licences, the so-called e-licence. While participation in test drives, such as the rookie test on the Monday after the Berlin E-Prix, is possible with a relatively easy-to-obtain International B Licence, the initial issue of a racing licence is subject to much stricter criteria.

Firstly, drivers must complete a special FIA training course that focuses on electrical safety, the special features of the all-electric Formula E racing car and the technical and sporting aspects of Formula E - there are significant differences here compared to racing series in which combustion engines are used. In addition, drivers must have collected at least 20 points in the last three years according to the FIA points system, which is used to qualify for a Super Licence.

No woman currently has enough points

The FIA points system is designed to ensure that drivers can demonstrate a certain amount of experience and success in junior classes of formula racing before they can make the step up to the top series, Formula 1 and Formula E. In addition, there are also points - albeit significantly fewer - for drivers in other series, such as the World Endurance Championship or the DTM. In this way, the International Automobile Federation wants to enable only the best drivers to advance to the top racing series.

20 points are only half as many points as are required for a Super Licence in the Formula 1 World Championship, but all female drivers are currently failing to achieve this: According to "Super Licence Tracker" Abbi Pulling is the woman who is closest to an e-licence with 19 points. The problem: she received seven of her accumulated points in 2022 for fourth place in the W Series, so these will be forfeited at the end of the year. In the GB3 championship, which she is contesting this year, she is only in 17th place after three of eight race weekends, so is unlikely to collect any new points.

Jamie Chadwick, who is also close with 17 points at the moment, is in a similar situation: she will lose 15 of her 17 points at the end of the year, leaving her in 7th place in Indy NXT 2024 with just two points. Doriane Pin, who also currently has 17 points and leads the overall F1 Academy standings, could manage to reach 20 points this season. However, the Frenchwoman, who is active in Mercedes' junior programme, has no Formula E connections to date.

"We will have further discussions with the FIA"

However, McLaren Team Principal Ian James is convinced that we will see a female driver on the grid again in the Gen4 era of Formula E. With Michela Cerruti, Simona de Silvestro and Katherine Legge, there have been three female drivers in Formula E history who have contested races. However, the last time we saw a female driver on the grid was at the 2016 London E-Prix. "Whether it will be the first or second Gen4 year, I can't say - but I'm confident that we'll have another female driver on the grid in the Gen4 era," said James when asked by e-Formula.news.

"We are always in discussion with the FIA about the (licence) points", he goes on to say that the problem is already known to the world governing body of motorsports. "However, we have not only had this issue with women, but also with men in the past. For example with Charlie Eastwood, who was a replacement and development driver for us. He is very talented, but he does not have the necessary points for an e-licence."

"I think there is also a need for dialogue," he adds. "What is very, very important to me - whether a man or a woman - is that we need to bring fresh talent into the paddock. We as a team have, in my opinion, already driven that forward. We've brought in Jake Hughes, we've brought in Taylor Barnard, both with a lot of success as well. We need to improve that somehow, we need that opportunity. That's important. So I think we will have further discussions with the FIA."

Before the Gen4 era of Formula E begins, however, the twelfth season and the last two double headers of the eleventh season of Formula E are coming up. The action continues on 12 and 13 July in Germany: Tickets are currently still available for the Berlin E-Prix.