F1 Academy: You can fool some people some of the time but you can't fool all the people all the time

Earlier this month, or rather last month, we received a call from a representative of the series who had an absolute urgency to speak to someone at GrandPrix247 about a post written by Paul Hanaphy. The piece summed up not only his personal opinions on the F1 Academy, but also laid out why it has, quite frankly, flopped. I have receipts, thanks to that very conversation.

The call came completely out of the blue while I was on holiday. The request was for a call to discuss the opinion piece Paul Hanaphy had written. Let it be said clearly: opinion pieces are frequent and are part of our editorial narrative. And this one was spot on in my opinion.

At GrandPrix247, we were unable to get hold of Paul Hanaphy at the time, who has a day job. So Editor Jad Mallak and I took the call with this person, who, in short, accused us of being "dismissive" of the F1 Academy and alleges author Hanaphy was "misogynistic" in his opinion piece. Two accusations that deserve to be addressed.

We did address them during what was a formal, off-the-record conversation. No names, no quotes. But it left me with a clear decision to tackle both points publicly. Let’s deal with the dismissive part first. From my perspective as Publisher of this site.

Yes, I am dismissive of the F1 Academy. More so now, after the conversation with the F1 Academy spindoctor.

Silly me, I had always believed the F1 Academy was designed to fast-track females into Formula 1. That is not the case. I was informed during this conversation, Jad be my witness, and I paraphrase here: "The F1 Academy was not set up to get a woman into Formula 1. It was set up to entice female viewers to become interested in motorsport in general and be attracted to Formula 1.

Become racing drivers! The fact that this series exists on this basis is, frankly, insane.

Because this is not about getting women into Formula 1. It is a marketing exercise designed to entice females to convince their parents to dip into their life savings and invest in what is, for most, a pretty hopeless cause. The idea that a girl can be ushered through an intensive programme and somehow reach the pinnacle of motorsport, where 22 of the best drivers on the planet fight it out, is fantasy.

If the goal is not to produce a Formula 1 driver, then calling it a F1 Academy is a misnomer and false advertising.

In fact, think about it. The first (and intended female-only) W Series disappeared for mysterious reasons and effectively reemerged as the F1 Academy with little cars painted to look like F1 cars. And pretty drivers kitted to look like F1 drivers.

But it is not an F1 Academy. It is a women’s motorsport series dressed up with Formula 1 branding, teams, and bells and whistles to make it look like it belongs at the top level. It does not.

That is precisely why I am dismissive of this series. It's a farce. It has no place on television. Let alone Netflix! Pure disinformation is it not?

The real 'F1 Academy' system already exists. It is Formula 4. It is Formula 3. It is Formula 2. And you only progress through those ranks on merit. You beat thousands in karting. You beat hundreds in Formula 4. You survive Formula 3. You fight through Formula 2. And by the end of it, your parents have spent around $20 million just to get there. 

Those are the real stories. Formula 3 and Formula 2 are the drivers we should be following. The real future stars of our sport. That is Netflix-worthy and more than deserving. Those championships are infinitely more dramatic and vastly more important. The hotbed of developing future World Champions. 

Let’s be honest. The drivers racing in F1 Academy would not make the top 10, and probably not even the top 20, of a competitive Formula 4 or FRECA grid. Their level is several rungs below what they are being presented as, and far too much exposure and publicity, far too soon.

Why are these 'chosen' females more exposed and more famous than Formula 2 drivers? Why are they more famous than Formula 3 drivers who are objectively well ahead on the ladder? The answer is inexplicable.

Motorsport remains a meritocracy, and so far, women have not been able to compete at the very highest level with much success. So to stay woke, they shove this down our throats. A sexist series!

That said, I could pick at least 20, if not 50, female drivers who are better (on all levels) than the ones being paraded in the F1 Academy. But they are not influencers. They are not young models, or perhaps not media-savvy. They are real race drivers. They are women racing in other levels of motorsport. They are fighting week in and week out against men in proper competition. They deserve recognition and a fast track to the limelight a lot more.

Instead, we are sold a sitcom of wannabe young women racing drivers branded as the next big thing, with F1 teams shamelessly pretending this is a real thing. That is unacceptable. It is an insult to the women who actually earn their place on the grid through the traditional route, where boys race girls, and men race women. And the cream rises to the top. No special treatment. That's meritocracy.

Those are the females who deserve opportunities in Formula 4, Formula 3, or Formula 2 cars. 

Which brings me to the misogyny accusation, which is frankly laughable. Personally, I adhere to the 'religion' which believes that when God created man, She was joking. Go figure!

We have heard it all before. If values do not align with certain self-appointed moral standards, the label comes out. Calling Paul Hanaphy a misogynist is absurd, and as publisher, I reject that accusation outright. Enough said.

Yes, some of the language we use on this site to describe the antics of drivers can be piquant at times, but generally, it is because they deserve it in the opinion pieces of this ilk. When warranted, no one is immune to criticism by writers on this site. There are no holy cows when it comes to keeping them on their toes.

If you want to play in this world, our world, the Formula 1 world, the motorsport, you had better get used to being called a pussy, a w@nker, d!ckhead, an assh0le, or a miserable tw@t. That applies to men and women equally. Drivers, team bosses, media. Whatever! Gender and color do not register here. If you want to be part of the Formula 1 ecosystem and motorsport, you will be treated exactly the same as everyone else.

That is how we roll on here. If it offends you, this sport is not for you. Our site is not for you.

To close the 'urgent' complaint, at the end of a 10-15 minute chinwag, we suggested that the F1 Academy spokesperson raise these grievances directly to Paul Hanaphy and convince our man that F1 Academy deserved a weekly column, which he would pen. As punishment!

The response was enthusiastic, challenge accepted, it seemed. A promise to contact Hanaphy was made.

Then the F1 Academy messenger disappeared. The "urgency" they had obviously faded. Maybe they thought the "misogyny" was the grenade that would shut us up. It did not explode. In fact, we laugh and throw it straight back, maybe it goes 'bang!' then.

To the F1 Academy Messenger, you are forgiven. Tell your bosses who sent you on this fruitless mission: You can fool some of the people some of the time. You cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

And a question to y'all: How satisfying is it to spindoctor this undeserving nonsense, season in and season out, and believe it is a more worthy cause than promoting the real deals: Formula 2 and Formula 3 in the same vigorous manner?

In closing, four-time F1 World Champion, Max Verstappen's thoughts on the matter sum it up aptly: "It is good that Formula 1 now pays extra attention to women in motorsport with the F1 Academy, although I have doubts about how they approach it. The cars they drive are way too slow. If you ever want to get them into Formula 1, it really has to go to a higher level.

"It's nice and nice that girls are now sponsored by Formula 1 teams, but what do we actually help them with? There is no next step for them now. For example, the gap to a Formula 4 car is already too big." Amen Champ!