Netflix introduces F1: The Academy on May 28, a seven-part series that pulls back the curtain on the all-female 2024 F1 Academy racing league. Produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, the show offers full access to a pivotal moment in motorsport, when young women aim to break through one of the most competitive and male-dominated sports on the planet.
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At the core of the series is Susie Wolff, managing director of F1 Academy and former professional driver. Her leadership shapes both the narrative and the trajectory of the season, as she works closely with the drivers to build a structure that supports their talent. Wolff’s experience behind the wheel informs every decision she makes, from mentoring on-track performance to addressing the structural gaps that still exist in motorsport.
F1: The Academy brings audiences beyond the races. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access, the series captures how drivers manage pressure, navigate team dynamics, and face the physical and psychological demands of elite racing. The cameras follow them into garages, meetings, and quiet moments where the stakes feel even higher than the roar of the engines.
The series features fifteen racers competing across international circuits, each with unique goals, personal stories, and different levels of experience. While competition remains central, the series also leans into the human side of motorsport, where ambition collides with injury, mechanical failure, and the reality of chasing success in a space that hasn’t always made room.
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The presence of an all-female racing league signals a shift in a sport traditionally defined by male drivers and male leadership. F1 Academy aims to change that equation, not through special treatment, but by providing equal opportunity. F1: The Academy documents what that effort looks like in practice, without softening the intensity or glossing over the setbacks.
Throughout the series, Wolff’s role as both mentor and executive adds weight to the story. She understands the demands these drivers face because she’s lived them. Her leadership doesn’t rest on motivational slogans, it’s rooted in shared experience and a pragmatic push to improve systems that have long excluded women.
The series comes from Hello Sunshine, with Reese Witherspoon, Sara Rea, and Sarah Lazenby producing. F1’s executive production team includes Susie Wolff, Ian Holmes, and Isabelle Stewart. Lisa Keane leads the series as showrunner, shaping the seven episodes into a cohesive and gripping arc.
While F1: The Academy taps into the visual adrenaline of race day, its deeper focus lies in showing how much preparation, resilience, and internal drive it takes to compete at this level. It’s not a story of overnight success, it’s a look at the structure behind performance, the weight of expectations, and the risk of failure.
