“Diversity is a very important subject for us. Our wish is to ensure that more and more female drivers join our championship,” Michel said.
“We hope that this test is the first step towards making the road to Formula 1 for a female driver more systematic. One way to achieve this is to create connections between our categories, which are the closest to F1, and racing programmes that promote female drivers, with the ultimate goal to prepare them for the pinnacle of motorsport.
“With this test, we want Nerea and Irina to familiarise themselves with F3, the car, and how we work. It will not be about performance, but about understanding the demands of the category. It will be a first taste of what to expect, as we hope they will progress to our championship in the near future.
“After discussions with W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir, we agreed that there should be a bridge between their series and the single-seater pyramid. We also agreed that the W Academy drivers are in the best age-range to eventually join the single-seater pyramid, so we selected them for this test session.
“This is a very exciting opportunity, and we are already thinking about the next steps so that this test is not just a one off.”
Weug and Pin are both part of the Iron Dames division of the Iron Lynx team, led by Deborah Mayer, that has run an all-female Le Mans team.
The former was the first winner of the FIA Girls on Track young drivers programme last year and currently competes in Italian and ADAC F4 as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Pin is a GT3 endurance racer, competing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and has secured four podium finishes this season.
“This experience will be important in demonstrating to Maya and Doriane what is involved in the next level of racing, and I’d like to thank FIA F3 for offering this amazing opportunity for both drivers,” Iron Lynx project leader Mayer said.
“These will be the fastest cars they have ever driven until now, and it will help prepare them for climbing to the next stages of their careers.”
The tests are set to take place across two days next month at Magny Cours. The W Series Academy drivers will get to drive on November 9 while the Iron Lynx drivers will sample the F3 car on November 10.