Swiss Lena Buhler, first pilot of the new F-1 Academy

MADRID, 2 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Swiss Lena Bühler became the first driver announced to compete in the 'F1 Academy' on Thursday with confirmation that she will join ART Grand Prix for the inaugural season of the new all-female Formula 1 series.

Bühler, 25, began competing in BMX internationally, before switching to 'karting' in 2016, from where he made his debut with a single-seater in the Spanish Formula 4 Championship, where he managed to finish six times in the 'Top 10'.

The Swiss was later the first woman to compete in the Alpine Formula 4 Regional European Championship in 2021, but was forced to end her second campaign early last year and currently competes in the United Arab Emirates Formula 4 Championship. United before their F-1 Academy debut.

"It is a great pleasure to be able to discover the first F-1 Academy and even more so with ART Grand Prix, a team with a fantastic record. It will be a great challenge for me and the team as we learn more about this new car. I have many I want to face that," the pilot said on her team's website.

Bühler recalls that in 2023 he will experience his "fourth year in motorsport". "I still have a lot to learn, but I am ready to give one hundred percent both mentally and physically to honor the trust that ART Grand Prix has in me, along with that of my partners, without whom this adventure would not be possible," he underlined. .

For his part, the director of the ART team, Sebastien Philippe, celebrated that the Swiss is "one of the first 15 drivers to write his name in the history books of the F-1 Academy". "This corresponds perfectly with the philosophy of ART Grand Prix, which is to help young drivers climb the ladder of the junior categories that lead to the highest level of motorsport. The team will do everything possible from a sporting, human and technician to face this new historic challenge with Lena", he remarked.

Bühler will compete on a grid of 15 single-seaters, with the other four participating teams, Campos Racing, Carlin, MP Motorsport and PREMA Racing, also with three each in a new competition that will have 21 races spread over seven events and whose objective is to develop and prepare young female drivers to reach the highest levels of motorsport.