W Series chief Catherine Bond Muir says Ferrari’s aim to recruit its first female driver into its junior programme isn’t “just a marketing plan” and believ🍎es the Italian team is helping the cause to bring more women into F1.

During Ferrari’s confirmation of its 2020 Driver Academy line-up, including star names Mick Schumacher, Giuliano Alesi, Enzo Fittipaldi and newest recruit Arthur Leclerc, Ferrari team principal M🦄attia Binotto made it clear it was looking to add female dri🐎vers to its development programme.

whi𒅌ch led to W Series CEO Bond Muir dismissing the sceptic𝄹ism and putting faith into Ferrari’s plans.

“Obviously I would hope that driver would come from W Series,” Bond Muir told wuqian0821.com. “I know that🐷 Ferrari have come under some flack on social media here but what ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚwe all have to remember is that if we cast our minds back to a year ago, there weren’t very many women involved in motorsport at a high level.

“If you look backও to the amount of times that you were writing about women in motorsp🌄ort, it was much, much less than it is now. I think that is what we have to applaud.

“The tide is ris𒆙ing for all women in motorsport and I think what Ferrari are trying to do is to help that tide to rise. I don’t think it is just a marketing plan, I think that they really genuinely want to see if they can get a women into F1.

“And if they can attract a young superstar and take them through their academy a🉐nd be the first team to get a driver into F1 then frankly, hats off to them.”

With the W Series launching an expanded eight-round 2020 race calendar, including two rounds as part of the F1 support programme in the United 👍States and Mexico, defending champion Jamie Chadwick remains part of the Williams junior driver programme this year.

The winner of the 2020 W Series will gain 15 points towards an F1 super licence, which puts it in line with other single-seater championships including Indy Lights, Formula Renault Eurocup, Euroformula Open and Japan’s Super Formula Lights. Any driver must have at least 40 FIA 🅘super licence points to reach F1.