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Léna Bühler becomes the first driver on the F1 Academy roster, driving for ART Grand Prix.
The 25 year-old Swiss driver has been in single-seater racing since 2020, following a stint in karts. She made her debut in F4 Spanish Championship, a series she scored two top-five finishes and ended the season in 15th overall.
In 2021 Bühler moved to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, although she missed out on the first round after sustaining a hand injury in pre-season testing. It was a tough year following the injury, and she finished the series in 38th place.
Now Bühler is the first to be announced on the F1 Academy grid, which will soon be filled with other female drivers like her. She’ll be one of ART’s three drivers, joining a team that has taken both Formula 3 and Formula 2 drivers to the title, and graduated drivers like George Russell to Formula 1.
Quotes
Bühler cited ART’s well-known success in her comments on her 2023 announcement.
“It’s with great pleasure that I will be able to discover the first F1 Academy championship,” she said. “And even more so with ART Grand Prix, a team with a fantastic record.
“It will be a great challenge for me and for the team as we learn more about this new single-seater. I am looking forward to coming to grips with it. This will only be my fourth year in a motorsport and I still have a lot to learn, but I am ready to give 100% both mentally and physically to honour the trust ART Grand Prix has in me, together with that of my partners without whom this adventure would not be possible.”
ART’s Team Principal, Sebastien Philippe, commented: “We are happy to welcome Léna to our team. She will be one of the first 15 drivers to write her name in the history books of the F1 Academy.
“This corresponds perfectly to the philosophy of ART Grand Prix, which is to help young drivers climb the ladder of the junior formulas which lead to the highest level of motorsport. The team will do everything sportingly, humanly, and technically possible to take up this new historic challenge with Léna.”
There are still 14 drivers to be announced, who will fill up the rest of the F1 Academy grid. Who else will we see join the ranks of this brand-new feeder series?
Feature Image Credit: Diederik van der Laan / Dutch Photo Agency