Marta Garcia on her journey to reach F1: 'Work, focus and just do it!'

F1 Academy: Marta Garcia on challenges facing females in motorsport F1 Academy leader Marta Garcia could become champion at United States Grand Prix weekend; Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Liam Lawson all inspirations as Formula 1 remains the target for the Spanish racing driver By Adam Williams Last Updated: 09/09/23 10:51am Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player F1 Academy championship leader Marta Garcia believes the F1 Academy can help female drivers get into F1 F1 Academy championship leader Marta Garcia believes the F1 Academy can help female drivers get into F1 F1 Academy Prema driver Marta Garcia is aiming to become F1's first female driver since the series' CEO Susie Wolff. The Spanish racing driver currently leads the all-female racing series' inaugural season by 48 points with just three rounds to go during the United States Grand Prix weekend on October 20-22.F1 Academy was a series created by F1 itself to increase the talent pool at the level of Formula 4, to help give opportunities to and shine a light on more young female drivers. Garcia is aware of the challenges women face in climbing the motorsport mountain to Formula 1, which has remained male-dominated, with female appearances few and far between.But the Spaniard is determined to make it to the top, and inspire young girls while she does so."What I have in my [Instagram] bio is 'inspiring women to fight for the unthinkable' because I'm in a male sport", said Garcia."I know how difficult it is for a woman to grow or progress, so my main thing is to let women see that I am doing this, so I think you can do the same - you need to work, focus and just do it."Garcia started life on the karting track as the only girl, but her will to win has taken her to the top of podiums, including that of the Trofeo de Industrie (previously lifted by Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel) and the FIA Academy trophy, an international FIA karting competition that Charles Leclerc had won four years previously.Garcia has since gone on to take victory in the W Series before finding another gear in F1 Academy, dominating the season so far with four pole positions, six victories and 10 podiums in 18 races.The challenges for women in motorsport Marta Garcia has been racing since the age of nine In short, Garcia has the talent and the speed to move up the motorsport ladder.But why is she the same age as Lando Norris, but still three rungs in the ladder below the top level, which the Brit reached in 2019?"It's the same as guys when you start karting or single seaters - you need money and the economic support - if your family doesn't have money, you need to find sponsors," explained Garcia, who lives in Valencia."If you don't find sponsors, you are not racing, so everything is like a chain."The lack of economic support is the principal reason why I have not been able to make it to F3 - if I had that money, then maybe I would have been able because if you have money then you can race." Instagram Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this Privacy Options The expensive nature of motorsport means that drivers from less wealthy backgrounds must rely on sponsorship, but for Garcia, a female racing driver has been a tough pitch, which has limited her ability to show the world her talent."Of course, when you don't have the money and you don't have the experience - you miss experience compared with the guys," said the 23-year old, who handles her own business."Some of those guys can do a lot of training, a lot of testing, a lot of kilometers in the car."When I was trying to find sponsors, it was a bit more difficult also because they didn't really see a woman racing as an investment going forward."But I think for a sponsor, right now, it's interesting to sponsor a woman in motorsport and in other sports."At the end of the day, you need to be good - you need to have the talent, but need the support to be able to show that."Assessing F1 Academy's success Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Sky Sports' Naomi Schiff believes the announcement that every Formula 1 team will have a driver in the F1 Academy is an exciting moment for women Sky Sports' Naomi Schiff believes the announcement that every Formula 1 team will have a driver in the F1 Academy is an exciting moment for women Garcia will hope that F1 Academy will be the shop window that she needs, and says she is "confident" that she can secure title victory in Austin next month.But she explains that her next step if she does become champion may define the success of the F1 Academy as a series so far."Right now, the way F1 Academy is done is for the young female drivers to get to other categories like F3 or F2," said the 23-year-old."I think it's a good base to build yourself from as a racing driver,