The modern feeder series ladder to Formula 1 (F1) is clean, clear, and streamlined. But before the FIA unified the tier-three landscape into the Formula 3 (F3) Championship we recognise today, the path was a fragmented, highly competitive web of rival series.
Among the fiercest of these was GP3. This spec series offered drivers the ultimate prize: the chance to race directly in front of F1 team bosses on Grand Prix weekends. Throughout the GP3 era and the modern FIA F3 Championship that followed, this grid has remained notoriously difficult to break into.
From Alice Powell’s historic points finish to Sophia Flörsch’s modern-day campaigns, here is a closer look at the women who have tested and raced in GP3 and F3.
The Women Who Competed In Formula 3 and GP3
Before the FIA unified the single-seater ladder in 2019, tier-three racing was split. Drivers had to choose between traditional regional F3 championships (which allowed different chassis and engine setups) and the GP3 Series (a spec series that raced exclusively on F1 weekends).
Despite this fragmented and fiercely competitive landscape, a select group of female drivers successfully broke onto these grids.
Alice Powell
Alice Powell entered the GP3 Series in 2012 with Status Grand Prix and established herself as a genuine trailblazer in the fiercely competitive feeder series. Despite stepping into the championship with almost no prior testing time, she quickly adapted to the spec machinery. Her rookie campaign proved she could hold her own against a grid full of Formula 1 hopefuls.
Her defining moment arrived at the notoriously fast Monza circuit, where she made history by finishing eighth in the sprint race. This performance made her the first woman to score points in the GP3 Series. Powell concluded the 2012 season 19th in the overall standings and later made a brief, one-off return for a single weekend at Yas Marina in 2013.
While funding cut her time on the official tier-three F1 ladder short, Powell went on to compete in other regional F3 series, such as British F3 and the MSV F3 Cup.
Vicky Piria
Vicky Piria entered the GP3 Series in 2012 with Trident Racing, contesting the entire 16-race calendar during the championship’s third year. Driving the spec Dallara machinery, she completed a full campaign for the Italian outfit as they made their own team debut in the tier-three category.
While she consistently logged race distance, Piria struggled to break into the points-paying positions against a dense grid of F1 hopefuls. Her standout performance came on the unforgiving streets of Monaco, where she navigated the tight barriers to secure a 12th-place finish in the sprint race. She concluded her single GP3 campaign 26th in the overall standings.
Carmen Jorda
Carmen Jordá competed in the GP3 Series for three full seasons between 2012 and 2014, driving for Ocean Racing Technology, Bamboo Engineering, and Koiranen GP. This extensive track time gave her the longest consecutive run of any female driver during the GP3 era.
Despite her commitment to the series, her time on track proved difficult. Across 44 race starts, she consistently ran at the back of the grid and failed to score a single championship point, with her highest finish being a 13th place at Valencia in 2012.
Following her GP3 stint, she stepped out of the junior racing ladder to take on a Formula 1 development driver role with Lotus, making her one of 11 women in history to be included on a Formula 1 team’s driver line-up.
Samin Gómez
Venezuelan driver Samin Gómez entered the GP3 Series in 2013 following a solid stint in Formula Abarth. Driving for Jenzer Motorsport, she contested the full calendar and secured her career-best result almost immediately, finishing 13th at the season opener in Catalunya.
However, scoring points proved difficult in the highly competitive series, and she ended her rookie year 26th in the overall standings. Gómez later returned to the grid for a partial campaign with Campos Racing in 2015, but was unable to improve upon her previous results before ultimately stepping away from the championship.
Beitske Visser
Beitske Visser experienced only a fleeting taste of the GP3 Series, contesting a brief and fragmented campaign across two seasons. The Dutch driver made her debut with Hilmer Motorsport at the 2014 season opener in Barcelona, before returning the following year for a single outing with Trident at Spa-Francorchamps.
With just four GP3 starts to her name, her track time was too limited to mount a serious points challenge, recording a career-high finish of 15th at Spa. However, this brief tier-three stint did not define her racing trajectory; Visser later found massive success elsewhere, claiming the runner-up spot in the W Series twice and spending her primary endurance racing years competing with the all-female Richard Mille Racing Team.
Tatiana Calderón
Tatiana Calderón is arguably the most successful female driver of the GP3 era, contesting three consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2018. Driving for Arden, DAMS, and Jenzer Motorsport, the Colombian driver steadily built her momentum in the highly competitive spec series, successfully breaking into the top 10 multiple times during her 2016 campaign in Germany and Italy.
She truly hit her stride during her final GP3 season in 2018 with Jenzer Motorsport. Delivering her strongest tier-three campaign, she scored points in five out of nine rounds to finish 16th overall in the championship standings.
Beyond her race results, Calderón’s impact on the series continues today. She recently served as the official test driver for the next-generation Dallara F3 2025 chassis, helping ensure drivers of different body types can properly manage cockpit ergonomics without setup compromises.
Sophia Flörsch
Sophia Flörsch remains the only female driver to compete in the modern FIA F3 Championship era. Demonstrating immense resilience — particularly following her severe high-speed crash at Macau in 2018 — the German driver contested three separate F3 campaigns in 2020, 2023, and 2024, driving for Campos Racing, PHM Racing by Charouz, and Van Amersfoort Racing.
Her defining moment in the tier-three category came during the 2023 season at Spa-Francorchamps. Navigating treacherous, mixed-weather conditions, Flörsch fought her way through the dense field to secure a remarkable seventh-place finish. This historic drive made her the first woman to ever score points in the series.
The FIA F3 Test in Magny-Cours (2021 and 2022)
To create a bridge for female drivers climbing the single-seater ladder, the FIA held dedicates tests for women who were not actively racing in the FIA F3 championship. These tests were held at Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours, former home of the French GP until 2008, where drivers tested the Dallara F3 19.
2021 Class
Maya Weug
Maya Weug made history in 2021 as the first female driver inducted into the Ferrari Driver Academy, following her victory in the inaugural FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars programme. She later became the first woman to score points in the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA).
In F1 Academy, Weug established herself as a consistent frontrunner representing Ferrari. She claimed third place overall in 2024 with Prema Racing, which included her maiden single-seater win at Yas Marina. She then improved to finish as the championship runner-up in 2025 with MP Motorsport, adding three more race victories to her record.
Dorianne Pin
Doriane Pin has established herself as one of the most versatile rising talents in modern motorsport. After proving her pace in endurance racing with a Ferrari Challenge Europe title and a class win at the 24 Hours of Spa in 2022, the French driver transitioned into single-seaters and secured the 2025 F1 Academy World Championship.
Her consistent results across different racing disciplines have attracted major manufacturer backing. In 2026, she serves as a development driver for the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team (recently completing a historic test in their F1 machinery) while simultaneously racing LMP2 prototypes in the European Le Mans Series.
Nerea Marti
Spanish racing driver Nerea Martí has built her career by successfully balancing single-seater campaigns with GT racing. She proved her consistency in the F1 Academy, securing fourth place overall in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Campos Racing while collecting multiple podiums and a race victory.
Beyond formula cars, she established herself as a frontrunner in sportscars with BMW España Motorsport, claiming class victories in the Iberian Supercars Endurance series and earning a spot in the inaugural BMW M Racing Academy. Her cross-discipline track record recently led Andretti to appoint her as a team ambassador following successful Formula E test outings. This versatility extends beyond the track this year as she takes to the water to compete in the UIM E1 World Championship for LeBron James’ Team AlUla.
Irina Sidorkova
Russian racing driver Irina Sidorkova made a name for herself as a versatile talent who quickly transitioned from touring cars to international single-seaters. After securing the Russian Circuit Racing Series National Junior class championship in 2018, she stepped up to the SMP F4 and Spanish Formula 4 championships, consistently proving her pace.
In 2021, she became the youngest driver to qualify for the all-female W Series and successfully translated that opportunity into a podium finish at the Red Bull Ring during her rookie campaign. More recently, Sidorkova has expanded her repertoire by returning to the Russian Circuit Racing Series and endurance racing, competing as a frontrunner in both the GT4 category and in high-speed sports prototypes.
2022 Class
Abbi Pulling
British racing driver Abbi Pulling has rapidly cemented her reputation as a history-maker on the junior single-seater ladder. Backed by the Alpine Academy, she delivered a dominant, record-breaking campaign to secure the 2024 F1 Academy Championship with Rodin Motorsport, claiming nine victories and standing on the podium in every single race.
Her talent for breaking barriers extends well beyond the all-female series. Pulling made history as the first woman to win a race in the British F4 Championship and later repeated this groundbreaking feat in the GB3 Championship with a commanding pole-to-flag victory at Spa-Francorchamps in 2026. Alongside her formidable single-seater campaigns, she has expanded into electric racing, joining the Nissan Formula E Team as their official rookie and simulator driver.
Hamda Al Qubaisi
Emirati racing driver Hamda Al Qubaisi has consistently broken barriers across the junior single-seater ladder, establishing herself as the most successful female driver in mixed-gender Formula 4 competition.
She made history in 2021 by becoming the first woman to secure a podium finish in the highly competitive Italian F4 Championship, alongside collecting multiple race victories in the F4 UAE and F4 Saudi Arabian series. Competing with MP Motorsport, she proved her pace in the all-female F1 Academy, finishing third overall with four race wins in the inaugural 2023 season before returning in 2024 to represent Red Bull Racing.
Most recently, Al Qubaisi has broadened her motorsport career beyond single-seaters, successfully stepping into prototype sportscar racing with a campaign in the 2025 Ligier European Series.
Chloe Chambers
Chloe Chambers has quickly proven herself as a versatile and record-breaking talent across international single-seater and sportscar competition. A Guinness World Record holder for the fastest vehicle slalom, she transitioned successfully from early campaigns in the US F4 and W Series to become the first female pole-sitter and race winner in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
In F1 Academy, Chambers delivered two strong campaigns with Campos Racing, culminating in a standout 2025 season backed by the Red Bull Ford Academy Programme where she secured two victories, seven podiums, and four pole positions to claim third overall in the championship.
Recently expanding her repertoire into professional GT racing, she has since secured victories in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and stepped up to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with RAFA Racing in 2026.
Nerea Martí
Nerea Marti replaced the injured Tereza Babičková during the 2022 FIA Formula 3 women’s-only test at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cour.
The Future of Formula 3
Streamlining the fragmented regional series into GP3 and modern F3 provided a clearer path to F1. Yet, this feeder series remains a notoriously difficult category to break into. The last woman to race in the championship was Sophia Flörsch, and only seven women have ever raced in GP3 or F3.
Today, that landscape looks different. Rather than giving drivers a single day in an F3 car, F1 built a subsidised, F4-level series with direct team ties to properly prepare women for the junior single-seater pyramid. Manufacturer-backed programmes now give drivers like Doriane Pin the consistent mileage their predecessors lacked.
This signals a growing pipeline of female talent ready to step up. While securing a modern F3 seat still demands immense backing, the hope is we won’t have to wait long until we see the next female driver competing on the F3 grid.