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W Series frontrunner Alice Powell has joined the Alpine Formula 1 team as a talent identification and development mentor.
Powell, runner-up in W Series last season, “will focus primarily on scouting young female talent across all junior series, assessing their potential and analysing how to integrate into the Academy or Affiliate programme” according to Alpine’s announcement.
“More and more opportunities for women within motorsport are emerging now, but budding drivers often lack guidance and experience in the early days of their career,” said Powell.
“The Alpine Academy is an extremely useful stepping stone for all drivers. It provides a sense of credibility and has a defined place on the motorsport ladder.
“Mentoring is very important. We need to change the mindset of young women that these opportunities do exist, but to also give them the resilience to reach out and grab these opportunities with both hands.”
During the winter Powell’s protege Abbi Pulling – pictured training with Powell above – was brought into Alpine’s ‘Affiliate’ programme, a secondary level of its Academy scheme that offers “professional support” to drivers early in their careers. Pulling demonstrated an Alpine-liveried 2012 Lotus F1 car on the streets of Riyadh in the build-up to this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Watch as @aseel_alhamad and @AbbiPulling become first-ever women to drive F1 cars in Saudi Arabia.#DriveYourOwnDestiny #SaudiArabianGP @VisitSaudiNow pic.twitter.com/hL041br1kM
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) March 24, 2022
Pulling – who contests her first full W Series season in 2022 after starring in a partial 2021 programme – joins 2019 French Formula 4 champion turned Formula Regional European frontrunner Hadrien David, Bulgarian 15-year-old Nikola Tsolov (a winner in his first weekend of car racing in Spanish F4 on Sunday) and 14-year-old Japanese karter Kean Nakamura Berta.
Powell’s two titles in junior car racing were both in Alpine’s parent brand Renault’s championships – the 2010 Formula Renault BARC series and 2014 Formula Renault Asia.
Alpine’s overall junior line-up is among the strongest among current F1 talent academy programmes.
It’s headlined by reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri, who is its F1 reserve this year.
Current F3 championship leader Victor Martins, last year’s F3 runner-up Jack Doohan, F2 rookie Olli Caldwell and current F3 racer Caio Collet make up the current Alpine Academy roster.
