Reema Juffali takes first F1 Academy wildcard spot in Jeddah | GRR
Reema Juffali will line up on the F1 Academy grid for the opening round of the 2024 season as the wildcard entry in Jeddah.
Wildcards will feature in F1 Academy throughout 2024. Juffali will be the first driver to take up the seat in the Prema-run 16th entry and will be eligible to score points in the drivers’ championship.
In a statement, the 32-year-old Saudi Arabian said it was “an honour and a privilege to be representing my country, especially in my hometown.”
“The day F1 arrived in Jeddah was the clash of both my worlds and now I am actually going to be participating! I’m really looking forward to it and happy to share the experience with my friends and family who are based here.
“Hopefully Saudi fans can see that there is a Saudi racing driver out there and it will get them to thinking that ‘this is something I can do’. It is for this reason I have decided to take this challenge on. This is just the beginning.”
Juffali made history in 2018 when she became the first female racing driver from Saudi Arabia with five appearances in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship. A move to British F4 for the next two seasons reaped plenty of points finishes, but her best result to date was in Formula 4 UAE where she was a regular top-ten contender, eventually finishing up eighth in the championship.
A move to endurance racing in 2022 saw her finish second in class at the Dubai 24 Hours. She also founded her own team, Theeba Motorsport, with the goal of improving access for Saudi Arabians trying to get into motorsport. Victory in the 2022 International GT Open made Juffali the first Saudi woman to win an international motor race.
Her appearance in F1 Academy will provide her with a brand-new global platform to showcase her talents in front of the most important motorsport paddock in the world.
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.