Iron Dames to race in FRECA with Pin and García | GRR
Iron Dames has announced it will join the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine grid for the 2024 season, as the all-female motorsport team makes its first foray into single-seater racing.
The outfit’s newest signing, 2023 F1 Academy champion Marta García will race alongside Mercedes Junior Driver Doriane Pin in all ten races of the season, which begins at Hockenheim on 10th-12th May.
Pin had been scheduled to complete a full season of the World Endurance Championship as part of the Iron Dames’ entry, but she will now focus on her commitments in FRECA, with Rahel Frey set to reunite with her old team-mates at Spa, Austin, Sao Paulo, Fuji and Bahrain.
This announcement also confirms a change to García’s 2024 plans. She had been expected to race with Prema, but her new affinity with Iron Dames will see her race in magenta instead.
The FRECA series is positioned between Formula 4 and Formula 3, with a list of previous champions including Frederik Vesti, Dino Beganovic and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. This represents a big opportunity for both Pin and García to continue their progress up the ladder towards Formula 2 and Formula 1.
So far no announcement has been made on Pin’s continuing presence in F1 Academy, where she races as a representative of the Mercedes F1 team. She proved herself as the dominant driver during the first round of the season in Jeddah, only for a mistake at the finish to cost her maximum points from the weekend. There is one clash between the two calendars, as FRECA and F1 Academy are both scheduled to race on 21st-23rd June, we expect a decision on driver arrangements will be made in due course.
Pin said: “I feel grateful for this opportunity to participate in such a championship. I’m fully committed to this new challenge and can’t wait to be on track and make the most of it.
“It’s fantastic to take another important step in single-seater racing together with Iron Dames and Mercedes. Together with Marta, we aim to inspire young girls around the world to pursue their dreams fearlessly and embrace opportunities in racing.”
Her team-mate García added: “I’m really happy to join the new Iron Dames FRECA programme and I cannot wait for the season to start. I’m determined to work as hard as possible to make this project succeed, and by doing so, to really prove our potential.
“I also look forward to working with Doriane. I think we are a well-sorted combination and that we will work positively together to make the team and ourselves progress, learn and achieve”
This is the latest development of the Iron Dames, as the project continues to grow in stature with increased presence in endurance racing, rallying and now single-seaters. Deborah Mayer, founder of Iron Dames, said: I’m delighted that the Iron Dames project is entering FRECA with Doriane and Marta.
“Stepping into a new single-seater championship is another step in our drive to promote and develop the brightest female talent in motor racing. We look forward to seeing them rise to this challenge and continue their journey to the highest level.”