FORMULA ONE is set to create their own all-female racing championship to help women drivers reach the top tier of motorsport.
SunSport understands that F1 are looking to work with the existing Formula 3 teams to attract drivers who are under 16.
The series could be up and running by as early as next season with the aim of having between 12 and 15 cars on the grid.
The international championship is looking to exist along with the WSeries, which currently forms part of the F1 schedule.
However, the championship was forced to cancel the final two races of their season due to funding.
F1 have not provided any further details when asked by SunSport but said it was committed to ensuring greater opportunity for talented women drivers to progress and reach the top levels.
Italian Giovanna Amati was the last female to compete in F1 but she failed to qualify for three races in 1992.
Lella Lombardi was the last woman to race in a full F1 race and finished 12th in the 1976 Austrian GP.
In February, Caitlyn Jenner entered her team into WSeries.
Jenner has praised the women-only events, but wanted to see a woman driver offered the chance to compete in F1.
She told Miami GP: “It’s so hard for women to move up the ladder. They can drive, it’s not the driving.
“It’s attracting the right sponsors, it’s about all the things outside of racing that you have to get right.
“And these girls deserve this. The W series is a development series, I want to see a woman in Formula One.
“We haven’t had that in over forty-something years. And they deserve to be there, and so I’m very excited about it.”
