Lilo Elise Veriliff is betting on the Formula One Academy

Lilo Elise Fyrileiv (19) has a clear goal: She wants to drive in the women’s Formula 1 series in 2024.

– I have ambitions, but I need sponsors, the woman’s son smiles.

We meet at her current job, Son Spa. But even though she lives in the wooden houses and alleys by the Oslofjord, Lilo wants to get out into the big world.

– F1 Academy, she says dreamily.

-???

– The new women’s series, where the goal is to bring female drivers to Formula 1.

There is still a way to go. First, you’ll be driving in the Supercar Challenge series, with the first race taking place in Dutch Assen this weekend.

– It will be very exciting. I look to the future!

Veriliev was involved in swimming, horseback riding, and soccer. Then it was go-karts. You did so well there that you were the only girl in the world finals in the so-called KZ class twice.

Therefore, it is completely new for her to sit in the car.

– It will be a new beginning, you say.

– He explains!

– New car, new team, new tracks.

Then comes the factual information on a rolling tape:

– I will drive a typical car. Braga R1t. 380 hp. 640 kilos. The maximum speed is 275 km / h and a lot of «downforcedownforceVehicle ground pressure.».

– The prototype?

– It’s the kind of car they use for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but it’s a little smaller. I drive a small sports car. I actually went to the Donington track and tested it. It was very exciting! I’ve never driven so fast before.

She carries a pink helmet under her arm.

– I wanted to bring something feminine. I’ve had a black helmet before. I had to bring out some pink to show that I’m a girl.

Dad Floki Fyrileiv is proud of his daughter. He was the one who took it to the go-kart circuit. intervene:

They were very impressed by Lilo when she auditioned for Idola. And the director of Arden Motorsport came over and said he liked it. His name is Gary Horner and he is Christian’s father – the Red Bull Formula 1 boss.

While we’re in the Formula 1 bosses’ circle: Horner’s rival, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, has a wife named Susie Wolff. She is the head of the F1 Academy – the series that Lilo Elise Fyrileiv dreams of driving next season.

Dad again:

– The arrangement for the F1 Academy in 2024 will be so that each of the five Formula 2 teams will have three drivers. All ten Formula 1 teams choose a driver from the academy who will be under their “wings” in the same colors and decor. The remaining five drivers will have other agreements not yet settled, 15 drivers in total.

– They drive Formula 4 cars, but with slightly different wings. Formula 1 gets in and covers half the budget. It would cost us about NOK three million to drive there. What is new and exciting for next year is that the races will take place with the Formula 1 circus, not many races, but a few, and that could mean again telecasts.

But both father and daughter realize that the eye of a needle is small:

– We know it’s going to be tough, but we’re aggressive and we’ll work hard for it, says Floki Fyrileiv.

Lilo Elise Verileve has no qualms about being involved in “everything.”

– I’ve already shown what I’m good at in go-karts.

How does it feel to be a girl in this male-dominated environment?

– I have always been greeted favorably. They think it’s really cool that I’m driving so fast. It’s a little “weird” for a girl to drive so fast and she knows what boys can do. But everyone is positive, which is a great motivator.

Therefore, its first Supercar Challenge race will take place at the famous Assen circuit in the Netherlands this weekend. There she collaborates with Ed Bridle. Its coach, Rodolfo González, was a former Formula 1 test driver.

Note: Where did the name “Lilo” come from? It is taken from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, which takes place in Hawaii. Dad Floki trained as a helicopter pilot there, after which the whole family lived in Hawaii and ran a coffee plantation.