2026 F1 Academy season
The 2026 F1 Academy season will be the fourth edition of F1 Academy, an all-female, Formula 4–level, open-wheel racing championship founded and organized by Formula Motorsport Limited. For the third year running, it will support selected rounds of the FIA Formula One World Championship. 10 of the 18 cars will sport liveries sponsored by 10 of the 11 Formula One teams, with new entrant Cadillac supporting an eleventh F1 Academy livery starting in 2027.[1]
Three-time champion Prema Racing will enter the season as the defending teams' champion.
Entries
F1 Academy is a spec series; all teams competing with an identical Tatuus F4-T421 chassis and tyre compounds developed by Pirelli. Each car is powered by a 123-kilowatt (165 hp) turbocharged 4-cylinder engine developed by Autotecnica.[2][3]
| Full season entries | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | No. | Driver | Supporting F1 team | Rounds | Ref. |
 MP Motorsport
|
3 | Nina Gademan
|
 Alpine
|
TBC | [4] |
| 12 |  Alba Hurup Larsen
|
 Ferrari
|
TBC | [5] | |
| 32 | Esmee Kosterman
|
N/a | TBC | [6][7] | |
 Rodin Motorsport
|
5 |  Emma Felbermayr
|
 Audi
|
TBC | [8] |
| 20 |  Ella Lloyd
|
McLaren
|
TBC | [9] | |
| 28 | Ella Stevens
|
N/a[a] | TBC | [9] | |
| Hitech
|
55 |  Ava Dobson
|
N/a | TBC | [10] |
| 56 | Rachel Robertson
|
N/a | TBC | [11] | |
| ART Grand Prix
|
TBA | Lisa Billard
|
N/a | TBC | [12] |
| TBA | Kaylee Countryman
|
Haas
|
TBC | [13] | |
| TBA | Jade Jacquet
|
Williams
|
TBC | [14] | |
| Prema Racing
|
TBA | Mathilda Paatz
|
Aston Martin
|
TBC | [15] |
| TBA | Payton Westcott
|
Mercedes
|
TBC | [16] | |
| TBA |  TBC
|
N/a | TBC | ||
 Campos Racing
|
TBA | TBC
|
N/a | TBC | |
| TBA | TBC
|
N/a | TBC | ||
| TBA | TBC
|
N/a | TBC | ||
| TBC
|
18 |  Rafaela Ferreira
|
Racing Bulls
|
TBC | [17] |
| 21 | Alisha Palmowski
|
Red Bull Racing
|
TBC | [17] | |
| Wildcard entries | |||||
| Hitech
|
TBA |  Shi Wei
|
N/a | TBC | [18] |
| Sources:[19] | |||||
Driver changes
- Prema Racing saw reigning champion Doriane Pin move to European Le Mans Series LMP2 with Duqueine Team, Nina Gademan moved to MP Motorsport, and Tina Hausmann leave the series.[20][4] Montreal wildcard driver Mathilda Paatz replaced Hausmann as the new Aston Martin-backed driver, while Las Vegas wildcard driver Payton Westcott succeeded Pin in the Mercedes seat.[15][16]
- Campos Racing's Chloe Chambers left the series, having reached her two-year limit.[21]
- Joanne Ciconte left the series to compete in Kyojo Cup with KCMG.[22] Alba Hurup Larsen remained with MP Motorsport but switched to Ferrari, taking over from title runner-up Maya Weug.[5] The team signed Alpine Academy driver Nina Gademan, who finished 6th with Prema Racing.[4] Zandvoort wildcard driver Esmee Kosterman will make her full-season debut with MP Motorsport and Lego sponsorship.[6][7]
- Rodin Motorsport replaced Chloe Chong with new McLaren junior Ella Stevens, backed by McLaren Oxagon. Stevens will be making her single-seater debut after topping the 2025 rookie test.[9][23]
- ART Grand Prix lost both Lia Block, who returned to rallying, and Aurelia Nobels.[24] They replaced them with a pair of French F4 graduates in Singapore wildcard driver Lisa Billard, who retained the support of Gatorade, and Jade Jacquet, who succeeded Block as the Williams-backed driver.[12][14] 16-year-old Kaylee Countryman moved over from USF Juniors and into the Haas seat, previously occupied by Courtney Crone.[13]
- Hitech will have an all-new line up, as Aiva Anagnostiadis was replaced by her Las Vegas substitute driver Rachel Robertson, who secured Puma sponsorship. Miami wildcard entry Ava Dobson took over from Nicole Havrda as the American Express-supported driver.[11][10]
Wildcard entries
- Chinese driver Shi Wei will return to race as the wildcard entry for the first round in Shanghai.[18]
Calendar
The calendar for the 2026 season was announced on 10 December 2025. All seven rounds will support the 2026 Formula One World Championship.[25]
| Round | Circuit | Race 1 | Race 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai
|
14 March | 15 March |
| 2 |  Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah
|
18 April | 19 April |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
|
23 May | 24 May |
| 4 | Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
|
4 July | 5 July |
| 5 | Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort
|
22 August | 23 August |
| 6 | Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
|
24 October | 25 October |
| 7 | Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Paradise, Nevada
|
20 November | 21 November |
| Source:[25] | |||
Calendar changes
The Silverstone Circuit was added to the calendar for the first time and the Circuit of the Americas was reinstated, having previously appeared in the 2023 F1 Academy season. These tracks replaced the Miami International Autodrome and the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Notes
- ^ Although Stevens is a McLaren Driver Development Programme member, her entry is not directly supported by the F1 team.
References
- ^ "All F1 teams reaffirm commitment to F1 ACADEMY". Formula 1. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ "F1 Academy - Rules and Regulations". F1 Academy. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "F1 ACADEMY drives forward with full F1 team support in continued multi-year partnership". F1 Academy. 13 November 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Nina Gademan and MP Motorsport join forces for F1 Academy attack in 2026". MP Motorsport. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Alba Larsen to Compete in F1 Academy in 2026 with Scuderia Ferrari HP colors". Ferrari. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ^ a b Cleeren, Filip (20 November 2025). "LEGO to release F1 Academy car, field team on 2026 grid". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ a b Jaeggi, Erwin (30 January 2026). "MP Motorsport runt LEGO-auto van Esmee Kosterman in F1 Academy". Motorsport.com (in Dutch). Motorsport Network. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ^ "Emma Felbermayr continues with Rodin Motorsport to complete 2026 F1 Academy lineup". Rodin Motorsport. 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ a b c Mitchell-Malm, Scott (17 November 2025). "Ella Hakkinen joins expanded McLaren female driver programme". The Race. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ a b "American Express confirms Ava Dobson for 2026 F1 ACADEMY campaign". F1 - The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ a b Mee, Lydia (13 January 2026). "PUMA announces 2026 F1 Academy driver after impressive 2025 stand-in performance". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Lisa Billard earns full-time seat in F1 Academy at ART GP with Gatorade support". Racers - Behind the Helmet. 20 November 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ a b "MoneyGram Haas F1 Team Announces Kaylee Countryman to Race in 2026 F1 Academy Season". Haas F1 Team. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Jade Jacquet to drive for Atlassian Williams Racing in F1 Academy". Williams Racing. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Aston Martin Aramco announces Mathilda Paatz as its 2026 F1 ACADEMY representative and Driver Academy member". Aston Martin F1 Team. 29 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b Coleman, Madeline (9 February 2026). "16-year-old American Payton Westcott to represent Mercedes in 2026 F1 Academy season". The New York Times. The Athletic. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Red Bull Racing's Alisha Palmowski and Racing Bulls' Rafaela Ferreira retained for 2026 campaign". F1 Academy. 20 November 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Shi Wei returns as first 2026 F1 ACADEMY Wild Card driver". F1 Academy. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Teams & Drivers - F1 ACADEMY™ Racing Series". F1 Academy. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "Doriane Pin will compete in the ELMS with Duqueine in LMP2 PRO/AM". autohebdof1. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Wood, Ida (5 February 2024). "F1 Academy to limit drivers to two seasons". Formula Scout. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ "2026 KYOJO CUPエントリーリスト". Kyojo Cup (in Japanese). 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ Du Manoir, Louise (20 September 2025). "Ella Stevens : qui est la jeune pilote avec le meilleur temps du Rookie Test ?". AutoHebdo (in French). Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ Evans, David (24 November 2025). "Lia Block leaves F1 Academy and targets WRC". DirtFish. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b "F1 ACADEMY unveils calendar for 2026 season". Formula 1. Retrieved 10 December 2025.