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 | 12 | Alba Hurup Larsen | Ferrari | TBC | [4] |
| TBA | TBC | N/a | TBC | ||
| TBA | TBC | N/a | TBC | ||
| Rodin Motorsport | 20 | Ella Lloyd | McLaren | TBC | [5] |
| TBA | Ella Stevens | N/a[a] | TBC | [5] | |
| TBA | TBC | N/a | TBC | ||
| ART Grand Prix | TBA | Lisa Billard | N/a | TBC | [6] |
| TBA | Kaylee Countryman | Haas | TBC | [7] | |
| TBA | Jade Jacquet | Williams | TBC | [8] | |
| Prema Racing | TBA | Mathilda Paatz | Aston Martin | TBC | [9] |
| TBA | TBC | N/a | TBC | ||
| TBA | TBC | N/a | TBC | ||
| TBC | 18 | Rafaela Ferreira | Racing Bulls | TBC | [10] |
| 21 | Alisha Palmowski | Red Bull Racing | TBC | [10] | |
| TBA | Esmee Kosterman | N/a | TBC | [11] | |
| TBA | TBC | Alpine | TBC | ||
| TBA | TBC | Mercedes | TBC | ||
| TBA | TBC | Audi | TBC | ||
| Sources: | |||||
Driver changes
- Campos Racing's Chloe Chambers left the series, having reached her two-year limit.[12]
- Alba Hurup Larsen remained with MP Motorsport but switched to Ferrari, taking over from title runner-up Maya Weug.[4]
- Rodin Motorsport swapped 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.[5][13]
- Zandvoort wildcard driver Esmee Kosterman will make her full-season debut with an undisclosed team and Lego sponsorship.[11]
- ART Grand Prix lost both Lia Block, who returned to rallying, and Aurelia Nobels.[14] 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.[6][8] 16-year-old Kaylee Countryman moved over from USF Juniors and into the Haas seat, previously occupied by Courtney Crone.[7]
- Prema Racing saw reigning champion Doriane Pin and Tina Hausmann leave the series. Montreal wildcard driver Mathilda Paatz replaced Hausmann as the new Aston Martin-backed driver.[9]
Calendar
The calendar for the 2026 season was announced on 10 December 2025. All seven rounds will support the 2026 Formula One World Championship.[15]
| 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 | 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:[15] | |||
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 "Alba Larsen to Compete in F1 Academy in 2026 with Scuderia Ferrari HP colors". Ferrari. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ^ 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 "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 "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 Cleeren, Filip (20 November 2025). "LEGO to release F1 Academy car, field team on 2026 grid". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Wood, Ida (5 February 2024). "F1 Academy to limit drivers to two seasons". Formula Scout. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ 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". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 10 December 2025.