Alba Hurup Larsen joins Ferrari Driver Academy

16-year-old Danish racer Alba Hurup Larsen has been announced as a 2026 Ferrari Driver Academy recruit following an impressive debut season in F1 Academy and British F4.

Photo credits: JEP

F1 Academy and British F4 driver Alba Hurup Larsen has been announced as one of the new recruits to the Ferrari Driver Academy.

The young Danish racer, 16, is one of the youngest drivers on the F1 Academy grid and is currently in her rookie season in single seaters. Despite her limited experience, she has already been the protagonist of a remarkable campaign, collecting five top-five finishes in eight starts, has finished in the points in every race except one and currently sits sixth in the championship standings.

In the all-female championship, Larsen has partnered with fashion giant Tommy Hilfiger, serving as a brand ambassador both on and off the track through various promotional initiatives.

Competing in a dual campaign in the Challenge Cup of British F4, Larsen has secured five class podiums—her best overall finish being eleventh. She currently ranks fourth in the Challenge Cup standings, racing for Chris Dittmann Racing in a season aimed at gaining valuable mileage and experience in her first full-time year in race cars.

Larsen rose to international attention at the end of 2023, when she won the final edition of the prestigious FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars selection, a program that has helped launch the careers of drivers such as Maya Weug, Doriane Pin, Laura Camps, Antonella Bassani, and Aurelia Nobels. Both Weug and Nobels went on to join the Ferrari Driver Academy.

While Larsen was not immediately enrolled into the FDA program, she made her racing debut in the Indian F4 Championship in August 2024, joining Speed Demons Delhi for the first two rounds. At Madras International Circuit, she scored her first points finish, and at the following round on the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit—her first outing on a street circuit—she twice finished in the top ten, including a top-six result, outperforming more experienced competitors.

She has since continued to impress with her rapid development in F1 Academy, consistently running near the front in both qualifying and races. Larsen finished fourth in her debut weekend in Shanghai, followed by two fifth-place results in Jeddah and two more in Montreal. She missed the top ten only in the single race held in Miami.

The talented young racer has now been officially confirmed as one of the two new recruits to the Ferrari Driver Academy, set to join the Maranello-based program from 1st January 2026. After winning the Senior class of the Girls on Track – Rising Stars programme at age 14, Larsen was closely monitored by FDA experts throughout 2024. Following a highly promising start to her single-seater career, she has now earned her place in one of motorsport’s most prestigious development programs.