F1 Academy expands Rookie Test programme, announces 18 selected drivers

F1 Academy is set to expand its talent development programme in 2026 with the introduction of a new Rookie Training Camp, alongside the return of its Rookie Test - with the selection of the 18 drivers taking part in 2026 at Navarra in September.

Photo credits: F1 Academy Ltd

F1 Academy is set to expand its talent development programme in 2026 with the introduction of a new Rookie Training Camp, alongside the return of its Rookie Test, creating a broader initiative designed to identify and support the next generation of female single-seater talent.

Following the success of the inaugural Rookie Test in 2025, the series has partnered with Loughborough University to introduce a three-day training camp that will combine motorsport-specific preparation with scientific assessment and athlete development. The programme is intended not only to give promising young drivers an opportunity to demonstrate their potential behind the wheel, but also to provide them with a better understanding of the physical, cognitive and behavioural demands associated with progressing towards professional motorsport.

Eighteen drivers, all eligible to compete in F1 Academy in the future, have been selected for the programme. They will first attend the Rookie Training Camp at Loughborough University from 25–27 August before travelling to Circuito de Navarra in Spain for the on-track Rookie Test from 9–11 September.

The initiative represents an evolution of the approach introduced by F1 Academy last year, when the first Rookie Test gave a selection of emerging female drivers their first opportunity to experience current-generation F1 Academy machinery. The 2026 programme places considerably greater emphasis on development away from the circuit, with the objective of helping drivers understand what is required to succeed in an increasingly professional and competitive environment.

During the Rookie Training Camp, the 18 participants will undergo a series of assessments covering several aspects of athletic performance, including physiological profiling, cognitive testing and VALD performance screening. The drivers will also take part in seminars and interactive workshops delivered by specialists from Loughborough University.

The collaboration therefore extends beyond simply identifying the fastest drivers. By assessing physical and cognitive characteristics alongside their performance on track, F1 Academy and Loughborough University aim to build a more comprehensive picture of the development requirements facing young female racers. The programme will therefore generate research and performance data that could contribute to a broader understanding of female athlete development, particularly in the transition from karting to single-seaters that presents a combination of physical, technical and psychological challenges.

Katie Denver, F1 Academy's Performance & Talent Development Manager, described the initiative as a natural progression from the inaugural Rookie Test, highlighting the depth of talent now emerging through the female racing pathway and the importance of creating opportunities for those drivers to demonstrate their potential.

The on-track portion of the programme at Circuito de Navarra will similarly offer the selected drivers more than track time. Before getting behind the wheel, participants will be immersed in the operational environment of an F1 Academy team, observing driver briefings and engineering meetings and gaining an understanding of how a professional junior single-seater operation functions.

The programme will ultimately culminate with the drivers taking to the track in F1 Academy machinery, providing the opportunity to demonstrate the skills developed during the preceding stages.

Photo credits: F1 Academy Ltd

The 2026 selection also highlights the increasingly international nature of the talent pool, with participants representing Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa, and arriving from a wide variety of racing backgrounds.

Among the youngest participants is 15-year-old Jordyn Martin, who has emerged as the leading female driver in the 2026 GB4 Championship. The American made the move from karting and the US-based Ligier Junior Formula Championship to European single-seaters this season and immediately impressed, recording her first top-ten finish at Oulton Park before producing a career-best seventh at Donington Park. She has scored points in 11 of the opening 15 races and currently leads the female entries in GB4 with 80 points.

Brazilian Victoria Farfus, also 15, is another driver making her first full season in cars in 2026. The daughter of racing driver Augusto Farfus and a member of the Iron Dames family, Farfus was previously selected for the F1 Academy Champions of the Future programme in karting before making the transition to car racing in the UK Ginetta Junior Championship, where she has already recorded a personal-best 11th-place finish. She has also begun testing F4 machinery.

A returning participant is Zoe Florescu Potolea, who has already made her F1 Academy debut as a wild card at Zandvoort this season. The Romanian's extensive karting career included winning the junior selection of the FIA Girls On Track Rising Stars programme in 2022, followed by support from Ferrari. Now in her first full season of Formula 4, Florescu has competed in F4 Spain as well as selected rounds of the Formula Winter Series, Eurocup-4 and Italian F4. Her F1 Academy wild-card appearance at Zandvoort offered an especially strong demonstration of her potential. Florescu qualified seventh on her debut weekend, only to be relegated to the back of the grid because of an engine-lubricant mistake by the team. Despite the setback, she recovered to 11th in Race 1.

The Netherlands is represented by Rosanne Den Drijver and Eva Dorrestijn, with Den Drijver enjoying a particularly impressive first season in single-seaters. After an extensive karting career, the 17-year-old has competed in Nordic 4 and Italian F4, while already winning three races and scoring eight podiums in Nordic 4. Dorrestijn, meanwhile, returns to the Rookie Test for a second year after her first experience of a formula car came during the 2025 edition.

The selection also includes Luna Fluxa, one of the most highly regarded young female prospects in the world. The 16-year-old Spaniard became the first female driver signed to the Mercedes F1 junior programme and won the 2024 Champions of the Future Academy programme, becoming the first woman since 1966 to win an international FIA karting title. Her first season in cars has already produced an overall podium in Eurocup-4 at Portimão and points in both the winter series and Spanish F4.

Japan is represented by Sara Matsui and Kokoro Sato, two drivers following different but increasingly prominent routes through the Japanese and international racing scenes. Matsui, who previously enjoyed Williams Academy support, has multiple domestic karting titles and moved to Europe to develop internationally, becoming the youngest-ever driver in the all-female Kyojo Cup when she stepped into cars in 2026. Sato, meanwhile, has competed in Kyojo Cup since 2024 and finished fourth in the championship in 2025 after taking two podiums; she has already added three podium finishes during the 2026 season.

Kareen Kaur, 16, is another driver breaking new ground, having become the first female F4 driver from Singapore. After scoring points in Indian F4 in 2025, she has also gained experience in Malaysian touring cars.

The nordic contingent includes Sweden's Alexia Danielsson and Milla Sjöstrand, and Finland's Ella Lähdemaa. Danielsson is racing in F4 CEZ in her rookie season and has already scored five top-15 finishes, including a sixth-place best result, while Sjöstrand has progressed from international karting and repeated FIA Girls On Track Rising Stars selections to single-seaters, where she has already taken four podiums in Nordic 4 in 2026. Lähdemaa brings international karting experience and participation in the Champions of the Future Academy programme, while she was also selected for the Kyojo Cup selection event at Fuji earlier this year.

The group is completed by a number of drivers who have followed less conventional routes into single-seaters. Clara Stiebleichinger, 21, had no previous karting background before entering Formula 4, yet immediately demonstrated strong potential after making her racing debut in Indian F4 in 2025, where she achieved a fourth-place finish. She has since moved into the French F4 Championship and is currently the highest-placed female driver in its standings, having scored an overall point.

Also from French F4, Ginevra Panzeri started competitive karting only in 2024, but she has progressed rapidly through the junior single-seater ranks. After making her formula racing debut in the 2025 Formula Winter Series and also competing in the E4 Championship, she has expanded her programme significantly in 2026, racing across the Formula Winter Series, Italian F4, French F4 and F4 CEZ. Her strongest results have included a top-ten finish in the Formula Winter Series and, most notably, a breakthrough weekend in French F4 at Dijon, where she fought towards the front and secured a sixth-place finish.

Carmen Kraav of Estonia has built her experience through karting before moving into touring cars, the BMW M2 Cup and NLS endurance racing, while Sofia Zanfari of Morocco arrives with an extensive international karting background and experience in the Champions of the Future Academy programme. Zanfari made her single-seater debut in French F4 in 2025 and has continued to progress during her second season, recording seven top-20 finishes from the first 12 races.

American Yana Kapoor, meanwhile, combines her racing career with engineering studies and has competed internationally in the Champions of the Future Academy programme before making her single-seater debut in Formula Pro USA this year.

Canada's Autumn Fisher brings another unusual sporting background, having originally competed in gymnastics before taking up karting in 2024. She subsequently progressed into high-level American karting before entering French F4 in 2026. She has already recorded six top-20 finishes and a best result of 12th, while also returning to F1 Academy after participating in last year's Rookie Test and subsequently receiving a wild-card opportunity at the Canadian round in 2026, where she finished 11th in Race 1.

The 2026 Rookie Training Camp will therefore be the first stage of a process that combines education, assessment and preparation, before the selected drivers get their opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in F1 Academy machinery at Navarra in September.