F1 Academy names 18 rising stars for first-ever Rookie Test at Navarra
- RACERS
- Sep 11
- 7 min read
F1 Academy has announced the 18 young female drivers who will take part in the series’ first-ever rookie test, set for 17–18 September at Circuito de Navarra, aimed at finding the stars of tomorrow. Discover the selected drivers and their backgrounds.
F1 Academy has announced the 18 young female drivers who will take part in the series’ first-ever rookie test, set for 17–18 September at Circuito de Navarra. The initiative follows substantial global interest and is designed to evaluate and develop the best emerging talent eligible for a seat in the 2026 season.
Taking place alongside official F1 Academy testing, the rookie test will ensure that the most promising drivers — all aged between 15 and 21 — can showcase their skills on equal terms. Each of the 18 participants has been selected on the basis of potential, experience, and eligibility for future competition in the championship.
On the opening day, participants will be embedded within an F1 Academy team, observing engineering briefings and joining driver meetings, while also undertaking physical and cognitive testing delivered by the series’ Official Driver Performance & Research Partner, More Than Equal. The assessments will provide each driver with detailed feedback on strength, endurance, and cognition, while also contributing to a wider evidence-base aimed at better supporting female drivers across motorsport.
The programme will conclude with a full day of on-track testing, offering each driver six hours of testing in F1 Academy machinery under identical conditions. The initiative will also help identify potential Wild Card candidates for 2026.
“Supporting F1 Academy in delivering important physical and cognitive assessments at this rookie test reflects our shared mission to ensure that the most talented female drivers are given the tools, data, and opportunities they need to succeed", Tom Stanton, CEO of More Than Equal, commented.
"By combining research-led insights with real track experience, we are not only helping individual drivers unlock their potential but also building the knowledge base required to strengthen the entire pipeline of female talent in motorsport."
The lineup features an exciting mix of drivers with varied backgrounds, from F4 racers, to karting champions and GT racers, each bringing a unique path into the rookie test. While most have recently completed F4 testing in preparation, the list includes several karting prospects aiming to make their transition to cars and single seaters.
Lisa Billard (France)
At just 15 years old, Lisa Billard is one of the most exciting female prospects in regional F4 championships. Currently leading the French F4 Female Trophy, she is already part of the Iron Dames’ development programme and previously part of the Alpine Rac(H)er initiative. Billard was a finalist in the 2022 FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars selection before making her single-seater debut in French F4 in 2024 — as soon as she became eligible. She contested the second half of that season, with a best result of P16 at Magny-Cours. In 2025 she scored her first points with ninth place at Spa-Francorchamps, and has regularly fought within the top ten, often showing pace that went unrewarded due to bad luck.
Annabelle Brian (Netherlands)
Dutch racer Annabelle Brian stepped up from karting to French F4 in 2025, following multiple karting titles in the Netherlands and Belgium. In her rookie campaign she quickly proved competitive, narrowly missing the top 10 at the Nogaro season-opener and taking another P12 at Spa. Despite some misfortune, Brian has collected Female Trophy silverware and tested F4 machinery pre-season with MP Motorsport. The 16 year old is therefore aiming to continue the progression in single seaters.
Jade Jacquet (France)
Another 15-year-old rookie in French F4, Jade Jacquet has made a solid debut in 2025. Her standout performance so far was a P12 finish at Nogaro, while she has secured nine top-20 results from her first 12 races in cars, alongside several Female Trophy podiums.
Megan Bruce (United Kingdom)
Now in her second season of GB4, 20-year-old Megan Bruce is one of the most consistent female drivers in the British-based single-seater championship. She debuted in 2024 before moving to KMR Sport in 2025, where she currently leads the female contingent in the standings. Bruce has taken a best finish of P4 and has scored points in 12 races so far this year. With GB4 offering prize fund opportunities towards an F1 Academy seat, Bruce is well positioned to make the step.
Payton Westcott (United States)
US American teenager Payton Westcott, 16, is contesting a busy first year in cars across Italian F4, the E4 Championship and the Formula Winter Series. A graduate of the Champions of the Future Academy Program — supported by F1 Academy’s Discover Your Drive initiative — Westcott has already secured six Female Trophy wins in Italian F4. Her best overall results so far are P20 at both Misano and Imola, as she gains valuable mileage in one of Europe’s most competitive junior championships.
Michalina Sabaj (Poland)
Racing in the F4 Central European Zone, Michalina Sabaj is in her second year in the series. She graduated from karting in 2024 and immediately impressed with three top-five finishes and fifth overall in the standings, highlighted by P4 at the Salzburgring. In 2025 she has added two further top-10 results, again at the Salzburgring.
Imogen Radburn (Australia)
Australian racer Imogen Radburn, 19, has emerged as one of the leading drivers in her home country’s F4 championship. After a strong karting career, she made her single-seater debut in Formula Ford in 2022 before graduating to F4 in 2024, where she quickly scored top-five finishes and her first podium at Sydney Motorsport Park. She ended that season sixth overall. Returning in 2025 with AGI Sport, Radburn started the year with three consecutive podiums at the opening round, added another P2 and P3 at later events, and currently sits fourth in the standings despite missing a round. She has also tested F4 machinery in Europe with Rodin Motorsport.
Emma Scarbrough (United States)
Seventeen-year-old American Emma Scarbrough began karting in 2019 and progressed through the ROK and SKUSA ladder before moving into single-seaters. After preparing with the YACademy Winter Series, she debuted in USF Juniors in 2025, where she has shown consistent top-10 speed, securing a best finish of eighth at Mid-Ohio. She also tested F4 machinery with Campos Racing in Spain in 2024. Scarbrough’s rookie test will be supported by the KICK Sauber F1 Team.
Alexia Danielsson (Sweden)
Sixteen-year-old Swede Alexia Danielsson is in her second season of Nordic4, the Scandinavian F4-level championship, where she has shown marked improvement. After progressing from karting to the Aquila Formula 1000 — taking a podium and pole position in 2023 — Danielsson became a consistent top-10 finisher in 2024. This season she has already claimed six consecutive top-10s, including P4 at Ring Djursland. Danielsson has also been part of the Porsche Racing Apprentice program and made headlines by winning on her Porsche Sprint Challenge Scandinavia debut in a 718 Cayman GT4.
Alexandra Hervé (France)
Nineteen-year-old Alexandra Hervé has one of the most varied CVs of the rookie test field. She previously raced in the 2023 Formula Renault Cup by TTE, then scored two fourth-place finishes in the Ultimate Cup Series in the very demanding Formula Regional Tatuus. In 2024 she added SuperKarts to her schedule, before joining the 2025 Indian Racing League against international racing stars — where she scored a top-five finish on debut.
Alexandra Vateva (Bulgaria)
Despite no prior single-seater experience, 21-year-old Alexandra Vateva is already a proven racer in GT competitions. Signed to the Iron Dames-supported programme, the Bulgarian has progressed rapidly from karting to GT4 and then into the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car. She scored a victory at Hockenheim in the Porsche Sports Cup Germany in 2024, added wins in the Sprint Challenge Benelux, and became the first woman to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East in 2025. She has since claimed rookie podiums in Carrera Cup Benelux and is preparing for a debut in Carrera Cup Germany.
Rachel Robertson (United Kingdom)
Eighteen-year-old Rachel Robertson began racing in 2022 in British karting before stepping into the Finecut Radical Cup UK in 2025. There she immediately impressed with multiple top-five results and a first podium at Brands Hatch. Robertson won a scholarship shootout in late 2024, earning her place with Wera Alliance Racing, and has recently completed her first F4 tests.
Natalia Granada (Spain)
Seventeen-year-old Spaniard Natalia Granada began karting at 11 and competed in elite IAME international karting competitions. In 2024 she debuted in cars with Iron Dames in the Ligier European Series’ JS2R category, finishing seventh at Mugello.
Ella Stevens (United Kingdom)
At 18, Ella Stevens brings one of the strongest karting pedigrees to the rookie test. She is a double English KZ2 champion, 2025 British KZ2 vice-champion, and the only female to win a race in the UK’s premier karting class. Stevens has also won the British BirelART Cadet Championship, competed in SuperKarts, and tested F4 machinery. Supported by Alice Powell, she is now targeting her first car racing opportunity.
Zoe Florescu Potolea (Romania)
Romanian racer Zoe Florescu Potolea, 16, won the 2022 FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars junior selection and has since raced at the highest levels of karting. She contested the 2023 FIA World Championship and the 2024 FIA European Championship, where she was the only female to reach the final. She has also been a podium finisher in the Italian KZ2 Championship, while gaining car racing experience in the Romanian Endurance Series, where she finished third overall and was the best rookie in the Dacia Logan Cup.
Eva Dorrestijn (Netherlands)
Another karting graduate, 15-year-old Eva Dorrestijn was a finalist in the 2023 FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars programme and went on to finish seventh overall — and best female — in the 2024 IAME Series Benelux. She also secured P3 in the Ladies Cup at Le Mans in the same year. In 2025 Dorrestijn was selected by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission for the FIA Karting Senior Academy Trophy.
Laura Bourguet (France)
Balancing racing with her mechanical engineering studies, 20-year-old Laura Bourguet has competed in national and international karting championships including the French FFSA, FIA European, FIA World and IAME Series France. In 2025 she tested F4 machinery through the FEED Racing selection programme and made her car racing debut in the Wolf Racing France championship. At Ledenon, she stormed through the field to finish on the podium.
Autumn Fisher (Canada)
Seventeen-year-old Autumn Fisher, Canadian-born and based in the United States, is in her second year of competitions. She has raced in the prestigious SKUSA SuperNationals and Winter Series, building national karting experience ahead of her first opportunities in cars.
The first ever F1 Academy rookie test marks a key milestone for the all-female championship towards creating a transparent, merit-based pathway for female racing drivers.
