Julia Angelard joins ORLEN Motorsport Academy for 2026 season
- RACERS
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13-year-old Polish karting talent Julia Angelard is set to join the ORLEN Motorsport Academy for the 2026 season, a joint initiative between ORLEN and the Polish Federation that supports the country’s most promising young racing drivers.
13-year-old Polish karting talent Julia Angelard has been announced as one of the new members of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy for the 2026 season, a joint initiative between ORLEN and the Polish Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (PZM) that supports the country’s most promising young racing drivers.
Angelard, who currently competes for Ward Racing, has impressed throughout the 2025 season across a range of top international karting championships. Her campaign has included appearances in the Polish Karting Championship, FIA Karting World Cup, Champions of the Future Academy series, ROK Cup Italy, selected rounds of the WSK Super Master Series, and the ROK Cup Poland. Most recently, she took part in the WSK Final Cup at Franciacorta in Italy.
The young racer’s results speak for themselves: pole position and second place at the third round of the Champions of the Future Academy in Jesolo, second in qualifying at the Polish Karting Championship round in Poznań, and a competitive showing at the FIA Karting World Cup, where she narrowly missed out on a spot in the final. Known for her racecraft and determined comebacks through the field, Angelard has consistently established herself as one of the fastest female drivers in karting.
Born in 2012, Julia has been racing since the age of four. After early years in Rotax Max Challenge Poland, she moved to the ROK Cup Poland in 2023 and made her international debut that same year at the ROK Superfinal and ROK Cup Italia, where she quickly made her mark, including a 17-place climb in one of the races.
In 2024, she joined Minardi Management, the driver development agency founded by former F1 manager Giovanni Minardi, and now manages a number of talented female drivers among the others. Through the program, Angelard has been supported by Maya Weug, current F1 Academy driver and fellow Minardi Management protégé. Her long-term ambition is to follow in Weug’s footsteps and earn a seat in the F1 Academy.
A member of the PZM junior national karting team for 2025, Angelard still has three more race weekends ahead this season, including the WSK Final Cup at Cremona Karting and two rounds of the Champions of the Future Academy in the United Arab Emirates — before she begins her next chapter with the ORLEN Motorsport Academy.
“I’m glad that my achievements have been noticed and recognized,” said Angelard. “I’m pleased that the Polish Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and ORLEN have trusted me, and I believe they will support me in developing my career — not only internationally, but also in the Polish Karting Championships. I’m happy that I’ll be able to represent the Academy next season, and I hope this collaboration will bear fruit that will satisfy everyone.”
