Opinion: Should dual Formula 4 campaigns become mandatory for F1 Academy drivers?
- LIAM REDFORD
- Jul 24
- 29 min read
F1 Academy has continued to establish itself as a major motorsport platform since its inaugural season in 2023, and has become an unmatched marketing platform for its drivers. However, is a solo campaign in the series providing drivers with the necessary on-track development to further their careers? We analyze the case studies of drivers competing in both F1 Academy and regional F4 championships and how it translated into performance.
With only two drivers from last year’s F1 Academy grid stepping into a higher level of single seater competition in 2025, do the drivers require a more secure footing in order to successfully take the next step?
F1 Academy has continued to establish itself as a major motorsport platform since its inaugural season in 2023, however it is debatable whether a solo campaign in the series is providing drivers with the necessary on-track development to further their careers.
is a dual campaign necessary?
As we reach the halfway point of the 2025 F1 Academy season, drivers and fans alike will be curious to see which F1 Academy drivers will be climbing the single seater ladder in 2026. So far, F1 Academy has been unable to progress any driver into FIA Formula 3 (or higher) and this trend is unlikely to change without an evolution in the philosophy of F1 Academy.
F1 Academy is currently providing drivers with an unprecedented platform in which to showcase their off-track skills, highlighted by the recent Netflix series, however competitive track time continues to fall below that of regional F4 championships. Therefore, F1 Academy drivers are less-well prepared when climbing the single seater ladder compared to those who have raced in mixed-gender series.
As one of only two drivers who have moved up, Bianca Bustamante shared her thoughts on the transition between F1 Academy and her current program in the GB3 Championship.
Bustamante commented “Looking back at it, it all comes down to funding really as the more money which is spent, the more track time you get and I think that’s why being in GB3 now in my first full season of single seaters competing in a mixed category has really elevated my craft”.
“I feel much more complete as a driver and I get to have more practice sessions before qualifying and I can actually dig deep, get my head down and study and conversate with my engineers, team and teammates to bring out my potential, so having that opportunity in GB3 is amazing”.
“I’d love to see more female drivers in the championship in the future as I think it is the direction to go as you need to have that time to put it all together and if you don’t have it, it’ll always be a battle against time”.
The current F1 Academy calendar currently plays a significant part in the gulf which currently exists between the all-female series and regional F4 championships. This is because only two permanent circuits featuring on the 2025 schedule, with no shared venues between F1 Academy and FIA Formula 3. As a result, an added emphasis has been placed on drivers to additionally race in mixed gender series so they can compete at tracks that they will return to as they climb the single seater ladder.
Street circuits, which form the bulk of the 2025 F1 Academy calendar, also offer little testing opportunities for the drivers and therefore this is an added challenge which is rarely faced in regional F4 series. If a dual campaign was mandatory for F1 Academy drivers, it would go some way to justify the current calendar since drivers would then get to experience different styles of circuits in their regional F4 and F1 Academy campaigns.
Nonetheless, the current F1 Academy calendar allows drivers to expand their skillset and this is something welcomed by multiple race-winner Doriane Pin. Pin explained “F1 Academy is interesting as you are driving on tracks which other categories are not going to and that is very helpful”. It is undoubtedly a point of difference which F1 Academy has established and enables young drivers to push themselves in different areas compared to regional F4 championships.
Nonetheless, regional F4 championships are the cornerstone of development for all young drivers with all but three of the current FIA Formula 3 grid having competed in at least one national F4 series in their careers, while the three others began their careers at regional F3 level. However, less than one-quarter of the current F1 Academy grid are competing in a full-time regional F4 championship alongside their F1 Academy commitments.
A dual campaign would push drivers to a higher level while enabling them to develop their on-track skills on a much more regular basis. As a result, their rate of development would be increased providing higher-quality of racing in F1 Academy and a greater chance of success as they later integrate into mixed-gender series.
Having previous raced in both the Italian F4 Championship and the Formula Winter Series, Bustamante provided her thoughts on the benefits of also racing in a regional F4 championship.
Bustamante said “I think it is a huge opportunity for female drivers to compete in a mixed-gender category. Having that edge allows you to have your elbows out when competing in F1 Academy and learning from the top male drivers in the category. It elevates your skills especially as a junior driver and I think that is very important to continue that progression.”
Current F1 Academy driver Emma Felbermayr echoed this sentiment, commenting "The biggest advantage of competing in regional F4 championships is definitely that you are driving on the highest possible level within F4. Whether it's Italian, Spanish, or British F4, these are the most competitive F4 series, and you are racing against some of the best young drivers in the world. That’s always very challenging, and it pushes you to improve constantly."
Regional F4 championships also provide a significantly greater amount of track time compared to F1 Academy, as noted in our earlier article on the problems facing F1 Academy going forward.
This is a point emphasised by F1 Academy drivers past and present, with some believing that a dual program would be advantageous to overcoming this deficit. Having competed in a range of other F4 level championships, Bustamante can see the difference this makes compared to the reduced schedule on an F1 Academy weekend.
Bustamante commented “I think F1 Academy is very particular in the sense that leading up to the event we would normally have just one or two free practice sessions and then straight into qualifying and one or two races. I think it is the track time which is the limiting factor for a lot of the drivers in F1 Academy”.
“I have experienced racing in Italian F4 myself where would we have 2-3 days of practice leading up to the event itself and before we even head into qualifying we’ve nearly got in 5 hours of track time. That allows us to maximise the potential of our craft, our car and tyres and to judge when the grip comes."
"This knowledge and experience you really have to learn during your initial years in single seaters as that’s where you learn all your fundamentals. I think that is the main advantage that most male drivers get when they compete in categories such as Italian F4”.
Current F1 Academy drivers too, share this sentiment, including Chloe Chong who says, “Due to the limited track time of the series and the level that we are at — in terms of having a lot of margin as drivers still to improve — the more additional track time you have, the faster you will get”.
For Alba Larsen, who competes for Chris Dittmann Racing in the Wera Tools British F4 Championship, she commented "The advantage for me every time I get on track whether it is in F1 Academy or in the UK is purely math: The relative add-on to my experience is bigger for me than it is for my competitors in F1 Academy simply because I have the least amount of track time so far."
The financial aspect of a dual campaign, obviously, is substantial and one of the key attractions of F1 Academy is the low entry costs. There is little doubt that F1 Academy provides the best value for money of any F4 championship across the world, however this subsequently creates high-demand on the limited number of grid places available.
Indeed, estimated full-season costs for drivers entered in regional F4 championships are at least four-times higher than those required to race in F1 Academy.
Therefore, raising the budget required for a dual campaign is currently beyond the scope of a number of drivers on the F1 Academy grid. Nonetheless, it should be a priority to find a solution in order for the drivers to compete in as many races over the course of the season as their male counterparts.
We believe that F1 teams and F1 Academy partners need to step up and financially assist their supported drivers in carrying out dual campaigns.
F1 teams support over half of the drivers on the F1 Academy grid, however the level of support the drivers receive varies from team to team. The help provided is extremely valuable, particularly if this includes driver coaching, simulator sessions or mentoring from more experienced drivers. However, the biggest barrier to overcome is competitive track time which can only be achieved via a regional F4 championship dual campaign.
If F1 teams increased the support for their chosen driver outside of the F1 Academy paddock, the impact they could have on an individual driver’s career could be substantial.
The same concept could be applied to the official F1 Academy partners, many of whom have their company liveries adorning one car on the F1 Academy grid. By also supporting their chosen driver in a regional F4 championship, this would strengthen their brand identity and potentially open up different markets for the company in question. A stronger relationship could also be developed with the driver and this could perhaps carry forward up the single seater ladder with this brand expanding their contribution to motorsport beyond F1 Academy.
If a company was to increase their commitment into a regional F4 championship alongside their support in F1 Academy, this will also engage a wider range of trackside fans. Although provisions have slowly improved since 2023, fan access to F1 Academy drivers during F1 weekends remains extremely restricted and therefore brand activation is limited in comparison to the potential of expanding into a different market.
A long-term commitment would establish a legacy between the driver, company (or team) and F1 Academy which would set a landmark precedent. Financial security would enable a driver to set ambitious goals and strive to achieve them in a realistic timescale, providing them with the greatest possible chance of advancing the place of women in motorsport.
However, financial barriers are not the only challenges which drivers face in terms of a dual campaign. Due to F1 Academy’s decision to use a different specification of F4 car, the transition between driving the machine used in F1 Academy and that of regional F4 championships can be difficult.
The choice made by F1 Academy to use a slightly different specification was initially a curious one as this also provided the teams with an additional workload compared to using the knowledge they had gained by running cars in regional F4 championships. If F1 Academy continues with this tweaked setup, it is another challenge which the female drivers have to overcome compared to their male counterparts who may drive identical cars in dual campaigns across Italian and Spanish F4 championships, for example.
This change in machinery may provide a particular challenge for drivers who are unable to remain with the same team, or engineer, in a regional F4 championship campaign compared to their season in F1 Academy. Equally, the different specification of F4 car used may disincentivise others to carry out a dual campaign as they choose to prioritise learning one single car, particularly in their first year of circuit racing.
For F1 Academy to revert to a conventional specification of F4 machine would now appear unlikely, however the initial decision to do this is a contributing factor to the complexity of a dual campaign.
British F4 Challenge Cup
Despite F1 Academy themselves currently providing no incentive for drivers to complete a dual campaign, the organisers of the Wera Tools British F4 Championship have stepped in with the introduction of the Challenge Cup for the 2025 season.
As it is not possible for F1 Academy drivers to compete in all 10 rounds of the Wera Tools British F4 Championship due to calendar clashes, an alternative was proposed. Partially aimed at F1 Academy drivers, although open to all racers who are not in a position to financial commit to a full-season, Challenge Cup entrants nominate seven rounds to enter at the beginning of the season.
Challenge Cup points are awarded each race and with a separate points table in addition to the main championship, the driver with the highest number of points at the end of the season wins a prize equivalent to £25,000 of Wera Tools British F4 Championship entry fees for the following year.
For the organisers of the Wera Tools British F4 Championship, this was a smart move as they looked to boost grid numbers ahead of the 2025 season. After four F1 Academy drivers entered their 2024 event at Zandvoort, it was clear that a market had emerged for dual campaigns and by offering a financial incentive to the best-performing Challenge Cup drivers, a solution was created.
At the time of writing, seven drivers had competed in at least one round of the Wera Tools British F4 Championship Challenge Cup in 2025 with Ella Lloyd and Alba Larsen the two female representatives. Both Lloyd and Larsen have raced in four rounds to date as a dual campaign alongside their F1 Academy commitments.
Larsen credits her British F4 Challenge Cup campaign as a key element behind her development as she commented "I think I see British F4 more as necessary than as an advantage, and I know there is still a long way to go."
As one of the youngest drivers on the F1 Academy grid, Alba is making up for her lack of experience with track time by racing in the UK. "I did my first race in cars in the autumn and as you know, I am trying to get up to speed with Doriane, Chloe and Maya in F1 Academy, and if I shall have a shot at that, I need to do everything, that I can just to make up for a little bit of the gap in experience”, Larsen explained further.
As a result, Larsen’s schedule is extremely busy as she explains. "My program so far this year has been super tight with both F1 Academy, British F4, promotions, meetings, testing, sim-sessions and finishing my exams in school. I have slept in my own bed for 20 days this year. British F4 is really fun and quite different from F1 Academy - the cars are set up differently, the tracks are smaller and there are more drivers. I really love doing it. I love the racing, the tracks and the atmosphere around it”.
The Danish driver has adapted extremely well and she currently sits third in the Challenge Cup standings with five podium finishes to her name and a best result of second, coming at Oulton Park in the most recent round.
Lloyd sits just half a point behind in fourth with the Welsh racer having secured her first Challenge Cup victory last time out, while the Rodin Motorsport driver has stood on the podium on eight further occasions.
If other regional F4 championship follow the lead of the Wera Tools British F4 Championship, this would increase the incentive for F1 Academy drivers to carry out a dual campaign. In particular, first year F1 Academy drivers could benefit if they were looking ahead to a busy program of racing in their second season in F1 Academy. Instead of a Female Trophy sub-class such as in the Italian F4 Championship, a Challenge Cup initiative would be the next step to encouraging more F1 Academy drivers to carry out a dual campaign.
For those considering F1 Academy as the next step, the GB4 Championship currently offers a prize for the highest finishing female driver. This is another good incentive and was discussed in our previous feature length piece on F1 Academy which was published in November 2024.
F1 Academy 2023 & 2024
Upon the creation of F1 Academy ahead of the 2023 season, the grid was selected with a mix of drivers with and without F4 level experience. Throughout the in-season, only one driver, Bianca Bustamante, competed in any regional F4 championship races alongside their F1 Academy commitments.
Although Bustamante contested just seven additional races at F4 level, notably across three different championships, she was able to use both the testing and race experiences to her advantage. Bustamante made history in her native Philippines as she won two races on her way to seventh in the overall championship standings.
It was not until the following winter where dual campaigns were more seriously considered by the drivers who were selected to race in the 2024 F1 Academy season. In total, eight full-time drivers participated in at least one regional F4 level event in 2024 with just one of these arguably fulfilling the criteria of a full-season dual campaign.
Crucially, it was 2024 F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling who competed in a season-high 37 F4 level races across the year, while teaming up with Rodin Motorsport across both campaigns.
Pulling’s successful 2024 season highlighted the advantages to a dual campaign, while the relationship she could develop with Rodin Motorsport ensured she was prepared to take the next step into the GB3 Championship with the team in 2025.
In additional to the eight drivers who competed at F4 level, three competed at regional F3 level and this included Doriane Pin and Maya Weug, with the former completing a full dual campaign. Both Pin and Weug raced in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, while Emely De Heus competed in the Eurocup-3 Series.
Other drivers branched out to race in closed cockpit series, therefore requiring a significantly different driving style to that required in F1 Academy. This included both Nerea Marti (Iberian Supercars) and Lola Lovinfosse (Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe) with both drivers still enjoying additional track time compared to those who raced solely in F1 Academy.
At the end of the 2024 season, the top-two drivers in the championship (Pulling and Pin) had both competed in a full season dual campaign. Conversely, the full-time drivers who finished in the bottom six positions of the standings had competed in just four in-season rounds of F4 level competition combined.
Indeed, current F1 Academy driver Chloe Chong commented that “I would say that doing a dual program is almost a must in F1 Academy if you would like to compete for the win. The majority of drivers are doing this program or two additional programs - British F4, Spanish F4, FWS, Spanish F4 WS, UAE F4, UAE F4 Trophy, FRECA - and it is recommended by the series that you should do this or additional testing.”
Therefore, a correlation occurred between the performances of those who were engaged in full-season dual campaigns and their overall championship positions in F1 Academy.
Notably, after conducting a partial dual campaign in 2023, Bustamante only competed in two additional rounds of F4 level competition in the 2024 season.
After her impressive performances in her first season of F1 Academy, Bustamante failed to win in 2024 and only stood on the podium on one occasion. While her rivals had increased their regional F4 commitments in 2024, Bustamante’s were now in line with the majority of her rivals and therefore this was a plausible explanation for the challenges she faced in her second season of F1 Academy competition.
Zandvoort 2024
With both the 2024 F1 Academy calendar and the British F4 Championship schedule featuring a trip to Zandvoort in the Netherlands, the benefits of a dual campaign, or a partial-schedule in a parallel championship, were apparent.
In total, a record number of eight female drivers participated in the sixth round of the British F4 Championship event in Zandvoort which was held six weeks prior to the F1 Academy event. Of those eight, five were full-time F1 Academy drivers and the sixth, Nina Gademan, was the wild card entry.
The benefits for the drivers at this event were significant, both in their on-track performances and the quality of racing. Despite Zandvoort being a challenging circuit lined with gravel traps, all 16 drivers finished both F1 Academy races and this feat has only once been replicated in the history of the series.
The additional track time gained by almost half of the grid proved successful in raising driving standards due to the extra familiarity gained by those competing in the British F4 Championship event.
Race results too, were improved. Half of the drivers who competed in the British F4 Championship event at Zandvoort in 2024 achieved their season’s best F1 Academy result at that event the following month.
Champion Abbi Pulling secured her fifth victory of the season at Zandvoort, while Aurelia Nobels achieved her first ever top-5 finish. Carrie Schreiner achieved a season’s best sixth, while Nina Gademan’s fourth-place finish remains the best result achieved by any wild card driver. Despite Bianca Bustamante and Jessica Edgar experiencing a more challenging weekend, the former achieved a top-10 result in the British F4 Championship event, while the latter scored eight championship points with a fantastic drive through the field in the mixed-gender series.
It was significant that so many drivers took the opportunity to race at Zandvoort prior F1 Academy’s visit, with these statistics highlighting the tangible benefit of a dual program.
Winter Series
2024 also saw drivers compete in championships taking place over the winter and therefore prior to the F1 Academy season getting underway. The most notable of these was the F4 Saudi Arabian Championship which saw both Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi compete for the full-season, while Aurelia Nobels conducted a partial campaign.
Although this allowed the trio to race on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the F4 Saudi Arabian Championship events took place after F1 Academy had visited the track. Nonetheless, this trio of drivers were able to benefit from a later round of the F4 Saudi Arabian Championship which took place at the Lusail International Circuit, prior to the inaugural F1 Academy event in November 2024.
In the F4 Saudi Arabian Championship, all three drivers stood on the podium in Qatar with Amna Al Qubaisi also securing the fastest lap in race two. Although just one F1 Academy race took place in Qatar due to unforeseen circumstances, the additional experience gained by this trio proved valuable. Hamda Al Qubaisi achieved one of her best results of the season in fourth, while twice qualifying inside the top-5. Nobels scored points after finishing in ninth and although it was a more difficult event for Amna Al Qubaisi, returning to a venue for a second time was nonetheless beneficial.
This trend continued into the most recent winter and with the expansion of both the Formula Winter Series and Eurocup-4 Spanish Winter Championship, opportunities were provided for F1 Academy drivers to gain additional track time ahead of their main campaign.
This was particularly useful for drivers who were embarking on their first season in F1 Academy as they could learn the basics of single seater racing, while potentially acclimatising to working alongside a new team. Here, a foundation can also be laid for the future while drivers can build relationships with established single seater teams who enter cars at all levels of the feeder series ladder.
However, these championships again use a slightly different configuration of car and this can make adaptation challenging. Emma Felbermayr, who competed in both the Eurocup-4 Spanish Winter Championship and the regular-season Spanish F4 Championship, noted this change.
Felbermayr commented "Once the F1 Academy season started, it was actually quite challenging to adapt, because the F1 Academy car is quite different from, for example, the Spanish F4 car. We have a different aero package and, most importantly, the tires are very different, which made it harder to switch between the two”.
This winter, 10 out of the 17 full-time F1 Academy drivers competed in either the Formula Winter Series or the Eurocup-4 Spanish Winter Championship prior to this season. Crucially for the trio of Chloe Chambers, Alisha Palmowski and Rafaela Ferreira, they were able to compete alongside one another while driving for Campos Racing. It is therefore no surprise perhaps, that Campos Racing held the initial lead in the 2025 F1 Academy Teams’ Championship.
The only driver to compete in both the Formula Winter Series and Eurocup-4 Spanish Winter Championship was Aiva Anagnostiadis. Anagnostiadis arrived into the season as one of the least experienced drivers on the grid, however her improvements have been commendable and her ability to compete in as many F4 level races as possible prior to the season has surely contributed.
Although there are significant benefits for first year drivers to compete in regional F4 level events over the winter, as highlighted by Anagnostiadis, it is perhaps more beneficial for second-year drivers in particular to race throughout the season. Due to the large gaps between races in the current F1 Academy calendar, placing a focus on remaining sharp during these breaks might give drivers a greater chance of success with limited practice time across an F1 Academy weekend.
F1 Academy 2025
Although there has been an increase in drivers competing in a full-season dual campaign in 2025, only four drivers have committed to a second full-time program. Doriane Pin has remained racing at a higher level in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, while Ella Lloyd, Alba Larsen and Emma Felbermayr race in regional F4 championships.
At the time of writing, only two drivers on the grid (Tina Hausmann and Courtney Crone), have not competed in additional events during the 2025 season alongside their F1 Academy commitments. Both drivers have enjoyed contrasting fortunes, highlighting how there is no single path to success, however a correlation still remains among those who are engaged in dual programs.
Hausmann’s lack of additional races, particularly over the winter, perhaps contributed to her slow start to the season. However, with few drivers competing in dual campaigns over the middle portion of the season, this has coincided with her own personal improvements. After failing to score in the opening round, Hausmann has now finished inside the top-7 in the last six races.
Courtney Crone is the only full-season driver yet to score a point and the American racer last competed in single seaters outside of F1 Academy back in 2020. This is a significant factor as Crone failed to compete in any winter series events and has yet to combine her F1 Academy campaign with any regional F4 championship program.
As we take a closer look at the championship standings at the halfway point of the 2025 season, two of the three rookie drivers who have claimed a victory (Lloyd and Felbermayr) are also conducting a full-season dual campaign. The third, Alisha Palmowski, was already a winner in the GB4 Championship in 2024 and despite not racing in a regional F4 championship this season, the British racer can lean on her prior experiences.
Just as significant, the three second year drivers who are the lowest in the standings to date (Lia Block, Chloe Chong and Aurelia Nobels) have limited appearances in regional F4 championships. Although both Block and Nobels competed in winter series prior to the season getting underway, neither have raced in an in-season regional F4 championship and this stands in contrast to last season.
Prior to her most recent appearance in the Wera Tools British F4 Championship, Chong had no dual program experience. However, she secured a career best result in Montreal and this signified the importance of additional F4 appearances throughout the season in order to raise performance levels.
Although financial factors play a significant part in preventing some drivers from participating in additional races, this is not an overwhelming factor for the entirety of the grid. Even if drivers are unable to compete in a full dual season campaign, selecting additional races to enter prior to an F1 Academy weekend, in particular those without a pre-event test, could be an effective way of improving their F1 Academy performances.
Montreal 2025
At the most recent round of F1 Academy in Montreal, the importance of a dual campaign was further highlighted. Driving standards fell below the required benchmark in a number of instances and this could be attributed to race rustiness with a combination of a lack of seat time, together with a gap of six weeks since the previous round at the Miami International Autodrome, which itself was cut short, central to this.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was crucially a track at which none of the F1 Academy drivers had any experience of. This challenge was compounded by the fact that none of their teams either had competed there, since no single seater feeder series has ever raced in Montreal.
The weekend also featured the joint-least amount of free practice time available to F1 Academy drivers. In contrast to both Jeddah and Shanghai, there was no pre-event test and unlike Miami, just one free practice session was held compared to two in Florida. These factors, combined with the tight and challenging nature of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, resulted in a significant challenge for the drivers who had spent almost two months out of the cockpit.
However, five drivers had competed in single seater events between Miami and Montreal and their performances stood out.
Although competing in an extremely different single seater machine in the Formula Regional European Championship the previous weekend, Doriane Pin starred in Montreal. Pin claimed the championship lead by scoring her third victory of the season in race one, while also standing on the podium in race three, in addition to claiming the fastest lap. Pin drove smartly throughout the event and her dual campaign in a higher level of formula car competition is serving her well.
Pin believes that although her dual campaign is at a step above F1 Academy, this has proven beneficial.
Pin commented, “There is an advantage if you are doing another championship as all junior categories are very competitive and if you are doing more races during the season it’s definitely helping. Especially coming from endurance racing and starting a single seater career we need driving, we need time on track and we need extra qualifying sessions to push on new tyres to understand what we are missing”.
The advantage of remaining with the same team in both championships is also important as Pin explained. “I have really good teammates [in FRECA] who are fighting for the championship at the end of the season, so I have everything I need around me to progress in F1 Academy and to fight for the title there. It is helping me to progress as a driver and to understanding how to push the limits even further, especially in qualifying which is the key to single seater racing so you have to maximise the new tyres”.
Although Pin has to transition from two very different single seater machines during the course of the season, she believes the additional track time in particular provided in the Formula Regional European Championship is a significant benefit.
Pin further commented that “Another part which is a bit more complicated is that you are switching from different cars as we wanted to do FRECA and obviously it is a different car from F1 Academy and you need adapt to the different cars. FRECA is a really good championship to learn in as you are doing more practice than in FIA Formula 3 and in other series so you are driving more and that is helping me”.
Ella Lloyd and Alba Larsen are two of only three drivers committed to a dual campaign in equivalent F4 machinery and this was evident in their performances in Montreal. Competing in the Wera Tools British F4 Championship at Thruxton the week prior, Lloyd and Larsen arrived at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with recent competitive experience under their belt.
Both drivers began the Montreal weekend on the front foot as they both finished the sole practice session inside the top-5. Although qualifying proved a challenge for Larsen, Lloyd secured a front row starting spot, the best of her F1 Academy career to date.
This paved the way for a breakthrough weekend for the Welsh racer who finished all three races in second position, securing by far her largest haul of championship points in the series. Lloyd was on pace to challenge eventual race-winner Chloe Chambers before a series of safety car periods led to a premature finish in race three. This signified the step up in performance she had taken with two Wera Tools British F4 Championship events, consisting of six races, held between Miami and Montreal.
Larsen too, competed in the same events at both Snetterton and Thruxton and she achieved a personal best finish at Thruxton, the weekend prior to Montreal. Throughout the Montreal weekend, the Danish racer displayed superb racecraft as she charged through the field in races one and two, before late-race contact denied her a potential top-5 result in race three. Gaining 14 places across the first two races, Larsen’s sharpness was surely in part due to her recent competitive experience in the Wera Tools British F4 Championship.
The fourth driver to have competed the week prior was Emma Felbermayr with the Austrian racer lining up on the grid of the Spanish F4 Championship at Portimao. Felbermayr also achieved a career best result during that weekend where she secured her first ever top-15 result, gaining over 30 positions across the course of the event.
Felbermayr was successfully able to carry forward this momentum to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve where she claimed a breakthrough victory in race two, with a stunning last lap pass. Felbermayr has been one of the most impressive rookie drivers throughout 2025, especially considering her first formula car race did not take place until January of this year.
However, with regular track time in competitive mixed-gender series, including her dual campaign in the Spanish F4 Championship, Felbermayr has consistently fought for top-5 finishes in her debut F1 Academy season. Felbermayr credits her program in the Spanish F4 Championship as being hugely beneficial to the success she is now enjoying in F1 Academy.
Felbermayr commented "As I was totally new to F4 racing, having a regional program alongside F1 Academy helped me a lot in the beginning, especially to learn the basics of driving and racing in formula cars. It gave me valuable race experience early on."
She further went on to say “In general, I think it’s an advantage to stay in the rhythm and to get more laps in, especially since there’s limited in-season testing in F1 Academy. But I also believe that if you have a strong simulator program and prepare well, it’s possible to succeed in F1 Academy without doing an additional racing program on the side."
Another driver who competed in a regional F4 championship event between Miami and Montreal was Chloe Chong. Although Chong did not enter the Wera Tools British F4 Championship event at Thruxton, she competed in round three at Snetterton. The Rodin Motorsport driver enjoyed one of her most competitive showings in the series and this enabled her to carry forward significant momentum as she searched for a turnaround in her F1 Academy form.
Returning as a second-year driver despite missing out on a place on the F1 Academy grid in 2024, Chong was targeting a strong season. Last year, she kept herself busy by completing a full-season in the British F4 Championship and racing in the mixed-gender series has proven significantly beneficial.
From the first on-track action at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Chong displayed a significant increase in performance as she finished fourth in the sole practice session. After retiring from race one due to contact not of her own making and then carrying a partially-damaged car through race two, her fortunes changed in race three. Chong displayed excellent racecraft and mental resilience to finish in fifth-position and score a career best result in F1 Academy.
Chong believes she has been much better prepared for 2025 campaign as a result of her full-season in a mixed-gender regional F4 championship. She commented “Competing in British F4 has taught me how to adapt quickly, how to drive in harsh and changing weather conditions as well as racing hard. It’s also given me the time to nail the basics of which I never properly learnt in my first F1 Academy year such as: race starts, tire warmups, and how to interpret the balance of the car and how to handle it with my inputs.”
Chong continued “For me, this year in British F4 was super important for giving me confidence in what I am doing with the car and has completely changed my approach going into this second season. I now feel super confident pushing the car to its limits, understanding where the limit is and maximising every run we do."
"In some ways maturity is also a factor and I feel like over the past year I have matured a lot and learnt how to manage everything around me a lot better with a good management team and coaches.”
Future driver selection – F4 regional focus?
Driver selection has been a fiercely debated topic since the inaugural season of F1 Academy. Due to the high-demand for a spot on the grid, the decision whether to offer a driver a place in F1 Academy is made solely by F1 Academy management. This process remains ambiguous and has therefore left drivers frustrated when they have missed out, in particular those who have shown commitment to full-time regional F4 programs.
We propose that driver selection becomes more transparent, both in terms of full-season entries and wild cards, in order for aspiring F1 Academy drivers to work towards a reasonable criteria.
At the time of writing, 72 female drivers have competed in at least one F4, or equivalent, race in 2025. This compares to 48 female drivers in 2024 with both numbers including those on the F1 Academy grid. This increase is partially due to the Japanese-based Kyojo Cup moving from prototype to F4 specification machinery in 2025.
If we remove the full-time F1 Academy drivers from this total, there are 55 drivers competing in F4 level championships this season. Of these 55, 35 are aged 21 or younger and 30 of those are still teenagers which indicates significant scope for F1 Academy to recruit drivers within a realistic age bracket who have shown commitment to regional F4 championships. These drivers, if selected by F1 Academy management, have the potential to complete dual campaigns and bank valuable experience both in F1 Academy and within mixed-gender regional F4 championships.
This compares to just four full-time F1 Academy drivers who have an established dual campaign program. Three of those; Ella Lloyd, Alba Larsen and Emma Felbermayr are competing in regional F4 championships, while Doriane Pin is racing at a higher level in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.
With less than 25% of the 2025 grid engaged in a dual full-time program in regional F4 machinery, we propose a scholarship system, similar to that of the IMSA Driver Development Scholarship, be implemented in order for money to be awarded for drivers to secure a seat in an FIA Sanctioned regional F4 championship.
This would allow drivers to gain additional exposure via F1 Academy, while also committing themselves to another mixed-gender championship.
We acknowledge a dual campaign would require additional funds to be raised by F1 Academy drivers (or sponsors). However, we understand that not all of the current F1 Academy drivers have decided against a dual campaign solely for financial reasons, despite funding remaining the main factor. If F1 Academy drivers have a desire to progress up the single seater ladder, then a dual campaign should be prioritised and explored where possible.
Almost all regional F4 champions who have progressed into Formula 1 in recent years have raced in multiple F4 championships, highlighting its importance. In 2015, Lando Norris competed in MSA Formula, ADAC Formula 4, the Italian F4 Championship and the BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy totalling 51 races.
In 2022, Andrea Kimi Antonelli raced in F4 UAE to begin the season before competing in both the Italian F4 Championship and ADAC Formula 4, before making a further appearance in the FIA Motorsport Games Formula 4 Cup. Antonelli raced 44 times across the season and this compares to just 14 races completed by the majority of the 2025 F1 Academy grid.
By competing in just one-third of the events of both Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli in their first full seasons of F4 competition, the drivers competing exclusively in F1 Academy are missing out on vital track time at a crucial stage of their development.
This point is also acknowledged by F1 Academy drivers themselves, including Chong who said “The racing experience you get from doing two campaigns at once is the same as doing at least two years of racing in one."
"This experience is invaluable especially when you consider with a championship such as British F4 (taking into account clashes), you would have 21 races and in F1 Academy you have 14 races, that is 150% more track time not even taking into account much more extensive testing programs (20+ days added to 15 of F1 Academy).”
These examples highlight that a dual campaign is the bare minimum which is now required to progress to the highest level of single seater competition. If F1 Academy wants to promote ambition within their series, the championship needs to work alongside regional F4 series instead of being seen as a direct competitor.
Returning to the wild card initiative, we would like to see F1 Academy continue with a regional F4 focus when selecting wild cards as the statistics show that these drivers are significantly more competitive than those engaged in other programs. If promising drivers from regional F4 championships are rewarded with F1 Academy wild card appearances based on merit, this will increase the quality of racing while serving as a stepping stone for these drivers.
The 2024 season was the first in which the wild card initiative was introduced. Out of the six wild cards selected, three of these were competing in full-time regional F4 programs and this trio of racers (Nina Gademan, Ella Lloyd and Alisha Palmowski) are now current F1 Academy drivers.
Gademan, Lloyd and Palmowski scored a total of 31 points between them and this compared to just one point scored between the other three drivers who were not engaged in any single seater program in 2025 (Reema Juffali, Courtney Crone and Logan Hannah). Although this trio had past F4 level experience, while Crone was later selected for a spot on this season’s grid, there was a clear difference in their performance level as wild cards and this was, in part, due to the absence of a dual campaign.
This trend has continued into the 2025 season. To this point, two of the four wild card drivers (Ava Dobson and Mathilda Paatz) are currently competing full-time in a regional F4 championship and this was evident in their performances.
Although Dobson was only able to race once, due to weather forcing the postponement of race two in Miami, she was able to secure a better result than both Shi Wei or Farah Al Yousef managed in the opening two rounds of the season.
On only one occasion did Wei or Al Yousef achieve a classified finish ahead of one of the full-time drivers and neither were able to consistently battle for on-track positions. This was despite both drivers being afforded extensive testing opportunities with F1 Academy official test sessions held at both Shanghai and Jeddah.
Dobson was not afforded this opportunity at Miami and neither was Paatz at Montreal with the German driver arguably delivering the most impressive wild card performance of the 2025 season to date.
Paatz was given only one, forty-minute session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to learn both the track and the car. With the F1 Academy machine running a different configuration to that of her car in the F4 CEZ championship, it was a significant adjustment to make.
Nonetheless, Paatz used her experience of regional F4 championships to adapt superbly and compete for positions around the overall top-10. Paatz achieved a best result of 11th and narrowly missed out on being the first wild card driver in 2025 to score points. If F1 Academy continues to select wild cards based on their current performances in regional F4 championships, it will provide the best platform for the entire grid to further their development.
Therefore, these statistics shows that drivers already engaged in full-time regional F4 programs should be selected for wild card appearances. This will increase the quality of the racing and allow those in mixed-gender series to measure themselves against the best drivers in F1 Academy, while pitching their case to F1 Academy management that they have both the talent and commitment to achieve a full-time spot on the grid.
As we now look ahead to the first F1 Academy rookie test which takes place at Circuit de Barcelona in September, the 55 drivers engaged in regional F4 programs should arguably be the first under consideration. If the top performing teenage drivers from regional F4, combined with the outstanding talents from karting are chosen, this will ensure that the F1 Academy grid reaches a higher level with each passing year.
However, if F1 Academy continues to position itself simply as a more affordable alternative for female drivers, the recent move to ask prospective drivers for single seater experience is contradictory. Therefore, the identity of F1 Academy should again be made clearer in order to ensure the processes are transparent and young drivers are provided with a clear pathway on how to secure a place on the grid.
As a sole program, F1 Academy is currently not providing drivers with the sufficient on-track skills or seat time in order for them to successfully move up the single seater ladder. By mandating a dual campaign in a regional F4 championship, this will enable drivers to prove themselves in a mixed-gender championship to earn their place on merit.
Currently, it is a conscious decision for F1 teams and F1 Academy partners to narrowly focus their support on the F1 package. We urge F1 teams and F1 Academy partners to step up and financially contribute to enable female drivers carry out dual campaigns.
Therefore, we propose that F1 Academy drivers should be mandated to carry out a dual campaign in a regional F4 championship in order to support their development.
