Rafaela Ferreira joins to F1 Academy from 2025 season

The talented 19-year-old driver, who has been impressing with excellent results in F4 Brazil, was announced by Visa Cash App RB as its representative in the next season of the FIA's all-female single-seater series.

Rafaela Ferreira; F1 Academy — Photo credits: Rudy Carezzevoli / Red Bull Content Pool

Talented Brazilian driver Rafaela Ferreira has been announced to joining the F1 Academy from 2025. The 19-year-old, who is currently competing in her second consecutive season in F4 Brazil – where she has collected impressive achievements throughout her career – now has a seat secured in the Visa Cash App RB car next year. Following in the path of Aurélia Nobels - who was the first girl to compete in the Brazilian series and debuted in the F1 Academy in 2024 - Ferreira will be the second Brazilian driver in the all-female Formula 1 support series.

Encouraged by her father since she was a child, Rafaela Ferreira was a rising talent on the Brazilian karting scene and since joining F4 Brazil in 2023, she has been transforming expectations about her into reality through her achievements on the track. Over the course of two years competing in the Brazilian single-seater series, Ferreira has 2 wins, 6 podiums, pole positions and fastest laps in races. In the current season, she is in 4th place, and is in a strong condition in the battle for the top 3 in the championship.

Rafaela Ferreira's arrival in the F1 Academy becomes a deserved reward for her efforts and results achieved in recent years, consolidating her name as a new talent at a global level in motorsport.

She spoke about this new opportunity to continue progressing her career: “I’m extremely happy to be driving for the Visa Cash App RB Academy Programme in F1 Academy in 2025. This opportunity represents a big step in my career, and is a dream come true to work with a Team that has so much talent."

"I’m determined to give my best and go after great results. It’ll be something new for me, but I’m confident that we will achieve a lot together. I’m already preparing and am excited for next year!” - she completed.

Red Bull Academy Programme Manager, Sarah Harrington also spoke about Rafa Ferreira: “We’ve been impressed by Rafaela’s performance this season and are very pleased to welcome her to the Team and work with her in F1 Academy in 2025. Rafaela has great talent and potential and has already cemented herself as a race winner in Brazil. I’m looking forward to supporting her development and am excited to see what next season brings.”

While she will have to wait until her debut in the F1 Academy in 2025, Rafaela Ferreira will still have 3 more rounds in F4 Brazil - the next one being held the following weekend, between November 1 and 3 - where the series will once again be part of the activities of the São Paulo Formula 1 GP and she will certainly continue to show her talent and fighting for great results.