F1 Academy 2026 grid: Meet the 17 drivers
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- 5 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Written by Justyna Rosak and Meghana Sree
The 2026 F1 Academy gets underway this weekend at the season opener in Shanghai, with plenty of returning drivers and fresh talent joining the grid. Here's everything you need to know about the 17 full-time drivers, their teams, their goals for this year and more.
F1 Academy returns for a landmark fourth season, with six drivers entering their sophomore year in the series and a remarkable 11 rookies joining the grid this year — several of them already familiar with F1 Academy after appearances last year as either Wild Card Drivers (WCD) or substitutes.
Ahead of the season-opening round in Shanghai, we give you the rundown on all the drivers this year, the Formula One teams or brands they represent and everything you need to know about their journey to F1 Academy.
PREMA Racing
Mathilda Paatz - Aston Martin
Credit: F1 Academy
Mathilda Paatz made her F1 Academy debut at the Montreal Wild card entry in 2025. Starting her competitive racing career in 2019, the German driver raced quickly through the national and international ranks of karting before she took seat in F4 in 2025.
She has notably driven for her own team ‘Mathilda Racing’ during the 2025 F4 CEZ championship during which she securing her title of the female driver to secure an F4 CEZ podium at the Red Bull Ring.
Paatz has consistently displayed her incredible rising talent and the same can be anticipated during the F1 Academy.
Payton Westcott - Mercedes
Credit: F1 Academy
Payton Westcott has shown her potential across many racing series and championships, securing from wins to podiums and even pole positions.
The 16-year-old American driver most recently competed in the Italian F4 Championship and joined F1 Academy with PREMA racing after she secured an incredible top-three finish time in the F1 Academy Rookie test.
Westcott is motivated by the prospect of growth and challenge in motorsport, determined to make her mark. Being the first and only female to stand at the top of the UAE trophy series alongside scoring 15 wins and 53 podiums in her racing career so far, Payton enters F1 Academy as an anticipated favourite.
Natalia Granada - Sephora
Credit: F1 Academy
Granada is a 17-year-old Spanish racing driver who started her career young and has since become the youngest Iron Dame, as well as the first driver to represent the karting project itself and the youngest athlete on the team.
Supported by Sephora, Natalia will make her F1 Academy debut in pink, being a highly anticipated driver of this year’s season. She has shown strong determination in making an impact in motorsport both on the track and off of it and is constantly pushing to evolve further and reach the next level.
Campos Racing
Alisha Palmowski — Red Bull Racing
Alisha Palmowski enters the 2026 season as the overwhelming title favourite, having had a successful debut last year — winning the first race of the season opener — and an impressive climb through the ranks of junior series.
The Briton collected a number of podiums that allowed her to finish fifth in the Drivers’ standings, but with a point to prove heading into her sophomore year, a much more determined Palmowski can be expected as she fights for the title with Campos Racing Red Bull Racing.
Rafaela Ferreira — Racing Bulls
Rafaela Ferreira had a rocky maiden F1 Academy season, but shows plenty of promise having sprinted to a home victory in the Brazilian Formula 4 round last year during the F1 Grand Prix weekend.
Fuelled with a desire to prove herself in F1 Academy too, the Racing Bulls-backed driver enters the 2026 season knowing that this will be her final opportunity to collect podiums and wins in the series.
The Brazilian driver finished 12th in the standings last year, and will be eager to rise through the ranks in 2026 with more consistent points across the season.
Megan Bruce - TAG Heuer
Credit: F1 Academy
Megan Bruce’s journey began 3 years ago and in this short time she has climbed ranks to global racing, making her debut in F1 Academy in 2025 with Hitech.
Following the start of her career with Caterham Academy she moved to GB4 in 2024, even gaining racing experience in the F4 Saudi Arabian championships. The British racing driver will be representing TAG Heuer this F1 Academy season with rising talent and a crave for competition.
MP Motorsport
Nina Gademan — Alpine
22-year-old Nina Gademan, backed by Alpine, enters her second year in F1 Academy, after her first appearance in the series as a Wild Card Driver for Zandvoort in 2024 when she became the first WCD to score points after finishing in the top 10 in both races.
Her 2025 season with PREMA Racing was highlighted by grit and determination. After coming close to race wins in the earlier rounds, notably in Shanghai when she led from reverse-grid pole but suffered a mechanical issue and retired from the lead on the penultimate lap, Gademan’s breakthrough finally came during her home round in Zandvoort, when she converted reverse-grid pole to her maiden series victory.
This year, Gademan switches to MP Motorsport, and will be eager to add to her trophy case to challenge for the title.
Alba Larsen — Scuderia Ferrari
One of the brightest rookie talents of 2025, Alba Hurup Larsen certainly has more to prove this year. The young Dane began her motorsport career being mentored by former Formula One driver Kevin Magnussen, before eventually making her F1 Academy debut last year. Larsen immediately impressed with her wheel-to-wheel skills, unafraid to battle for positions on track.
A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since last year, Larsen will be supported by Ferrari in 2026, stepping into the shoes of 2025’s Vice Champion Maya Weug.
Scoring points consistently last year and coming close to visiting the podium several times, Larsen will head into her final F1 Academy season with a hunger to fight for the top positions and secure wins.
Esmee Kosterman
Credit: F1 Academy
Giving her all at Circuit Zandvoort, Esmee Kosterman made her F1 Academy Wild Card entry debut on her home turf in the Netherlands.
The Dutch driver showed real determination and talent both her karting and racing careers so far, rising to top 8 in the 2020 FIA Girls on Track programme and making history after becoming the first woman to win in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup Benelux series.
Kosterman has since gained even more experience through the Dutch Supercar Challenge, BMW M2 Cup and even taking part in the Lamera Cup all before her debut.
Rodin Motorsport
Ella Lloyd — McLaren
The Top Rookie of 2025, Ella Lloyd is another favourite for the 2026 Drivers’ title. The Welsh driver was one of the most consistent talents of the field last year, showing composure as well as fearless on-track racecraft throughout the season.
With five podiums and a Race 1 victory in 2025, the McLaren driver will look forward to adding to that tally this year. Continuing with Rodin Motorsport, Lloyd is a name that’s expected to frequently top the results across the season.
Emma Felbermayr — Audi
Another one to watch is Emma Felbermayr, who races with F1’s newest outfit Audi. Sticking with Rodin in her final year, the Austrian driver was one of the most rapid drivers last year and secured her maiden series win in Montreal’s Race 2.
After having a season full of ups and downs, ultimately finishing 10th in the standings, Felbermayr will be determined to have a more consistent 2026 season as she prepares to challenge for more wins and possibly even the title.
Ella Stevens — McLaren Oxagon
Ella Stevens makes her F1 Academy debut this year, racing with McLaren Oxagon and Rodin Motorsport. Stevens previously took part in F1 Academy’s first ever rookie test in Navarra, posting the fastest overall lap time, before which she became the Vice Champion in the 2025 British Karting Championship.
The 19-year-old Briton joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme in 2025, and will be eager to kick off her F1 Academy debut with the same promising speed she displayed during the rookie test where she topped the timesheets by 0.092 seconds.
ART Grand Prix
Lisa Billard — Gatorade
Previously seen in F1 Academy as the WCD in Singapore last year, Lisa Billard joins the grid for a full-time driver this year supported by Gatorade. The young French driver made her single-seater debut in 2024, joining the French F4 Championship and continuing in the series the following year where she finished the season securing the Female Trophy title.
Billard was then selected by Alpine to join their Rac(H)er programme, alongside names like 2024 F1 Academy Drivers' Champion Abbi Pulling. Last year, Billard took part in the Rookie Test, wrapping up with the second fastest overall time on the board.
The 16-year-old shows plenty of promise and pace, and can be expected to be one of the standout rookies this year.
Jade Jacquet — Williams
Credit: F1 Academy
Jade Jacquet joins F1 Academy as a representative for Williams with a drive for competition and a recent, though strong background in racing. Having started karting in 2023 and taking a seat in an F4 car only a year later, the driver is transitioning fast through the ranks of motorsport.
During her 2025 F4 debut, she secured multiple finishes in top 20 and earned the Female Trophy at the Dijon-Prenois circuit. Jacquet also made a strong mark, scoring 7th-fastest in the F1 Academy rookie test.
Kaylee Countryman
Credit: F1 Academy
Kaylee Countryman takes the seat with Haas, set to make her F1 Academy debut this weekend at Shanghai. The American driver has collected multiple national podium finishes throughout her racing career so far, notably securing her first international podium in 2023.
The 16-year-old has a track record of progressive fast, having moved from a four-stroke to two-stroke kart within 2 years of starting racing, quickly earning a spot as a factory driver for CompKart.
The American racing driver has only been racing for 3 years but has progressed fast and will be eager to progress through the 2026 ranks just as fast.
Hitech
Rachel Robertson — PUMA
Rachel Robertson made her F1 Academy debut at last year's season finale in Las Vegas, stepping in for an injured Aiva Anagnostiadis, finishing fourth in her first ever appearance in the series during Race 1.
Soon after her impressive maiden outing, the Scottish driver secured a full-time seat with Hitech. Robertson was another driver who took part in the Navarra Rookie Test, logging lap times in the top-five twice.
The 18-year-old has also enjoyed a successful junior career in the 2024 British Karting Championship and the 2025 Radical Cup UK season where she finished third in the standings after collecting multiple points-finishes.
Ava Dobson — American Express
Credit: F1 Academy
17-year-old Ava Dobson joins F1 Academy with HiTech TGR, after making her first F1 Academy grid appearance at the Miami Wild Card entry in 2025. The American racing driver is switching from competing in the 2025 GB4 Championship for Arden Motorsport, where she secured the top-scoring female title.
Dobson made an incredible comeback to racing, only 3 months after her crash at Barber Motorsports Park during the 2024 USF junior race. In the car at every opportunity, Dobson looks forward to both the training and challenges F1 Academy will provide her with.
