F1 Academy: Where are former F1 academy champions now?
- Justyna Rosak
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Since being founded in 2022 with its inaugural season in 2023, F1 Academy has completed three full campaigns, announcing three championship winners, currently being in the midst of its fourth.
Across all seasons, talented, young female drivers have set foot and hit accelerate to define their positions on the grids of some of the most iconic circuits in the motorsport world. They have given each race their absolute all, battling each other in high-speed, single-seater racing machines. But as is known with any championship, there can only be one champion.
So, how does one ‘win’ and become the F1 Academy champion?
Every race brings with it opportunities to score points. Rules and regulations outline a rather straightforward principle: the driver who collects the highest number of points across all races throughout the season will be announced as the official winner.
Across the completed seasons, three champions have signed their name in the series' history. Marta García, supported by PREMA Racing, took the inaugural 2023 season title, scoring an incredible 278 points, creating a winning margin of 54 points. In 2024, Abbi Pulling, supported by Alpine, scored an impressive 338 points. And just last year, Doriane Pin claimed the most recent champion title, also with PREMA Racing, having scored 172 points.
With such hard work and impressive achievements, the drivers have continued to progress through various ranks of motorsport. Let’s dive into where these former F1 Academy drivers are now.
2023 Champion: Marta García
Following the 2023 season finale at Circuit of the Americas, García not only took pole position, but was officially named the first ever F1 Academy champion. Throughout the season, she demonstrated exceptional skill, rivalling her determination and took place on 12 podiums, taking home seven wins and five pole positions.
Following her victory, García earned a fully-funded seat with PREMA Racing, advancing to Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA), before deciding to shift her focus to endurance racing the following year where she joined the Iron Dames project, competing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and Formula E women’s testing for Lola Yamaha ABT.
2024 Champion: Abbi Pulling
Pulling rose through F1 Academy quickly where she dominated the series, finishing on the podium across all 14 races, scoring 10 pole positions and a total of nine race wins. At present, Pulling still holds the record for the highest number of race wins in F1 Academy history.
Following the intense season, she advanced just as readily to the GB3 Championship with Rodin Motorsport. Similarly to García, in addition to GB3, Pulling also took on a role in Formula E where she joined Nissan Formula E Team as a rookie and simulator driver.
Today, Pulling continues to build her motorsport career, currently still driving for both Rodin Motorsport in the GB3 Championship as well as maintaining her role with Nissan Formula E Team.
2025 Champion: Doriane Pin
Throughout the 2025 campaign, Pin raced with determination, securing eight podiums and four wins. She managed to score points in all 14 races, maintaining an unbroken point-scoring streak.
After her championship victory, Pin advanced as a Development Driver for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team following her prior involvement in the Mercedes Junior Programme. Alongside her single-seater commitments, Pin has also made a return to endurance racing. Following her initial debut in 2023, she returned to competing in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and at the 24-hours at Le Mans with Duqueine Team.
These talented champions have each used F1 Academy as an invaluable opportunity to further progress through the motorsport ladder. Their achievements are a testament to both their dedication and inspiring passion for motorsport racing.
With the 2026 season underway, four races have been competed across the Shanghai, Montreal and Silverstone rounds.
In Shanghai, Nina Gademan (MP Motorsport) won the Reverse Grid Race and Emma Felbermayr (Rodin Motorsport) won the Feature Race.
The following round in Montreal, Mathilda Paatz (PREMA Racing) took the win for the Reverse Grid Race whilst Alisha Palmowski (Campos Racing) won the Feature Race.
In Silverstone, Felbermayr once again claimed the Feature Race victory and Palmowski the Feature Race on home ground.
As the season continues, anticipation remains high as fans and teams alike look forward to the coming races. With many rounds yet to come, the battle for victory is divided amongst all drivers and the question remains: who will become the 2026 F1 Academy champion?
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