Stevens fastest in landmark F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test

Ella Stevens topped the timesheets in the inaugural F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test, setting a 1:46.921 in the morning session to go quickest overall. The milestone event, featuring 18 rookie female drivers in action at the Circuito de Navarra, saw the top three positions closely matched throughout the day.

Stevens pipped Lisa Billard to the P1 spot in the first session by 0.092s, with Payton Westcott a further 0.031s behind. A competitive afternoon running saw Westcott post a 1:47.303 to beat out Megan Bruce and Stevens, with the trio covered by only 0.030s.

MORNING

Natalia Granada was the first rookie to lay down a time, quickly improving to a 1:51.842 across her next two attempts. A 1:50.645 elevated Bruce to first in the opening 15 minutes, before a brief Red Flag appearance after Annabelle Brian momentarily stopped at Turn 4.

Once running resumed, Bruce continued to push on, lowering the time to beat down to a 1:47.960, putting her four tenths clear of Stevens. Her fellow Briton sliced the gap down to 0.082s, as Brian found the gravel at Turn 13 to bring out the Red Flags early in the second hour.

A 1:47.229 from Payton Westcott then became the new time to beat, giving her a seven tenths advantage over Bruce. Further improvements from the 16-year-old swiftly followed as Westcott set a 1:47.134 at the halfway mark. A second Red Flag came soon after, with Eva Dorrestijn in the gravel at Turn 8.

Carrying on from where she left off once the session resumed, Westcott went for another flying run into the final hour with a 1:47.044.

Stevens was the next driver to record a new personal best, posting the first sub-1:47s time of the day. The 18-year-old wasn’t finished yet, laying down a 1:46.921 with eight minutes left on the clock to take the fastest time of the morning by 0.092s to Billard.

The top three were covered by just over a tenth, with Westcott in third ahead of Bruce. Rachel Robertson finished in fifth followed by Alexia Danielsson and Granada. Zoe Florescu Potolea was eighth as Emma Scarbrough and Laura Bourguet completed the top 10.

AFTERNOON

The first quarter of an hour was busy for Bruce and Robertson as the pair traded fastest laps in quick succession, lowering the benchmark time from inside the 1:49s down to a 1:47.642. Bruce then posted a 1:47.502 to remain in the P1 spot for the next hour, with Stevens moving into second, only 0.098s behind.

Westcott soon picked up the pace, going 0.061s fastest than Bruce’s earlier effort on a 1:47.441. It wouldn’t be long before Stevens became the next driver to move to the top of the timesheets, setting a 1:47.372 to move ahead of the American by 0.069s.

The final hour of action saw more change at the top as Westcott reasserted herself out front, posting two consecutive personal bests to retake P1 on a 1:47.303. Bruce wasn’t far behind, only 0.022s adrift with Stevens a further 0.008s back in third.

Robertson then slotted into the top four, but an oil leak on the 17-year-old’s car triggered a Red Flag in the final minutes of running. With the session extended by 10 minutes, the rookies had time for their final set of flying laps. Billard lifted herself above the Briton into fourth, whilst Alexandra Herve went off at Turn 3 as the Rookie Test drew to a close.

Only 0.030 separated the top three of Westcott, Bruce and Stevens. Billard filtered into fourth ahead of Robertson and Danielsson. Jade Jacquet followed in seventh ahead of Granada and Bourguet, whilst Florescu Potolea capped off the top 10.

The 2025 F1 ACADEMY field will be back in action in a fortnight’s time as the series returns to the Marina Bay Street Circuit for Round 6 from October 3-5.

2025 F1 ACADEMY ROOKIE TEST, MORNING SESSION

2025 F1 ACADEMY ROOKIE TEST, AFTERNOON SESSION