Ava Dobson to represent American Express for 2026 F1 ACADEMY season

Ava Dobson will take on her rookie F1 ACADEMY season this year, with the 17-year-old competing for the series’ Official Partner American Express.

Awarded the Parella Motorsport Holdings Powering Diversity Scholarship in 2023, the American racer made her single-seater debut in the Formula 4 United States Championship. Dobson gained further experience with appearances in the USF Juniors and USF2000 Championship that same year.

Transitioning over to racing in Europe, Dobson contested two rounds of the 2024 GB4 Championship before returning for a full campaign the following year. Claiming her maiden podium at Donington Park, she finished the 2025 season as the highest scoring female driver.

Dobson becomes the fourth Wild Card driver to progress to the 2026 grid after making her F1 ACADEMY debut on home soil during Round 3 in Miami last May. Racing with Hitech once again, Dobson expressed her delight at taking the next step in her racing journey.

“I am really excited to be going with F1 ACADEMY this year with American Express,” she said. ”I’m truly super honoured to be chosen to race in the series and having an amazing partnership with American Express. I can’t wait to continue to build off of that throughout the whole year and work really hard with the team, and with American Express to be the best we can be.”