Report
Champions of the Future Academy Round 5 Recap: The battles never stop
As the 2025 Champions of the Future Academy Program campaign draws to a close, our nine F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE karters were on the hunt for victories and podiums in Round 5.
The penultimate round at the Al Ain Raceway in the United Arab Emirates saw all categories fight it out at the top end of their fields. Despite the rapid pace, only Chiara Bättig would secure her fifth piece of silverware this season.
MINI 60 (8 TO 11 YEARS OLD)
Atiqa Mir was quick to make her mark on the opening day as the Indian racer qualified in fourth, three places ahead of Ava Lawrence. However, the UAE racer would get the better of her in the Heats with two top-four finishes earning her a spot on the front row for the Final.
However, a tricky opening lap would see her drop down the order, with Lawrence eventually classifying in P17. Meanwhile, Mir carved her way through the pack from P6, narrowly missing out on a podium finish by 0.074s.
Mir continued in fine form on Day 2, qualifying in P5 and gaining two places in Heat 1. Despite losing five places in Heat 2, she would line up on the third row for the Final. Showing some strong racecraft, Mir fought hard to bring home a P7 finish.
Lawrence’s day got off to a more challenging start in P14 and she was unable to make up the same progress as she did in the previous Heats and Final, gaining only three places to end the penultimate round in P11.
Alba Cueva struggled across the two race days, but her fighting spirit remained strong. Qualifying in P25 on Day 1, the Spaniard made up 15 places across both Heats and made her way up to P16 in the Final. An unlucky Day 2 saw Cueva qualify in P16 but was knocked out of Heat 2 on the opening lap after the concertina effect bunched up the back of the field into Turn 1. Unable to fully recover, she took the Final chequered flag in P22.
OK-N JUNIOR (11 TO 14 YEARS OLD)
The Junior duo got off to a promising start, with Angelina Simons netting a top-four time in Qualifying and Victoria Farfus was not far behind in P6. The Spanish karter battled hard across both Heats, scoring P8 and P4 finishes, earning her a third row spot on the grid for the Final.
Showing tremendous speed, Simons seized the lead of the race for the first time this season on Lap 11 and took the chequered flag first. Unfortunately, a penalty for causing an incident demoted her to P6 in the final classification. Meanwhile, Farfus pulled off some decisive overtakes to go from seventh to fourth by the end of Day 1.
Day 2 at Al Ain proved to be a more difficult day, with neither karter breaking into the top 10 in Time Qualifying. Forced to settle for P12, Simons set about making up lost ground, earning herself the P9 spot for the Final. A fierce battle saw her close in on the podium, but the Iron Dames-backed karter had to be content with fourth.
Farfus’ day started off on a bumpier note. After qualifying in P18, the Brazilian was disqualified from Heat 1 for unsportsmanlike behaviour and retired on Lap 5 of Heat 2 after getting caught up in a multi-kart incident. Starting from the back of the field, Farfus managed to climb her way up the order to be classified in P14. Despite their mixed fortunes, both have made progress in the Standings as Simons broke into the top three, with Farfus close behind in fifth.
OK-N SENIOR (14 TO 17 YEARS OLD)
Chiara Bättig burst into action on Day 1, finishing third-fastest in Qualifying, only 0.060s off pole for the Heats. That gap wouldn’t stop her storming to the front in Heat 1, finishing almost a second clear and the Red Bull Junior followed that up with a P3 finish in Heat 2, earning her the pole position spot for the Final.
However, a messy opening lap would deny her a shot at the victory and the Swiss racer had to be content with another podium in third. Meanwhile, newly-announced McLaren junior Ella Häkkinen was also hunting down some silverware after qualifying in seventh. Steadily climbing up the order to fifth on the grid for the Final, Häkkinen’s efforts didn’t pay off as she was disqualified from the Final for a bad manoeuvre.
Vanesa Silkunaite and Klara Kowalczyk each had fightbacks on their hands after qualifying in ninth and 14th, respectively. Silkunaite’s task looked even harder after the Lithuanian racer failed to make it past the opening lap in Heat 1. Kowalczyk pushed on, breaking into the top 10 in both Heats to earn her the P7 spot for the Final, with Silkunaite lining up 10 places behind her.
That didn’t stop Silkunaite, who made up 12 places to take the chequered flag in P5, with Kowalczyk losing a little bit of ground to finish in P12.
The last day of running saw Bättig head the quartet once again, qualifying inside the top five. Meanwhile, a tricky session saw Kowalczyk, Silkunaite and Häkkinen only manage P11, P15 and P18 respectively.
Heat 1 brought more promising results for Kowalczyk in fourth, while a penalty for an incorrectly installed or positioned front fairing demoted Bättig to P22. Heat 2 saw the Swiss karter lose one place, as did Kowalczyk in P12. Their mixed fortunes meant Kowalczyk would line up in P6 for the Final, four places ahead of Bättig with Häkkinen just behind in P11, and Silkunaite a more distant P17.
Despite their valiant efforts, the podium spots would elude the quartet, with Kowalczyk leading them home in P8. Silkunaite followed closely behind in P10 ahead of Bättig, who was handed a five-second time penalty for receiving a warning flag, and Häkkinen’s race came to an early end with three laps to go.
As a result, Bättig sits third in the Standings heading into the final round, only four points behind second place. Kowalczyk and Häkkinen complete the top six, with Silkunaite in P14 in only her second weekend in the Senior category.
One last fight awaits as the 2025 COTFA season heads to the Al Forsan International Sports Resort for the final round from December 1-3. To see the full list of results from Round 3 and to view the remaining rounds on the calendar, visit the COTFA website here.