Six of the most well-known names in junior single-seater racing are readying themselves to battle it out once in 2026. As the fourth F1 ACADEMY season draws closer, meet the teams featuring on the 18-car grid and keep an eye out as their line-ups are announced…

ART GRAND PRIX

F1 ACADEMY RESULTS

• Wins: 4
• Podiums: 18
• Poles: 2
• Points: 515

CONFIRMED LINE-UP: Lisa Billard (Gatorade), Jade Jacquet (Williams) & Kaylee Countryman (Haas)

ART Grand Prix weren’t waiting around, as the French outfit were the first to lock-in their 2026 trio. Sporting an all-rookie line-up, ART will be hoping to regain the form they had during the first F1 ACADEMY season in 2023 which saw them propel Léna Bühler to Vice-Champion honours.

Founded by Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur alongside Nicolas Todt, ART have the disadvantage of not competing in any other F4-level series. Although the squad delivered more silverware last season and a win they lacked in 2024, it was arguably a less competitive outing. They struggled to find consistent point-scoring finishes and languished down in P5 in the Standings.

With three promising rookies at the helm, Team Manager Pierre Soullier must expect some early setbacks but shouldn’t lack raw pace.

CAMPOS RACING

F1 ACADEMY RESULTS:

• Wins: 5
• Podiums: 29
• Poles: 5
• Points: 780

CONFIRMED LINE-UP (SO FAR): TBA X 3

Campos Racing stormed to the front of the field in 2025 but couldn’t sustain the hunt for the either title. Leading the Teams’ Standings until Round 4 in Montreal, they eventually managed to cling on to P2 by a single point, with Chloe Chambers reclaiming her spot inside the top three.

The Spanish outfit had the speed and top drivers in the form of Chambers, Alisha Palmowski and Rafaela Ferreira. Despite their most successful campaign yet with three wins and nine additional podiums, a handful of messy races cost them dearly. For Team Manager Gabriela Parra, mistakes like those will hopefully be a thing of the past.

Alongside their F1 ACADEMY season, they’ll also have a familiar face in their Spanish F4 line-up with former F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE karter Luna Fluxá, as the 2024 Champions of the Future Academy Champion takes on her first year in single-seaters.

HITECH

F1 ACADEMY RESULTS

• Wins: 0
• Podiums: 0
• Poles: 0
• Points: 20

CONFIRMED LINE-UP (SO FAR): Rachel Robertson (PUMA), Wild Card & TBA

The newest team on the grid, Hitech return for their sophomore season with a year of learning under their belt. It’s clear that the British squad had their fair share of struggles in 2025. Unable to regularly match the pace of their rivals, Hitech only managed six point-scoring finishes in the 14 races.

However, the year wasn’t a write off for the team. Esmee Kosterman became the first Wild Card driver to earn points last season in Zandvoort, earning her the praise of Team Manager Dan Hodder, whilst Rachel Robertson’s P4 finish in Las Vegas marked the highest finish of any of the one-round drivers.

Retaining Robertson for her rookie season in 2026 gives them a beneficial early benchmark to work from, but they need the Wild Card drivers get closer to the pack if they want to move up from sixth in the Standings. Their British F4 campaign will also be one to watch, as 2025 F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE karter Chiara Bättig tests her skills across her first full season in Formula 4 cars.

MP MOTORSPORT

F1 ACADEMY RESULTS

• Wins: 10
• Podiums: 25
• Poles: 6
• Points: 824

CONFIRMED LINE-UP (SO FAR): Nina Gademan (Alpine) & TBA X 2

A resurgent MP Motorsport came within touching distance of the 2025 Drivers’ title with Maya Weug. Now they’ll want to make sure nothing stands in their way of glory.

The Dutch squad looked untouchable at times, such as Weug’s clean sweep in Zandvoort Race 2, complimented by a very promising rookie season from Alba Larsen. Yet a technical issue for their title contender in Montreal was a stark remind of how quickly fortunes change in racing. Following the departure of Weug and the arrival of race winner Nina Gademan, MP will have to reset and reevaluate for the challenge ahead.

P2 in 2023, P4 in 2024 and P3 in 2025 — will 2026 see MP deliver the title they so desperately want? With the straight-talking Team Manager Wouter Blokhuis leading the charge, he’ll be under no illusions about exactly what they need to do.

PREMA RACING

F1 ACADEMY RESULTS

• Wins: 18
• Podiums: 44
• Poles: 10
• Points: 1,140

CONFIRMED LINE-UP (SO FAR): Mathilda Paatz (Aston Martin) & TBA X 2

Can the reigning Teams’ Champions defend their unbeaten status for a fourth consecutive season? That’s exactly the task PREMA Racing Team Manager Goffredo Pirro faces in 2026.

Arguably one of the most recognisable names in racing outside of Formula 1, PREMA are the only squad to have accumulated over 1,000 points across the three previous campaigns and have set the standard for their rivals. Last year saw them do the double for the second time, backing Doriane Pin to the Drivers’ title and retaining the Teams’ trophy by 60 points.

Yet it wasn’t a flawless campaign from the Italian squad. Failing to score a single pole position showed a weakness in one-lap pace compared to Campos and MP, while they had difficulties pulling off the similar charges up the order in the reverse grid races as their rivals. Putting at least one rookie behind the wheel in Aston Martin’s Mathilda Paatz, they need to get off the mark better on their return to Shanghai.

RODIN MOTORSPORT

F1 ACADEMY RESULTS

• Wins: 12
• Podiums: 31
• Poles: 13
• Points: 869

CONFIRMED LINE-UP (SO FAR): Ella Lloyd (McLaren), Ella Stevens (McLaren Oxagon) & TBA

Rodin Motorsport weren’t able to match the same highs as 2024, but last season left plenty of positives for the team to reflect on. Wins for Emma Felbermayr and Ella Lloyd were backed up by their first ever double podium in the series after a tense final few laps in Montreal Race 2.

After claiming the Rookie of the Year honours, Lloyd returns for a second shot at the title. Expected to lead the trio, the McLaren driver won’t be complacent about her performance. Alongside her, rookie Ella Stevens’ pace is encouraging after her timesheet-topping efforts at the Rookie Test, but the question remains whether she had sustain that pace across the seven rounds?

Finishing a distant fourth in the Teams’ Standings, the New Zealand squad and their Sporting Director and Team Manager, Benn Huntingford, have some homework to do if they want to unseat their rivals.