PREVIEW: F1 ACADEMY heads to Zandvoort for in-season testing

The summer break isn’t quite here yet, as the F1 ACADEMY action resumes with in-season testing at the Circuit Zandvoort.

Hitting over halfway mark for the 2026 season, the two days of running will be a pivotal check-in point for the field to review all they’ve learnt so far and set themselves up for a return to the Dutch track for Round 4 in August.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Drivers and teams will be on track from July 16-17, with each day split into to segments totalling 12 hours of running.

On Day 1, the morning session will commence at 09:00 local time (UTC+1) to 12:00, with another three hours of testing in the afternoon from 14:00 to 16:55. Friday morning’s session will start bright and early at 08:30 and run to 11:30. The final session gets underway at 14:00 and testing will conclude at 16:00.

There will be five sets of dry-weather tyres available per car for the two-day test, alongside two sets of the wet compounds if necessary.

Additionally, Zoe Florescu will get her first outing ahead of her appearance as the Zandvoort Wild Card with Dirt Is Good, the series’ Official Laundry Detergent Partner.

THE FIELD

• Scoring three victories in the first seven races, Alisha Palmowski continues to lead the Drivers’ Standings and has strengthened her advantage over Emma Felbermayr to 30 points.
• Nina Gademan remains third in the Standings, 11 points ahead of the highest-placed rookie Megan Bruce and McLaren’s Ella Lloyd, who scored her first podium of the year in the Silverstone Reverse Grid Race.
• Campos Racing continue to put clean air between themselves and the rest of the teams. The Spanish squad are 53 points clear of Rodin Motorsport, who demoted PREMA Racing to third.
• The Circuit Zandvoort is the only track to have featured in every F1 ACADEMY season since its inaugural campaign. Previous winners include Hamda Al Qubaisi, Carrie Schreiner, Champions Abbi Pulling and Doriane Pin, and Nina Gademan and Maya Weug, who both won on home soil last year.
• Hamda Al Qubaisi set the series’ fastest lap around the 4.259km circuit back in 2023, recording a 1:35.926.

KEEP UP TO DATE

In-season testing from Zandvoort will be covered on the official F1 ACADEMY website with end-of-day reports after the chequered flag on each of the two days, followed by driver reactions. You can also keep up to date via the official F1 ACADEMY social media channels across the two days.