Farfus tops the timesheets in 2026 F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test

Victoria Farfus set the pace in this year’s F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test, logging a 1:46.988 to finish with the fastest overall time at the Circuito de Navarra.

The second edition of the event saw 18 up-and-coming female drivers demonstrate their potential behind the wheel, completing 1,447 laps in total. The Brazilian topped the morning segment by three tenths to Sofia Zanfari and Rosanne Den Drijver following closely behind in third.

In the afternoon, it was Alexia Danielsson who led the way, posting a 1:47.259 to beat Ella Lähdemaa and Farfus by two tenths.

MORNING

Zoe Florescu was first to explore the 4.313km and she wasn’t alone, as Lähdemaa and Danielsson each set an early benchmark. Kokoro Sato would be the next to go fastest with a 1:49.322 inside the first 10 minutes before improving by just under a tenth on her next attempt.

Times continued to tumble across the next 20 minutes, with Den Drijver, Zanfari, Autumn Fisher and Florescu all lowering the time to beat. Zanfari would be the first to break into the 1:48s but was quickly demoted by Farfus and Fisher in turn. The Canadian would stake her claim on the P1 spot on a 1:48.549, over a tenth quicker than Farfus and Jordyn Martin.

After a short break in the pits, the field continued with their flying laps. A 1:48.506 would move Zanfari to the top of the times until a new personal best from Sato, but the Moroccan driver would soon reclaim the position with a 1:48.334.

Danielsson was next to improve, moving into the 1:47s. She was swiftly joined by Luna Fluxa Cross, who went fastest on a 1:47.662. Farfus then found more pace towards the end of the second hour. Clocking in a 1:46.988, the Brazilian was three tenths ahead of Zanfari, who leapfrogged the Spaniard for second place.

The action quietened off for the rest of the morning, with the focus shifting to mileage rather than outright lap times. Lähdemaa would bring out a brief Red Flag with five minutes to go after stopping at Turn 2.

As a result, Farfus’ effort remained unbeaten, as the only driver inside the 1:46s, with Zanfari in second. Den Drijver was third-fastest followed by Sato, Florescu and Fluxa Cross. Martin was eighth ahead of Lähdemaa, Ginevra Panzeri and Danielsson, with just over eight tenths covering the top 10.

AFTERNOON

Florescu once again got the session up and running in the McLaren-liveried car, as she and Danielsson quickly lowered the benchmark down to a 1:47.939 within the opening 10 minutes.

Sato then posted a 1:47.744 to go top for the next half an hour until Lähdemaa picked up the pace in the Aston Martin car, setting a 1:47.259. However, Danielsson instantly responded, putting herself back into P1 with a 1:47.259 at the start of the second hour.

There would be few further improvements throughout the timesheets, as the lap counts continued to climb. Pushing to find the limit, Zanfari and Lähdemaa each had spins, but both were able to continue running.

However, there would be one last interruption to the session when the Red Flags were waved with five minutes on the clock after Kaur stopped on track. This allowed Danielsson to retain the fastest time of the afternoon, 0.282s ahead of Lähdemaa.

Farfus slotted into third, a further 0.006s behind. Sato filtered into fourth ahead of Matsui, Fluxa Cross and Florescu. Den Drijver was eighth followed by Panzeri and Clara Stiebleichinger completed the top 10 in the Audi car.

That draws the 2026 F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test to a close, but this year’s grid will be back on track in a month’s time for the penultimate round at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, United States on October 22-25.

2026 F1 ACADEMY ROOKIE TEST, MORNING SESSION

2026 F1 ACADEMY ROOKIE TEST, AFTERNOON SESSION