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BEGINNER’S GUIDE: Everything you need to know about the 2026 F1 ACADEMY season from drivers, teams, calendar and more
After two months without any F1 ACADEMY racing, the season is set to get back on track with a return to the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Canada next week.
Looking to get up to speed on the series’ fourth campaign before tuning into Round 2? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered. We’re here with a refresher of all the information you need to know, from our race weekend dates to driver lineups and much more…
WHAT IS F1 ACADEMY?
F1 ACADEMY is a Formula 4-level category, providing a platform for talented young female drivers. The series enables them to develop their skills and equips them to progress up the motorsport ladder from karting to single-seaters and beyond.
HOW MANY F1 ACADEMY DRIVERS AND TEAMS ARE COMPETING IN 2026?
There are 18 drivers on the grid for each round, with 17 full-time drivers and one Wild Card entry. This season sees 11 rookies join the series, including five Wild Card graduates from 2025.
Each team runs three cars each and drivers must be aged between 16 and 25 years old when entering their first race weekend of the season. All 10 F1 teams field a driver plus the McLaren Oxagon entry, with the remaining drivers supported by Official Partners such as TAG Heuer, American Express, Gatorade, The LEGO Group, PUMA and Sephora.
PREMA RACING: Mathilda Paatz__ (#5), Payton Westcott (#9), Natalia Granada (#19)
CAMPOS RACING: Megan Bruce (#4), Rafaela Ferreira (#18), Alisha Palmowski (#21)
MP MOTORSPORT: Nina Gademan (#3), Alba Larsen (#12), Esmee Kosterman (#32)
RODIN MOTORSPORT: Emma Felbermayr (#5), Ella Lloyd (#20), Ella Stevens (#28)
ART GRAND PRIX: Lisa Billard (#14), Kaylee Countryman (#91), Jade Jacquet (#95)
HITECH: Ava Dobson (#55), Rachel Robertson (#56), Wild Card Driver
Wild Card entries were introduced in 2024 to help strengthen the talent pole and give emerging drivers the platform to step up to F1 ACADEMY. A Wild Card driver receives a seat for a specific round, with the series prioritising young drivers from each race region, and they are eligible to score points in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Standings.
In Shanghai, Chinese driver Shi Wei returned to compete on home soil, whilst 18-year-old Canadian racer Autumn Fisher will make her debut for Round 2, representing Standard Chartered.
WHAT CARS DO THEY USE IN F1 ACADEMY?
As a one-make series, all drivers use the same cars. The F1 ACADEMY cars feature a Tatuus T421-F1A chassis — with modified front and rear wings which distinguish it from other F4 machinery. It uses 13-inch Pirelli tyres and a 1.4 litre turbo-charged Autotecnica engine, delivering 174bhp and reaching speeds up to 150mph.
Additionally, there are no mandatory pit stops in F1 ACADEMY. As a result, pit stops only occur if a driver sustains damage or to swap tyres if conditions change, such as going from dry to wet running.
WHERE IS F1 ACADEMY RACING IN 2026?
The 2026 F1 ACADEMY season comprises of six rounds, racing across three continents and all rounds feature on a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.
The season commenced in March at the Shanghai International Circuit and following the confirmation that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix would no longer take place in April, the campaign heads to Montreal before Silverstone makes its highly-anticipated debut.
Round 4 heads to the familiar Circuit Zandvoort, which is the only venue to have featured in all four seasons so far. The 2026 season concludes with two visits Stateside: a return to Austin for the penultimate round before the bright lights of Las Vegas host another spectacular season finale.
ROUND 1: Shanghai, China — March 13-15
ROUND 2: Montreal, Canada — May 22-24
ROUND 3: Silverstone, Great Britain — July 3-5
ROUND 4: Zandvoort, the Netherlands — August 21-23
ROUND 5: Austin, United States — October 23-25
ROUND 6: Las Vegas, United States — November 19-21
HOW DOES AN F1 ACADEMY WEEKEND WORK?
Typically split across three days — usually Friday, Saturday and Sunday — an F1 ACADEMY race weekend commences with up to two Free Practice sessions, which can last up to 40 minutes each.
A 30-minute Qualifying session will then determine the grid for each race, with all races lasting for up to 30 minutes. The grid for the Reverse Grid Race will be set by reversing the top eight drivers, with drivers in P9 to P18 starting where they qualified. The drivers’ fastest laps will establish the grid for the Feature Race.
In Montreal and Austin, a third race has been introduced. The Opening Race will take place ahead of the Reverse Grid Race and Feature Race, with the grid being decided by the drivers’ second-fastest lap times.
HOW MANY POINTS CAN BE SCORED ON AN F1 ACADEMY WEEKEND?
A maximum of 39 points can be scored by a driver during a two-race weekend, with 86 points available for the teams. In Montreal and Austin, the maximum points increase to 65 for drivers and 145 for teams.
In the Reverse Grid Race, points will be awarded to the top eight drivers, from 10 points for the winner down to one point for P8. The Opening Race and Feature Race both award the same amount of points on a sliding scale of 25 points for the victor, then 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and down to 1 point for the driver in 10th.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What is the ‘Opening Race’ and new three-race F1 ACADEMY weekend format?
Two points will be awarded to the driver that is shown on pole position for the final grid for the Feature Race, but not for the Opening Race or Reverse Grid Race. A point for the fastest lap will be awarded in all three races, provided she finishes inside the top eight in the Reverse Grid Race or the top 10 in the Opening Race and Feature Race.
No points are awarded for a race if the leader has completed less than two laps or unless a minimum of two laps have been completed by the leader without a Safety Car intervention.
| POSITION | OPENING RACE POINTS | REVERSE GRID RACE POINTS | FEATURE RACE POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 25 | 10 | 25 |
| 2nd | 18 | 8 | 18 |
| 3rd | 15 | 6 | 15 |
| 4th | 12 | 5 | 12 |
| 5th | 10 | 4 | 10 |
| 6th | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| 7th | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| 8th | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| 9th | 2 | 2 | |
| 10th | 1 | 1 |
WHO ARE THE F1 ACADEMY CHAMPIONS?
The 2026 grid will all be eagerly looking to follow in the footsteps of our three previous Champions. Marta García scored five wins, two further podiums and five pole positions on her way to the inaugural title in 2023. The Spanish racer won a fully-funded seat in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and last year won a race in the Le Mans Cup – GT3 class.
In 2024, Abbi Pulling put together a dominant run to the crown, claiming nine wins and finished on the podium in every race that year. Handed a fully-funded seat in the 2025 GB3 Championship, the Briton finished 10th and returns for her sophomore campaign with Rodin Motorsport this year.
Doriane Pin fought hard to take the 2025 title in the final race of the season, ending with four wins and four additional podium finishes. Since then, the French racer has graduated to a Development Driver role with the Mercedes F1 Team and tested an F1 car for the first time in April, testing the W12 over 76 laps. She also serves in the same role for Peugeot TotalEnergies in the World Endurance Championship and Citroën Racing’s Formula E team, alongside competing for the Duqueine Team in the European Le Mans Series Pro-Am class.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW F1 ACADEMY?
You can keep up to date with all the latest news, reports, interviews, behind the scenes features and much more here on the official F1 ACADEMY website.
Fans around the world can stream Qualifying and the Races live on the F1 ACADEMY YouTube and X channels or watch along over on F1 TV. You can also watch on your local TV channel, and you can find your broadcaster here.
Follow along with all the goings on from the paddock and get to know our drivers and teams over on our Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts.