F1 ACADEMY has announced Esmee Kosterman as the Wild Card entry for Round 5 of the season at Circuit Zandvoort, representing TeamViewer, the global leader in remote connectivity and digital workplace solutions.

The 20-year-old Dutch driver will debut with F1 ACADEMY in a special edition livery that highlights innovators and changemakers driving progress – on and off the track.

Hailing from Wijk bij Duurstede in the Netherlands, Kosterman stepped up into car racing in 2021, competing in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup Benelux. Two years later, she became the first woman to win in the series before going on to finish second in the Junior Cup and third in the overall Standings.

Kosterman continued to broaden her racecraft in the Dutch Supercar Challenge, BMW M2 Cup and the Lamera Cup. After scoring points on her Indian F4 debut last year, this season has seen her race in British F4 with appearances at Silverstone, Snetterton and Zandvoort.

In celebration of TeamViewer’s Visibility Drives Change campaign, which encourages women to see themselves as the leaders of tomorrow, the faces of women inspiring change will feature on Kosterman’s #86 F1 ACADEMY car. The livery will feature over 200 women on the car. These role models have inspired women across a range of industries, in workplaces, in paddocks and in their personal lives.

In addition to the specially designed livery, Kosterman’s race number recognises the power of female role models, with findings from TeamViewer’s Women in Sport Tech report, produced in collaboration with Loughborough University London, indicating that 86% of women believe that having visible female leaders is key to gender equality in the workplace.

Karin Fink, Head of Commercial Operations, F1 ACADEMY said: “Our sport has the power to inspire change, and we are incredibly proud to be championing women both on and off track. We know that creating female role models in motorsport is already helping to improve participation at the junior level of racing, and working with TeamViewer, we are excited to take this further and inspire the next generation of women in STEM. Together our mission is to empower the next generation of female leaders and send a clear message: your presence matters, you are driving change.”

Faith Wheller, VP of Brand, Integrated Marketing and Sports Partnerships, TeamViewer added: “It is our ambition to drive meaningful change both on and off the track. The opportunity to support Esmee in her F1 ACADEMY debut while driving a car featuring role models is the next step in achieving this. Our research found that not being able to see someone like you in a senior role made it harder to see a career in your chosen field. This is why it was so important to showcase so many role models on the car. Working with the F1 ACADEMY to see this come to life has been a highlight of the partnership so far. We look forward to supporting Esmee in person at her home race.”