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As the new season of F1 Academy kicks off, we asked ourselves, who are the 18 lucky ladies to be featured on this year's grid? And if you’re new to F1 Academy, welcome! Here’s a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about the women taking to the track this year.
The F1 Academy is a female-only, Formula 4-level single-seater racing championship. Founded in late 2022 by the Formula One Group, its core mission is to develop and prepare young female drivers so they can smoothly progress up the single-seater ladder to Formula 3, Formula 2, and eventually, Formula 1. And we are here for it!
All the women race in identical cars: a Tatuus F4-T421 chassis fitted with Pirelli tyres and a 174-horsepower turbocharged engine developed by Autotecnica Motori. One thing to note is that drivers must be between the ages of 16 and 25, and they are only permitted to compete in the series for two seasons, ensuring fresh talent constantly flows into the championship. As sad as it has been to see some drivers like Maya Weug come very close to the championship win, not snag and run out of time to try again, it’s exciting to see new names and faces joining the academy each year. Only strengthening their mission to get female drivers into F1.
This year, the grid features 18 identical cars split across six teams, with some, but not all, Formula One teams directly supporting a driver and adorning their car with their specific livery.
So you now know how the series works, let's get to know the talented women strapped into the cockpits. The grid is composed of six returning sophomores, eleven promising rookies, and one wild card driver introduced at each specific round to champion local talent.
Mathilda Paatz: Supported by Aston Martin, this German rookie made her first appearance as a Wild Card in Montreal last year. She has already made history as the first female driver to secure a podium in the F4 CEZ championship.
Payton Westcott: This 16-year-old American rookie is backed by Mercedes. She joins the grid after a stint in the Italian F4 Championship and holds the impressive title of being the first and only female to win the UAE trophy series.
Natalia Granada: Supported by Sephora, this 17-year-old Spanish rookie is the youngest athlete on the Iron Dames squad and arrives highly anticipated.
Alisha Palmowski: Racing for Red Bull, Palmowski is a returning sophomore and a clear title favourite. She finished fifth in the standings last year, notably winning the first race of the 2025 season opener.
Rafaela Ferreira: This Brazilian sophomore, backed by Racing Bulls, took a spectacular home victory during the Brazilian F4 round last year. Now in her final eligible year, she is aiming for consistent podiums.
Megan Bruce: A British rookie supported by TAG Heuer, Bruce has rapidly climbed the ranks over the last three years, gathering experience in the Caterham Academy, GB4, and F4 Saudi Arabia.
Nina Gademan: Supported by Alpine, this sophomore made waves in 2024 as the first Wild Card to score points. Last year, she converted a reverse-grid pole into her maiden victory at Zandvoort.
Alba Hurup Larsen: Stepping into the Scuderia Ferrari seat, this Danish sophomore was previously mentored by Kevin Magnussen. She was a consistent points-scorer last year and is hungry for wins.
Esmee Kosterman: A Dutch rookie who previously debuted as a Wild Card at Zandvoort. She made history as the first woman to win in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup Benelux.
Ella Lloyd: Crowned the Top Rookie of 2025, this Welsh sophomore is backed by McLaren. After securing five podiums and a victory last season, she is a top contender for the championship.
Emma Felbermayr: Racing for Audi, this Austrian sophomore claimed her maiden series win in Montreal last year and is determined to challenge for the 2026 title.
Ella Stevens: Supported by McLaren Oxagon, this British rookie enters the season having posted the fastest overall lap time at the Navarra rookie test, beating the field by 0.092 seconds.
Lisa Billard: This 16-year-old French rookie, backed by Gatorade, was a Singapore Wild Card last year. She secured the Female Trophy title in the French F4 Championship and is part of the Alpine Rac(H)er programme.
Jade Jacquet: Supported by Williams, Jacquet transitions quickly into the series after earning the Female Trophy at the Dijon-Prenois circuit in her F4 debut.
Kaylee Countryman: Racing for Haas, this 16-year-old American rookie progressed incredibly fast from karting to become a factory driver for CompKart.
Rachel Robertson: Backed by PUMA, this Scottish rookie debuted as a substitute at last year's Las Vegas finale, impressively finishing fourth. She also took third in the 2025 Radical Cup UK standings.
Ava Dobson: Supported by American Express, this 17-year-old American rookie (and former Miami Wild Card) joins the grid after becoming the top-scoring female in the 2025 GB4 Championship.
Shi Wei (Wild Card): Rounding out the grid for the season opener is Shanghai's local Wild Card entrant, who looked incredibly competitive in practice compared to her 2025 appearance.
If you are feeling a little coy and wondering who is setting the pace, the first qualifying session in Shanghai gave us a beautiful display of speed.
Alisha Palmowski laid down an absolute blinder of a lap, clinching her maiden pole position with a rapid time of 2:04.182. She was untouchable, bettering her own efforts to finish over four tenths clear of the pack.
Ferrari’s Alba Larsen proved she is here to play by securing second place, marking her very first front-row start in the series.
Audi's Emma Felbermayr rounded out the top three after a late improvement on the timing sheets.
For the opening race of the weekend (which flips the top eight qualifiers), Alpine's Nina Gademan will start on the reverse-grid pole perfectly positioned to make her mark. The cars are lined up, the drivers are ready, and this season is shaping up to be an absolute joy to watch.
And if you’re in the US and wanting to catch all the action, be sure to sign up for an Apple subscription so you don’t miss a minute.
Ciara is a Dublin native, award-winning film producer, podcaster and writer with 20 years of storytelling experience. A lifelong Leinster and Ireland rugby fan, she turned her attention to the grid after moving to Berlin and co-founding Formula Live Pulse. Now, she applies her producer’s brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastri’s rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!
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