Racing
© Jonathan Borba
F1 Academy will put 18 prospective female drivers through an expanded 2026 Rookie Programme, adding a Loughborough University training camp before its on-track test at Circuito de Navarra.
The new Rookie Training Camp will run from August 25-27 at Loughborough, with the drivers then testing F1 Academy machinery in Spain from September 9-11. The programme is aimed at identifying and developing future-eligible talent from an increasingly competitive global pool, with assessment extending beyond outright speed.
Alexia Danielsson, Rosanne Den Drijver, Jordyn Deza-Martin, Eva Dorrestijn, Victoria Farfus, Autumn Fisher, Zoe Florescu, Luna Fluxa, Yana Kapoor, Kareen Kaur, Carmen Kraav, Ella Lähdemaa, Sara Matsui, Ginevra Panzeri, Kokoro Sato, Milla Sjöstrand, Clara Stiebleichinger and Sofia Zanfari have been selected.
The expanded pathway follows the inaugural 2025 Rookie Test, from which seven drivers moved into full-time seats on the 2026 grid. Two further participants have made Wild Card appearances this season, underlining the test's role as a route into the championship.
At Loughborough, the drivers will complete physiological profiling, cognitive testing and VALD performance screening. University experts will also lead seminars and workshops on strength and conditioning, performance lifestyle, resilience and the behaviours required in elite sport.
The Navarra element will place participants in an F1 Academy team environment, allowing them to observe driver briefings and engineering sessions while learning the operational demands of junior single-seater racing. They will also undertake media briefings and assessment activities focused on the off-track responsibilities of a professional career before taking to the circuit in F1 Academy cars.
Katie Denver, F1 Academy Performance & Talent Development Manager, said the new camp would take the programme beyond a conventional test. “For 2026, we're taking the programme a step further with the introduction of the Rookie Training Camp, delivered with Loughborough University,” Denver said. “By combining world-class expertise, research, and on-track experience, we're creating an environment where drivers can accelerate their development and gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed both on and off the track.”
By combining physical, cognitive and behavioural development with the Navarra running, F1 Academy is broadening the criteria by which its next generation of drivers can demonstrate their readiness for future opportunities in the series.