French karting talent Julia Montlaur has been announced as the latest addition to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Junior Programme for 2025, joining fellow female racers Luna Fluxa and Doriane Pin, forming a female 25% of the driver roster.
French karting talent Julia Montlaur has been announced as the latest addition to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Junior Programme for 2025.
Born in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France, the 12-year-old began her motorsport journey at an incredibly young age, first riding motocross at just two and a half years old. By the time she was eight, she discovered karting and quickly decided to pursue racing on four wheels.
Montlaur entered her first competitive karting race in 2021 and has steadily climbed the ranks ever since. Over the past two seasons, she has primarily focused on national competitions in France, consistently delivering strong performances.
A key moment in her development came when she participated in a two-day Iron Dames selection event, where she had the opportunity to experience a professional racing environment. This experience further fueled her ambition, and she went on to reach the finals for the French Championship in both 2023 and 2024 in the Mini class.
In 2024, she also finished ninth in the IAME Series France championship, establishing herself as one of the country’s most promising young drivers. Montlaur now embarks on her first season as a Mercedes junior driver and is set to make the step up to the OK Junior category.
She will compete in the Champions of the Future Academy Program as well as the FFSA Academy in France, aiming to continue her rapid development within the highly competitive international karting scene.
Montlaur joins an increasingly diverse Mercedes junior roster, which now features 25% female representation, alongside Luna Fluxa Cross and Doriane Pin. She will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Fluxa, who joined the programme in 2022 at the age of 11 and went on to win the Champions of the Future Academy title in 2024 with an outstanding season in the Senior category.
She also draws inspiration from fellow Mercedes academy graduates, including George Russell and Kimi Antonelli—who will race for the F1 team this season—citing the Italian as one of her racing heroes.
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