All-female series F1 Academy has announced new initiatives as part of its commitment to developing future racing talent, including its first-ever rookie test and the continuation of its partnership with the Champions of the Future Academy Program in karting, with the nine supported drivers named.
All-female series F1 Academy has announced new initiatives as part of its commitment to developing future racing talent, including its first-ever rookie test and the continuation of its partnership with the Champions of the Future Academy Program in karting.
Set to take place in September 2025, the inaugural rookie test will offer up to 18 young drivers their first opportunity to experience an F1 Academy-spec car. This initiative will provide emerging female drivers with a platform to showcase their skills and potentially secure a place in future F1 Academy.
The selection process for the rookie test will focus on drivers who have demonstrated promising results in Senior karting categories and Formula 4-level competitions, with no prior experience of the F1 Academy-spec car.
Following a full day of testing, all participating rookies will take part in development workshops led by the F1 Academy Driver Development team; these sessions will equip them with knowledge to support their progression in motorsport.
At the same time, F1 Academy has confirmed the extension of the collaboration with the karting series Champions of the Future Academy Program (COTFA). Just like in the inaugural season, nine selected participants will receive support through the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive initiative in 2025.
In its debut season of the program, F1 Academy-supported driver Luna Fluxa Cross became the OK-N Senior category champion, marking a historic milestone as the first female to win an FIA international championship since Susanna Raganelli’s World Karting Championship triumph in 1966.
As the reigning 2024 Champion and the highest-finishing female driver in the senior category, Fluxa - also a Mercedes AMG Junior Program driver - will also be invited to participate in the first-ever F1 Academy rookie test.
In the 2025 edition of the Champions Of The Future Academy Program that kicks off this weekend in Portimao, Portugal, nine more drivers will be supported by the Discover Your Drive initiative, three each class.
In the Senior class (age 14-17), Ella Hakkinen, Chiara Battig and Klara Kowalczyk will race in F1 Academy colours.
Ella Hakkinen, daughter of two-time F1 World Champion Mika, raced in the COTFA series in 2024 and took a final victory in Cremona, consistently contending for top positions in the Junior category. She previously raced in the highly competitive WSK championship in the Mini class.
Swiss racer Chiara Battig is a two-time Swiss karting champion, winning in the OK Junior class in both 2022 and 2023. She took part in the FIA Girls On Track selections and was a member of the Alpine F1's Rac(H)er program. She graduated to the CIK FIA European Championship and WSK, as well as a one-off participation in the FIA World Karting Championship.
Klara Kowalczyk is also quickly rising through the ranks of karting and was Poland's Vice-Champion in 2022. She was also selected by the FIA Women's Commission for the 2023 FIA Karting Academy Trophy, raced in the WSK Super Masters in the OK Junior class, and represented Poland at the latest FIA Motorsport Games.
In the Junior category (11-14 age), Angelina Simons Torres, Vanesa Silkunaite and Victoria Farfus are the drivers selected for the F1 Academy support.
Simon Torres and Farfus both joined the groundbreaking Iron Dames program earlier this year as part of the team's efforts in karting - and both previously raced in the COTFA series in 2024, making big progress in the Junior class, which they will be tackling again with winning ambitions.
Lithuanian talent Silkunaite won the final edition of the FIA Girls On Track - Rising Stars selection in the Junior category - and already has a remarkable racing resumé, having entered some of the most prestigious karting competitions in Europe, from WSK Super Masters Series, Champions of the Future, CIK FIA World Championship, IAME International Warrior Final, IAME Winter Cup, WSK Euro Series and FIA Motorsport Games.
In the COTFA series, she collected a top five at Al Forsan as a personal best result.
The three selected drivers for the Mini class (8-11 age) are Atiqa Mir, Ava Lawrence and Alba Cueva.
Lawrence was one of the supported drivers in 2024 as well, and made big progress over the season. She has raced across Europe and the Middle East in 2024, reaching the podium multiple times. She will also race in the European Rotax Max championship.
Ten-year-old Atiqa Mir, from India, became the first female to race in the prestigious WSK series, and has also collected increasingly promising results in both Europe and Middle East, with two MENA Cup vice-champion titles and a IAME UAE runner up position in the Mini class.
Cueva, from Spain, is a newcomer to the COTFA series but has worked hard to get to this level: she is a two-time champion in the Asturias Championship, multiple winner on Spanish soil and a WSK finalist.
The selected female drivers in each COTFA category will receive support, including branded karts and race suits, as well as financial assistance with entry fees.
The season kicks off this weekend at the Algarve International in Portimão, and is the first of six scheduled events across Europe and Middle East.
The 2024 season of the COTFA series set new records with over 20% female representation, and in 2025, 33% of the senior grid will be female - showcasing the first results of program effectiveness.