F1 Academy returns for its second season 📷 F1 on X
As we enter 2024, expect signings for the feeder series to come in quick and fast, including F1 Academy. Heading into its second season, There is still very few seats secured for the upcoming season kicking off in Saudi Arabia in March. Along with the introduction of all ten F1 teams backing a driver in the series announced back in July 2023, we expect to see some news flowing soon. With some F1 teams already having their prodigies secured, here we’ll dive into the details we already have and also look at who we think the remaining teams should snap up before the season begins.
What do we know so far
Even though the grid does look quite empty on paper, we have already had some announcements on who the teams have chosen to represent them for the new season. The first announcement was from McLaren, who announced Bianca Bustamante would be the first female member of their drivers academy just before the US Grand Prix in October 2023. Into her second season in the series, Bianca will be racing for ART, making the move from Prema for the 2024 season.
Lia Block joins the williams academy 📷 williams racing
Next was the announcement of 17 year old American driver Lia Block to the Williams driver academy accompanying Bustamante at ART. A new driver to the F1 academy scene but Lia has had her fair share of success just recently became the youngest American Rally Association Champion. Next would come an announcement from Aston Martin adding Tina Hausman to their ranks along with the announcement that Jess Hawkins would be taking on the role of head of racing for F1 academy within the team where she is currently working as a driver ambassador. Hausman would be making the step up from Italian F4 and the Euro 4 championship to race with Prema in her debut season in F1 Academy.
Tina Hausman 📷 Aston Martin
Abbi Pulling was next to announce her return to the series once again with Rodin Carlin and backed by Alpine where she joined their affiliate programme in 2022 before being promoted to their driver academy in 2023. A real rising star with true promise, It was no doubt that Alpine would continue to back her for the 2024 season. Along with completing her second season in F1 Academy, Pulling will also be returning to the British F4 championship where she last raced in 2021.
The final announcement of 2023 would come from Ferrari whilst they confirmed their driver academy line up for the new year. The prancing horse announced that they will be backing two drivers in F1 Academy for 2024 with Maya Weug and Aurelia Nobles being confirmed. Both drivers will make their debuts in the series, Weug (19) joining the series after a quite impressive FRECA campaign in 2023 and Nobels (16) will be taking the same steps as Tina Hausman after competing in Italian F4 and the Euro 4 championship last season. The teams both Maya and Aurelia will be racing under in the series are yet to be announced.
Who’s next ?
With 11 seats yet to be filled and 5 F1 teams still yet to announce who they will be backing, here are some drivers we think the teams should be keeping an eye on and potentially adding to their roster for the 2024 season.
Hamda Al Qubaisi
Hamda taking victory in Zandvoort 📷 F1 Academy
At 21 years old, Hamda has been quietly proving just how much of a talent she is. Starting her karting career only back in 2015, It’s amazing to see what she’s achieved in such a short period of time. 2020 would see career in single seaters begin, racing in the F4 UAE championship with Abu Dhabi Racing where she’d collect 3 wins and 12 podiums on her way to 4th in the championship. She would also make her debut on the European scene in the same year in Italian F4 also with Abu Dhabi racing .
2021 would see her return to the two series, finishing 4th again in F4 UAE but this season would see her become the first ever female to stand on the podium in Italian F4 whilst racing for Prema by getting P3 during race one at the Missano world circuit. In 2022, she would take the step up to FRECA still with the Italian team finishing a lowly 38th but this would lead her on to her F1 Academy debut.
Signing with MP Motorsport for the inaugural F1 Academy season, partnering her older sister Amna, this jump would really see her rise as a true talent. Taking 7 podiums, 4 of them being on the top spot and having 17 points finishes out of 21 races led her to 3rd in the championship. An amazing campaign from the young driver surely should turn heads of a few F1 teams to have Hamda run their colours for the 2024 season.
Jess Edgar
Jess Edgar 📷 Silverstone
Hailing from a family where motorsport goes back for generations, It was no shock that Jess would catch the bug. Starting her karting career in 2010 at only five years old, it was clear the young girl from Cumbria would have a bright future ahead of her. A karting career consisting of many race wins in the Mini X30 category in 2018, a second place finish in the Motorsport UK Kartmasters Grand Prix and fourth in the British Kart Championship in 2019 and a 13th place finish in the junior category once racing returned after Covid led to her first steps into single seaters.
Joining Fortec Motorsport for 2022, she began her first single seater season racing in the GB4 Championship. Scoring points on a regular basis was topped with her first single series podium in Oulton Park during round two of the championship. These regular points finishes would help her achieve 7th in the standings once the season concluded at Donnington. This impressive debut would catch eyes and lead her to a seat on the F1 academy grid for 2023.
Joining British team Rodin Carlin partnering fellow Brit Abbi Pulling and Canadian Megan Gilkes, Edgar would have an up and down season. Scoring points regularly but struggling to fight up the top consistently. Her potential was clear though with two p3 finishes in the first race of the season in Austria after a penalty for Nera Marti promoted her to the podium and race one in Monza would lead on to her first F1 Academy pole and win in the season finale in Austin Texas where she also achieved a P3 finish in race one the same weekend.
A bright young talent only at the start of her single seater career with obvious potential could be a real steal for any team and it would be no shock to see Jess potentially snapped up for the 2024 season and running some familiar colours.
The next few weeks could be huge for young female drivers as the chance of a lifetime to work within teams at the pinnacle of motorsport could come knocking on their doors. The F1 teams surely have been keeping their eyes peeled and will be ready to make some decisions soon as we near the 2024 season.
Stay tuned to Middle of the grid for all updates regarding F1 Academy as the remaining seats get filled up.
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