F1 academy unveils expanded 2026 rookie test and training camp

Look at this structure. F1 ACADEMY is bringing back its Rookie Test and launching a brand new Rookie Training Camp supported by Loughborough University. This combined programme has been built specifically to spot, develop, and back the strongest talent from a growing, global pool of female drivers.

Here is why this matters. Following the inaugural Rookie Test last year, seven drivers actually graduated to full-time seats on the 2026 grid, while another two made Wild Card appearances this season. The partnership with Loughborough University aims to give the next generation the exact knowledge and skills they need both on and off the track. Plus, it brings science-backed insights into female athlete development, performance progression, and transition challenges to the wider motorsport world.

The schedule is packed. An eligible group of 18 female drivers will head to the Rookie Training Camp at Loughborough University from 25-27 August before moving on to the on-track Rookie Test at Circuito de Navarra from 9-11 September. During the training camp, these drivers will face physiological profiling, cognitive testing, and VALD performance screening. They will also sit through seminars and interactive workshops led by Loughborough University experts, tackling strength and conditioning, performance lifestyle, resilience, and the key behaviours required for elite sport success.

Then comes the track action. At the Rookie Test, drivers are dropped straight into an F1 ACADEMY team environment, sitting in on driver briefings and engineering sessions to understand the sheer operational demands of top-tier junior single-seater racing. They will handle media briefings and assessment activities before finally jumping behind the wheel of F1 ACADEMY machinery.

Let us look at the 18 drivers selected to participate in the 2026 Rookie Test and training camp: 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.

Katie Denver, Performance & Talent Development Manager for F1 ACADEMY, stated: “The success of our inaugural Rookie Test in 2025 demonstrated both the depth of female racing talent coming through the pathway and the importance of providing opportunities for drivers to showcase their potential. For 2026, we're taking the programme a step further with the introduction of the Rookie Training Camp, delivered with Loughborough University.”