This weekend is the seventh and final round of the F1 Academy 2023 season, and for the first time ever it will be broadcasted internationally for millions of viewers. Ahead of this momentous occasion, here is your quick guide to all 15 drivers on the grid, in championship order!
Name: Marta García
Championship Standing: 1st
Driver Number: #15
Team: Prema Racing
Nationality: Spanish
DOB: 09/08/2000
Instagram: @martagarcialopez19
Marta, the championship leader, has had an extremely impressive career. Like all great drivers, she began karting at a young age, and claimed titles such as the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the Trofeo delle Industrie. In 2016, Marta began racing in Formula 4, regularly scoring points. Marta also drove in the predecessor to F1 Academy, W Series, finishing 4th in the inaugural season in 2019. 12th in 2021 and 6th in 2022. In 2021 during the pandemic, she took part in a 10 event iRacing e-sports competition, placing 2nd in the championship. In 2023 she joined F1 academy for its first season, and so far has had 10 podiums, 6 wins, 4 pole positions, and 5 fastest laps. A notable fan of hers, and fellow Spaniard, is F1 driver Carlos Sainz, who has publicly supported her on his Instagram.
Name: Léna Bühler
Championship Standing: 2nd
Driver Number: #7
Team: ART Grand Prix
Nationality: Swiss
DOB: 09/07/1997
Instagram: @lena_buhler
Unlike other racing drivers, Léna actually started her sporting career by competing in BMX at Europeans level during her younger years before beginning in karting at age 17, a significantly later stage than her fellow competitors . However, Léna has proved that it's never too late to pursue your dreams. In 2020, she made the move into Spanish F4 and then in 2021 competed in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, but faced challenges due to a pre-season injury. Back with a bang in 2022, Lena managed to finish all her races inside the top 20. In 2023, Léna was confirmed as the first driver to be joining F1 Academy. This season she has claimed 11 podiums, 2 wins, 2 poles and 1 fastest lap.
Name: Hamda Al Qubaisi
Championship Standing: 3rd
Driver Number: #4
Team: MP Motorsport
Nationality: Emirati
DOB: 08/08/2002
Instagram: @hamndaalqubaisi_official
Part of the sister duo, and the younger of the two, both competing with MP Motorsport, Hamda started karting in 2015, and became the first Emirati to be invited to the FIA-sponsored CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy in 2016. In 2017, she raced in the IAME X30 Championships, finishing 3rd. Debuting in Italian F4 mid-season in 2019, Hamda joined her sister Amna to compete in Abu Dhabi with Prema Racing, and in 2020 went on to win three races on home soil in the United Arab Emirates' F4 series. She then returned to Italian F4 for a full campaign and claimed two points finishes. A further F4 UAE campaign saw three wins and six podiums, and a P4 finish in the championship standings. Last season, Hamda took part in the all-woman’s FIA F3 test at Magny-Cours. This season she has claimed 5 podiums, 3 wins, 2 poles and 4 fastest laps.
Name: Nerea Martí
Championship Standing: 4th
Driver Number: #1
Team: Campos Racing
Nationality: Spanish
DOB: 02/01/2002
Instagram: @nereamarti32
Starting her karting career at 9, Martí made the move to Spanish F4 in 2019, and impressively finsihed P2 in her debut race with P2. In 2020 she qualifed for W Series however it was cancelled as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, so instead she competed in the Spanish Karting Championship, finishing 8th in her category. In 2021, she finally joined W-Series, finishing 4th in the Drivers’ Standings. She was the best-placed rookie and scored points in every race that year. Nerea's 2nd season included a maiden pole position in Miami, and a 7th place finish in the championship standings. Joining F1 Academy this year, she has had 5 podiums, 1 win, 1 pole and 3 fastest laps.
Name: Abbi Pulling
Championship Standing: 5th
Driver Number: #10
Team: Rodin Carlin
Nationality: British
DOB: 21/03/2003
Instagram: @abbipulling
In 2013, Abbi started her karting career at age 9 and went on to win the Super 1 National Junior TKM championship twice. She then went on to compete in Ginetta Juniors and GT5 championship before moving to single-seaters in 2020, competing in the British F4 Championship as well as a one-off appearance in the Formula Renault Eurocup for the Fernando Alonso Racing Team. Across two seasons in F4, Abbi achieved 7 podiums but unfortunately in 2021 her season end early as she had to pull-out due to lack of funding. In 2022 she returned to compete in W Series, finishing 4th in the championship standings, and in 2023 became an Alpine Academy member as well as joining F1 Academy. This season she has achieved 6 podiums, 2 poles and 3 fastest laps. It is definitely worth noting Abbi has achieved podiums in every championship she has raced in so far.
Name: Amna Al Qubaisi
Championship Standing: 6th
Driver Number: #6
Team: MP Motorsport
Nationality: Emirati
DOB: 28/03/2000
Instagram: @amnaalqubaisi_official
Older sister to Hamda, Amna started karting in 2014, appearing at the Rotax Max Challenge World Finals, X30 Euro Series and Italian X30 Championship. In 2018 she became the first middle eastern woman to take part in a motorsport test programme for Formula E, as well as joining Italian F4 . In 2019 her goal to take part in W-Series had to be put on pause due to her school obligations, however in 2021 returned to racing to participate in the F3 Asian Championship. In 2022 she raced in both the Formula Regional Asian Championship and Formula Regional European Championship, before joining the roster for F1 Academy in 2023. This season she has achieved 4 podiums, 2 wins and 2 fastest laps.
Name: Bianca Bustamante
Championship Standing: 7th
Driver Number: #16
Team: Prema Racing
Nationality: Filipino
DOB: 19/01/2005
Instagram: @racerbia
With her first time being at the wheel of a race kart at just 3 years old, Bianca made the step up to racing in single seaters in 2022, competing in USF Juniors and the Indian Racing League. She then went on to participate in W Series testing before being announced as a W Series competitor for that same year, finishing 15th and scoring 2 points that season. In 2023 she raced in the F4 UAE Championship, alongside appearances in USF Juniors and the Italian F4 Championship, and was the second competitor announced for F1 Academy. this season --- and she is the first Filipino to win an F1 Academy race, receiving congratulations from the President of the Philippines. So far this season, she has achieved 4 podiums, 2 wins and 1 pole.
As of Wednesday October 18th, Bianca has joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme and will be their nominated F1 Academy driver for the 2024 season. Alongside this, she will be making the switch from her current team Prema Racing to ART Grand Prix, where she will don the Mclaren race suit and car livery. She is the first F1 Academy driver to be nomiated by an F1 Team for the 2024 season, congratulations Bianca!
Name: Emely De Heus
Championship Standing: 8th
Driver Number: #5
Team: MP Motorsport
Nationality: Dutch
DOB: 10/02/2003
Instagram: @emely.de.heus
Only beginning her karting career in 2019, Emely has stormed her way up the ladder to F1 Academy, first competing in the Rotax Max Challenge. In 2019 she scored 4 points, finishing 27th overall that year. In 2020 she made leaps and bounds, scoring 239 points and finishing 4th overall, as well as competing in the Dutch Wintercup which she won! 2021 saw her single seater debut in the Spanish F4 championship, placing 29th in the standings and winning the 2021 Female Trophy. Emely joined W Series in 2022, scoring points on debut and finishing 17th overall, and then in 2023 went on to compete in the F4 UAE Championship, as well as joining F1 Academy. This season she has had 2 podiums, 1 win and 1 pole.
Name: Jessica (Jess) Edgar
Championship Standing: 9th
Driver Number: #11
Team: Rodin Carlin
Nationality: British
DOB: 15/03/2005
Instagram: @_jessedgar
Part of the fourth generation of racers from her family, Jess started karting in 2010, and competed in several competitions including the Motorsport UK Kartmasters Grand Prix (in which she came 2nd) and the British UK Kartmasters Grand Prix (in which she came 4th), before making the move to single seaters in 2022. Spending the 2022 season competing in the GB4 Championship, Jess managed to achieve a podium, as well as top 10 finishes in the majority of her other races, finishing 7th in the overall standings. In 2023 she joined the F1 Academy lineup and so far has achieved 2 podiums.
Name: Lola Lovinfosse
Championship Standing: 10th
Driver Number: #2
Team: Campos Racing
Nationality: French
DOB: 17/10/2005
Instagram: @lolalovinfosse
Lola began her karting career in 2018, and competed until 2021, which is when she progressed to F4, competing in the Spanish Championship. She finished 23rd place in the rookie standings with one point and qualified for the Female Trophy, which also included Emely de Heus. In this class, she won 13 of the 21 races, but due to a number of retirements she still finished behind De Heus. In 2022, Lovinfosse competed in a W Series test and remained in Spanish F4 but left the class after 4 of the 7 weekends. Despite this, she won the Female Trophy. Joining the first season of F1 Academy in 2023, Lola has achieved 3 podiums so far.
Name: Carrie Schreiner
Championship Standing: 11th
Driver Number: #8
Team: ART Grand Prix
Nationality: German
DOB: 14/09/1998
Instagram: @carrieschreiner
As one of the older drivers on the grid, Carrie brings a vast amount of experience to the track. Racing in karts from 2011-2014, she claimed the 2012 X30 junior championship title. Making the switch to single seaters, in 2015 & 2016 she competed in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship, and in 2016 also competed in the British Formula 4 Championship, in which she finished the season 17th overall. In 2017 Carrie switched to sports car racing, racing in GT cars via the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series, finishing 2nd in the Middle East Series, as well as competing in both the European Championship and Asia Series. In 2018, she won the Pro-Am category in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Middle East series and started competing in the Nürburgring Endurance Series, while also becoming one of the founders of the "Girls Only" program by WS Racing, to help encourage women into the sport. Since 2019, Carrie has competed in 4 Nürburgring 24 Hours races, winning her class in 2021. Additionally, from 2017-2019, Carrie also competed In the DMV GT & Touring Car Cup, winning the championship in 2018 and as a result of this, stepped up to ADAC GT Masters. In 2021, Carrie also drove in the BMW M2 Cup and Italian GT Championship and the 24H GT Series alongside the Nürburgring Endurance Series in 2022. Joining F1 Academy in 2023 and making her return to single-seaters, achieving 1 win this season.
Name: Chloe Grant
Championship Standing: 12th
Driver Number: #9
Team: ART Grand Prix
Nationality: British
DOB: 20/03/2006
Instagram: @chloegrantracing
Hailing from Scotland, Chloe began karting in 2013 but wasn't yet old enough to race. The following year she competed at the East of Scotland Kart Club and received their Newcomer award that season. She continued to compete their for the next 2 years, finishing 3rd and 2nd in the club championship. She continued karting up until 2021, securing many podiums and several wins. She has rarely finished a championship outside of the top 3. Chloe also became the youngest driver to gain a Motorsport UK Junior Racing Driver License in Scotland at age 13, with only a few practice sessions in aa car prior to this! In 2021 she won the Junior Saloon Car Championship (JSCC) Scholarship which gave her a full season’s drive in the JSCC. Moving to GB4 for the inaugural season in 2022, making her move into single seater racing, where she placed 9th in the overall standings, as well as being an FIA Girls On Track Finalist. In F1 Academy in 2023, Chloe has achieved a highest finish of 4th during Race 1 of Round 2 in Valencia, Spain.
Name: Megan Gilkes
Championship Standing: 13th
Driver Number: #12
Team: Rodin Carlin
Nationality: Canadian
DOB: 06/11/2000
Instagram: @megan_g_49
Starting off her karting career in Barbados, Megan is a 3rd generation racer. in 2016, following a break from racing after a crash in qualifying at the World Finals where she broke her wrist, Megan won the Ottawa Challenge Karting Cup, and finished runner up in the 2016 Eastern Canadian Karting Championship. In 2017, Megan made the move to single-seaters in the Canadian F1200 Championship and despite not participating in all of the rounds in either season she competed in, she finished third and second overall in consecutive years. Also in 2017, Megan finished runner up in the Sports Car Club of America Southeast Majors championship, after leading it for 10 out of 12 rounds. In 2019, she joined W-Series, and became the youngest W Series race winner, and only North American female driver to win a Formula 3 race in Europe. Returning home to Canada in 2020, Megan joined the Ontario Formula 1600 Championship, where she finished runner up. In 2021 she competed in the Formula Ford Championship, moving to GB4 in 2022 where she secured 3 podiums, 2 wins, 1 pole and 3 fastest laps, finishing 3rd overall. In 2023 she joined F1 Academy, and competes while also studying Aeronautical Engineering and working for the Aston Martin F1 Team as a trackside support engineer.
Name: Chloe Chong
Championship Standing: 14th
Driver Number: #14
Team: Prema Racing
Nationality: British
DOB: 27/03/2007
Instagram: @chloechongracing
The youngest driver on the F1 Academy grid, Chloe was only 15 years old when she was announced as a driver in the series. F1 Academy is Chloe's formula racing debut, although she began competing in karts in 2013, making her international debut in 2021. Chloe rose to international attention after becoming an FIA Women in Motorsport Commission's Girls On Track Finalist and was scouted by the Ferrari Driver Academy. This season in F1 Academy, Chloe has had a highest finish of 6th, which she achieved during her debut race in both the series and formula racing.
Name: Maite Cáceres
Championship Standing: 15th
Driver Number: #3
Team: Campos Racing
Nationality: Uruguayan
DOB: 06/08/2002
Instagram: @maitecaceress
There is little information on Maite's career so far, although it is known she has gained F4 experience in both Uruguay and the United States. In 2022, she competed in US F4 and USF Juniors, as well as the Formula Winter Series in Spain with her F1 Academy team, Campos Racing. In the 2023 F1 Academy season, Maite earned a highest finish of 8th in Race 1 of Round 6 in Le Castellet, France.
Tune in this weekend for Round 7 of F1 Academy which is the finale of the inaugural season, taking place in Austin, Texas alongside F1.
Comments