F1 Academy holds two days of in-season testing along with a landmark 18-driver Rookie Test

This week, at Circuito de Navarra in Spain, F1 Academy held two days of in-season testing with their current drivers, alongside a two-day Rookie Test, with 18 carefully selected up-and-coming female drivers.

Maya Weug led the current grid during the first day of in-season testing, setting a fastest lap time of 1:46.439 seconds, just 0.131s ahead of Doriane Pin. During the afternoon session, the Dutch driver set an even quicker lap time of 1:46.562 seconds, beating Pin by 0.082 seconds.

Ella Lloyd was the shining star of day two, finishing the testing session with the fastest lap time of the two-day event, with a 1:46.259-second lap, finishing ahead of Pin, Felbermayr and Weug, who were all covered by only 0.246s.

After two days of testing with the current grid, the Rookie Test got underway, with 18 drivers taking to the track.

Ella Lloyd in-season testing

F1 Academy Rookie Test explained

Covering two days, the Rookie Test was a chance for young female drivers aged between 16 and 25 (already holding a Grade B, C or D International Circuit FIA Licence or a national race licence issued by their ASN with a supporting letter to evidence her competence) to showcase their skills and prove why they deserve a highly coveted full-time F1 Academy 2026 seat or Wild Card entry.

The first day of the test involved the rookies observing briefings and engineering sessions with the current grid and immersing themselves in everything F1 Academy. 

On the first day, More Than Equal also conducted driver research-led physical and cognitive testing, providing each of the 18 drivers with detailed insights to help them progress and identify areas for growth. The assessments also provided strength testing, cognitive evaluation, and endurance testing to help drivers inform and plan for long-term strategies to support their future careers.

On day two, testing was split between a morning and an afternoon session, covering three hours each. The drivers had three sets of Pirelli tyres each (with one set carried over from in-season testing), with six current teams working with three drivers each using equal machinery with identical conditions.

About the test, Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, said: “This is a landmark moment, not just for F1 Academy as a series, but for our sport. Over the past three years, the global female talent pool has grown stronger and more competitive, and our priority is to ensure that we have the best possible drivers competing in F1 Academy. With this test, we are providing eighteen of the most promising talents with an equitable platform for them to demonstrate that they deserve a seat on an F1 Academy grid.”

Meet the Rookie Test drivers

The 18 drivers who took part in the test were:

Laura Bourguet 

Studying mechanical engineering, Laura is balancing her studies with racing, competing in national and international karting championships.

Earlier this year, she was selected through the FEED Racing programme and is now racing single-seaters in the Wolf Racing France Championship. She took her first podium at Ledenon.

Annabelle Brian 

Dutch racing driver Annabelle took a step away from karting to join the French F4 series this year after winning titles in the Netherlands and Belgium.

She finished in P12 in her opening race as a rookie in Nogaro and also finished P12 in Spa Francorchamps.

Annabelle Brian 

Megan Bruce 

Currently taking part in her second season in GB4, the British 20-year-old debuted in the series in 2024 and moved to KMR Sport for the 2025 season, where she is currently the highest-placed female in the standings.

She has scored points in 12 races this season, with her highest position being P4.

Megan Bruce 

Alexia Danielsson 

Swedish 16-year-old Alexia is currently taking part in her second season in Nordic4 (Scandinavian F4 level championship). She progressed from karting and moved into Aquila Formula 1000, where she achieved both a podium and pole position in 2023 before Nordic4. 

This season, she has achieved six consecutive top-ten finishes, including a fourth-place finish at Ring Djursland. She is a member of the Porsche Racing Apprentice programme and won her Porsche Sprint Challenge Scandinavia debut in a 718 Cayman GT4.

Eva Dorrestijn 

This year, Eva was selected by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission for the FIA Karting Senior Academy Trophy. The 15-year-old was a finalist in the 2023 FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars programme and finished seventh overall.

In 2024, she secured P3 in the Ladies Cup at Le Mans.

Autumn Fisher 

The 17-year-old Canadian driver, now based in the USA, began competing just two years ago. She has raced in SKUSA SuperNationals and Winter Series.

Zoe Florescu Potolea 

Zoe, 16, has raced in the highest levels of karting, taking part in both the 2023 and 2024 FIA World Championships.

In 2024, she was the only female driver to get into the finals. She also finished on the podium in the Italian KZ2 Championship and has competed in the Romanian Endurance Series, where she finished third overall.

Natalia Granada 

Natalia is a 17-year-old Spanish driver who made her karting debut at 11 years old, competing in the elite IAME international karting championships. Natalia made her debut at the Ligier European Series’ JS2R category with Iron Dames and finished seventh in Mugello. 

Alexandra Hervé

Alexandra has a varied driving CV after previously competing in the 2023 Formula Renault Cup by TTE, and earned two fourth-place finishes in the Ultimate Cup Series in the Formula Regional Tatuus.

She added SuperKarts to her CV in 2024 and joined the Indian Racing League in 2025, where she earned a top-five finish on her debut.

Jade Jacquet 

The 15-year-old French driver is currently taking part in her rookie French F4 season, with standout performances in Nogaro and a P12 finish, adding to her nine top-20 race finishes in 12 races.

Imogen Radburn

Imogen had a strong karting career before making her single-seater debut in Formula Ford in 2022 and the Australian F4 Championship in 2024. In F4, she finished sixth overall, with top-five finishes and a podium in Sydney Motorsport Park.

In 2025, she returned to the Australian F4 with AGI Sport and started the year with three consecutive podiums, with a P2 and P3, earning her a current fourth place in the standings.

Rachel Robertson 

Rachel only began karting in 2022 and stepped into the Finecut Radical Cup UK in 2025, where she has immediately impressed with multiple top-five race finishes and a podium at Brands Hatch.

She has recently completed her first F4 tests with Wera Alliance Racing after winning a scholarship shootout at the end of 2024.

Michalina Sabaj 

Michalina is currently in her second season of racing in the F4 Central European Zone, having graduated from karting in 2024. She has earned three top-five finishes and finished fifth overall in the standings in her first season.

This season, the Polish driver has achieved two top-ten finishes, both in Salzburgring.

Emma Scarbrough

American driver Emma started karting in 2019, progressing through the ROK and SKUSA ladders before transitioning into single-seaters. She debuted in the USF Juniors in 2025 with consistent top-ten speed with an eighth-place finish at Mid-Ohio.

In 2024, she tested F4 cars with Campos Racing in Spain and her rookie test was supported by the KICK Sauber F1 Team.

Ella Stevens 

Ella, 18 years old, was a shining star in karting, being a double English KZ2 champion and the 2025 British KZ2 vice-champion and becoming the only female to win a race in the UK’s premier karting series.

She also won the British BirelART Cadet Championship, competed in SuperKarts, tested F4 machinery and is supported by Alice Powell.

Ella Stevens 

Alexandra Vateva 

The 21-year-old Bulgarian driver has no prior single-seater experience but has proven herself in GT competitions. She is signed to the Iron Dames-supported programme and progressed quickly from karting to GT4 and now the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car. 

This year, she became the first woman to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East and claimed rookie podiums in Carrera Cup Benelux.

Payton Westcott

16-year-old American driver Payton has competed in Italian F4, the E4 Championship and the Formula Winter Series this year.

She is a graduate of the Champions of the Future Academy Program supported by F1 Academy’s Discover Your Drive initiative. This season, she has achieved six Female Trophy wins in Italian F4.

Payton Westcott

Lisa Billard

Lisa is a 16-year-old French Iron Dames-backed driver who was inspired by her father to try karting at the age of seven. She became the first female to win a French Junior Karting Championship race in 2022 and finished fifth overall in the series that year. 

She earned a podium in the CIK Academy World Junior Championship and came third in the French Junior Karting Championship in 2023 after joining the Alpine F1 Team. Since 2024, she has been gaining Formula 4 experience.

She is currently competing in the French F4 Championship, securing her first points in the series with a ninth-place finish at Spa-Francorchamps. She is also leading the French F4 Female Trophy.

Lisa Billard

How the Rookie Test unfolded

Ella Stevens topped the timesheets, setting a 1:46.921 lap time in the morning session, which ended up as the quickest lap time of the day. She pipped Lisa Billard to the top spot by 0.092 seconds, with Payton Westcott a further 0.031 seconds behind her and Megan Bruce in fourth. The times from the morning session ultimately became the fastest of the day.

In the afternoon session, Westcott set the fastest lap time, setting a 1:47.303 lap time, with the top four remaining the same as the morning, just in a different order, with Bruce in second and Stevens in third, with only 0.030seconds covering the top three.

Natalia Granada was the first driver out on track in the morning session, before a brief red flag appeared after Annabelle Brian stopped at Turn 4. Brian brought out a second red flag early in the second hour of running after finding gravel at Turn 13.

Payton Westcott was the driver to beat with a lap time of 1:47.229 seconds, with a ten-second advantage over Bruce. Another red flag came out with Eva Dorrestijo finding the gravel at Turn 8.

Stevens set the first and only sub-1:47s lap time of the day with a lap time of 1:46.921 with eight minutes left in the morning session.

The afternoon session began with Bruce and Robertson trading fastest lap times, a trend that continued throughout the session, with Westcott also joining the duo. 

Robertson was running in fourth, but suffered an oil leak, triggering a red flag during the final minutes of the session. The session was extended by ten minutes, allowing the rest of the drivers to set their last flying lap times.

Payton Westcott

Full Rookie Test Results

1) Ella Stevens - Fastest lap time 1:46.921 over 74 laps

2) Lisa Billard - Fastest lap time 1:47.013 over 65 laps

3) Payton Westcott - Fastest lap time 1:47.044 over 69 laps

4) Megan Bruce - Fastest lap time 1:47.176 over 85 laps

5) Rachel Robertson - Fastest lap time 1:47.339 over 78 laps

6) Alexia Danielsson - Fastest lap time 1:47.685 over 77 laps

7) Natalia Granada - Fastest lap time 1:47.750 over 69 laps

8) Zoe Florescu Potolea - Fastest lap time 1:47.892 over 88 laps

9) Jade Jacquet - Fastest lap time 1:47.907 over 83 laps

10) Emma Scarbrough - Fastest lap time 1:47.977 over 71 laps

11) Laura Bourguet - Fastest lap time 1:47.988 over 66 laps

12) Imogen Radburn - Fastest lap time 1:48.194 over 70 laps

13) Annabella Brian - Fastest lap time 1:48.233

14) Alexandra Herve - Fastest lap time 1:48.393 over 87 laps

15) Michalina Sabaj - Fastest lap time 1:48.436 over 96 laps

16) Autumn Fisher - Fastest lap time 1:48.628 over 39 laps

17) Alexandra Vateva - Fastest lap time 1:48.789 over 76 laps

18) Eva Dorrestijn - Fastest lap time 1:49.461 over 67 laps

 Ella Stevens

F1 Academy is back for the penultimate Round 6 in Singapore on October 3-5, alongside the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix weekend.

All images are credited to F1 Academy Limited.