From F2 title contenders to karting proteges – Every F1 team’s young drivers and their prospects

As the new wave of rookies arriving into Formula 1 proves, academy programmes run by teams across the grid can play a key role in developing young talent.

These initiatives have helped to bring several big names to the top echelon over the years – indeed, Mercedes will field a 2025 line-up entirely comprised of drivers from their academy, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli having both made their way through the ranks with the Silver Arrows’ backing.

But who are each F1 team’s current young drivers, and what do their futures in motorsport potentially look like? Read on to find out more about every squad’s juniors…

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McLaren

McLaren have long supported many drivers through their motorsport journeys – including some illustrious names like Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris – and the team recently launched their Driver Development programme, creating a firm structure in which the squad can continue to build on this. The programme – currently supporting seven drivers – is led by former F1 driver Emanuele Pirro.

Gabriel Bortoleto: Off the back of winning the F3 championship in 2023, Bortoleto is now competing in his debut F2 season where he currently leads the drivers’ standings with two rounds remaining. The 19-year-old Brazilian carried out his first F1 test with McLaren as part of the Testing Previous Cars programme in September and has since found himself linked to the vacant seat at Sauber in 2025.

Pato O’Ward: A name perhaps familiar to F1 fans, O’Ward races in IndyCar for Arrow McLaren but also acts as reserve driver to the McLaren Formula 1 team. The 25-year-old from Mexico has appeared in several FP1 sessions as well as participating in private tests.

Ryo Hirakawa: Another reserve driver to the Formula 1 team is Hirakawa. The 30-year-old from Japan competed in Super Formula and Super GT before joining the World Endurance Championship in 2022, where he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on his debut as well as claiming the title with Toyota.

Bianca Bustamante: Bustamante became the first female driver to join McLaren’s programme in October 2023, with the team confirming that the 19-year-old from the Philippines would represent the squad in the 2024 F1 ACADEMY season, her second and final campaign in the category. She has also raced in the Formula 4 UAE Championship and Italian F4.

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Ugo Ugochukwu: Hailing from New York, Ugochukwu has long been on McLaren’s radar, having signed a long-term agreement with the team when he was just 13 years old off the back of winning the FIA OK-Junior European Karting Championship. Now 17, Ugochukwu’s next step on the ladder will see him race in Formula 3 for PREMA in 2025.

Brando Badoer: Son of former F1 racer Luca Badoer, Brando Badoer is one of the latest editions to the McLaren Driver Development programme. The 18-year-old Italian is currently competing in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) and, like Ugochukwu, will join PREMA in F3 next year.

Ella Lloyd: Another new recruit to the programme is 19-year-old Lloyd from Wales, who recently appeared as a Wild Card entry during F1 ACADEMY’s Singapore round. Her first outing for McLaren is set for Formula E’s first-ever women’s test in Valencia in November, before she competes for the squad in the 2025 F1 ACADEMY campaign.

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Red Bull

The Red Bull Junior Team has some successful alumni to its name, such as Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon to name a few. With nine young racers currently under the programme, will any of these names follow in the footsteps of those who made it to Formula 1?

Isack Hadjar: Vying for the 2024 F2 title is Hadjar, who currently sits just 4.5 points behind leader Bortoleto in the standings. The 20-year-old Frenchman joined Red Bull’s programme in 2022 and has since participated in two FP1 sessions. Hadjar has been mentioned by Christian Horner in reference to the Red Bull stable’s future considerations for their F1 line-up.

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Pepe Marti: Another Formula 2 racer, Josep ‘Pepe’ Marti was signed to Fernando Alonso’s A14 Management agency in 2022, a year in which he made his F3 debut. Amid a vast improvement during his second campaign in 2023, the 19-year-old from Spain joined the Red Bull Junior Team and will be hoping to continue his progression in F2.

Oliver Goethe: Following Franco Colapinto’s recent step up to F1 with Williams, German racer Goethe took over his seat at MP Motorsport for the remainder of the F2 campaign. Prior to this, the 19-year-old had been racing in Formula 3 for Campos and ended the 2024 season in seventh place.

Arvid Lindblad: Like Hadjar, Lindblad was recently namechecked by Christian Horner as a possibility for Red Bull’s Formula 1 plans in time. The 17-year-old Briton has been part of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2021 and recently ended his debut Formula 3 campaign in fourth place of the championship, making him the highest-scoring rookie. Lindblad will step up to F2 with Campos in 2025.

Tim Tramnitz: After progressing through the single-seater ranks – which saw him finish the 2023 FRECA campaign in second place – Tramnitz completed his debut Formula 3 season with MP Motorsport in 2024, ending the championship in ninth place as well as taking his first victory in the Monza Sprint Race. The 19-year-old German joined Red Bull’s programme in 2023.

Ayumu Iwasa: Japanese racer Iwasa is currently competing in his debut Super Formula campaign, having enjoyed an ascent through the single-seater ranks. The 23-year-old won the French F4 Championship in 2020 before joining Formula 3 in 2021, followed by two seasons in F2 in which he ended the 2023 championship in fourth place. Iwasa has stated that his goal is to become an F1 world champion.

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Enzo Deligny: Representing the Red Bull Junior Team in FRECA for 2024 is 16-year-old Deligny. After impressing in karting, the French youngster debuted in the F4 Spanish Championship in 2023 and finished the season in fourth place. Now driving for R-ace GP team in FRECA, Deligny is currently 10th in the standings with two races remaining.

Enzo Tarnvanichkul: Teenage racer Tarnvanichkul is the first Thai driver to join the Red Bull Junior Team since Alex Albon, having become a part of the programme in 2022 aged just 13. Since then Tarnvanichkul has gone on to compete in the 2024 Spanish F4 Championship, in which he currently sits in 12th place with a best race result of P3.

James Egozi: Like Tarnvanichkul, Egozi is also racing in Spanish F4 this season. The American teenager is currently eighth in the standings with a best race finish so far of third. Prior to this, Egozi competed in the Italian F4 Championship after making a name for himself in karting.

Ferrari

Another team to have brought several well-known names through the ranks to F1, the Ferrari Driver Academy has previously supported the likes of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez over the years. Headed by Jock Clear, the programme has enjoyed recent success with one youngster in particular…

Ollie Bearman: That rookie is Bearman, who quickly made an impression after an eye-catching F1 debut as a substitute at Ferrari for the unwell Carlos Sainz during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. As well as completing his second Formula 2 campaign this year, the 19-year-old Briton has made several FP1 appearances for Haas and will race for the squad full-time on the 2025 grid.

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Dino Beganovic: Swedish racer Beganovic has enjoyed an impressive rise through the motorsport ranks, having become FRECA champion in 2022 before finishing his debut F3 campaign in sixth place one year later. He repeated this result in the 2024 season, claiming two race wins along the way for PREMA.

Rafael Camara: Hailing from Brazil, 19-year-old Camara is another driver to experience success in FRECA. The youngster took the 2024 title in the series after achieving five victories, and will now make the step up to Formula 3 in 2025 with the Trident squad.

Maya Weug: Joining the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2021, Weug was the first female to become a part of the programme. The 20-year-old Dutch racer currently sits third in the 2024 F1 ACADEMY campaign – her debut season in the category – and has also competed in FRECA and Italian F4.

Aurelia Nobels: Racing in F1 ACADEMY alongside Weug is Nobels. The 17-year-old from Brazil won the Senior category of the FIA Girls On Track – Rising Stars programme, which led to her receiving a place in the Ferrari Driver Academy. She has also competed in series such as Italian F4.

Tuukka Taponen: After numerous successes in karting, Taponen made his single-seater debut in the Formula 4 UAE Championship in 2023 and is currently competing in FRECA, where he sits third in the standings. The 17-year-old Finn will progress to F3 in 2025 with ART Grand Prix, having made his debut at the penultimate round of the 2024 campaign.

Mercedes

The Mercedes Junior Programme has seen the likes of George Russell and Esteban Ocon progress through to Formula 1, and the programme currently supports seven drivers across different categories – one of which, as previously mentioned, is already on their way to the top echelon.

Kimi Antonelli: A name that perhaps needs little introduction, Antonelli will make his F1 debut in 2025 as the 18-year-old steps into Lewis Hamilton’s vacant seat at Mercedes. The Italian firstly needs to complete his debut Formula 2 season – where he currently sits in sixth – after bypassing F3 during a rapid rise through the motorsport ranks.

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Alex Powell: Jamaican racer Powell experienced numerous successes in karting before moving to single-seater racing in 2023. The 17-year-old has spent 2024 competing in the UAE, Italian and Euro4 F4 series.

Doriane Pin: It’s fair to say that Pin made an impression on her F1 ACADEMY debut at the first round of 2024 in Jeddah, the French driver winning Race 1 from pole. Currently P2 in the standings, 20-year-old Pin has also achieved success in the World Endurance Championship LMP2 category, having become the first woman to win the ‘Revelation of the Year’ Award.

Yuanpu Cui: Chinese teenager Cui joined Mercedes’ Junior Programme in 2021 after displaying good progress in go-karts. After competing in various karting championships, Cui made his British F4 debut this year and ended the season in ninth place, taking a race win along the way at Snetterton.

Kenzo Craigie: He might still be a teenager, but Craigie had already scored numerous karting accolades when he was signed to Mercedes’ programme in 2023. The 14-year-old Briton won the Ultimate Karting Championship Series – amongst other prizes – in 2022 and progressed to the Junior class in 2023.

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Luna Fluxa: Fluxa made impressive progress through the karting ranks of her native Spain after beginning her racing career in 2017. She has since been competing in the OK class of the World and European Championships, as well as recently joining the Iron Dames project which helps to support female talent.

James Anagnostiadis: Australian teenager Anagnostiadis is a recent edition to Mercedes’ roster. The youngster won various karting championships in Australia before moving with his family to Europe to continue his racing career, having competed in categories including the European Karting Championship and the British Karting Championship in 2024.

Aston Martin

Alongside their line-up of experienced names – including test and reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne and driver ambassador Jessica Hawkins – Aston Martin are also supporting up-and-coming hopefuls in their Young Driver Development programme.

Jak Crawford: After two seasons in Formula 3 – ending the 2022 campaign in seventh place – Crawford made the step up to F2 in 2023 with the Hitech team. The 19-year-old American switched to the DAMS Lucas Oil outfit in 2024 and currently sits in fifth place of the drivers’ standings, with his best result being a Feature Race victory in Barcelona.

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Tina Hausmann: It was confirmed ahead of the 2024 F1 ACADEMY season that Hausmann would represent Aston Martin for her debut outing in the all-female category. The 18-year-old from Switzerland is being mentored by Jessica Hawkins and currently holds P12 in the standings.

Haas

While Haas do not have a driver development programme, the American outfit are being represented by Chloe Chambers in F1 ACADEMY.

Chloe Chambers: American racer Chambers made her single-seater debut in the Formula 4 United States Championship in 2021 before going on to compete in W Series in the year that followed. The 20-year-old made her F1 ACADEMY debut in 2024 with Campos Racing and scored her first victory during Race 2 in Barcelona. Chambers is set to join the Red Bull Ford Academy Programme for the 2025 campaign.

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Williams

The Williams Racing Driver Academy currently has many drivers in its programme, with those involved competing in a variety of categories as they look to climb the ranks up to F1.

Zak O’Sullivan: O’Sullivan competed in his debut Formula 2 campaign for the ART Grand Prix team this year, sitting 14th in the standings after taking two victories. The 19-year-old Briton recently announced that he would not complete the season due to funding issues. O’Sullivan was previously runner-up in the 2023 F3 championship, missing out on the title to Gabriel Bortoleto.

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Luke Browning: Stepping in to replace O’Sullivan at ART Grand Prix for the remainder of the 2024 F2 season is British racer Browning, another member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy. The 22-year-old ended this year’s Formula 3 championship in third place and previously claimed the title in British F4.

Jamie Chadwick: Chadwick is known for her success in W Series, where she claimed all three championships that the series hosted, and has also competed in the likes of FRECA and Extreme E. The 26-year-old Briton now races in Indy NXT and became the first woman to win on a road course with her victory at Road America. She has since undertaken her first IndyCar test and also now acts as Williams Racing Driver and F1 Academy Adviser.

Lia Block: Representing Williams in F1 ACADEMY is Block, an 18-year-old racer from the United States. Block is currently eighth in the drivers’ standings in her debut season in the category with ART Grand Prix, her best result so far being a P4 finish. Alongside this, Block became the youngest person to win the American Rally Association Championship in 2023 and has also competed in categories including Extreme E.

Oleksandr Bondarev: Bondarev joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy in 2023, a year in which he became the first Ukrainian driver to win the CIK-FIA Karting European Championship. The 15-year-old had bounced back after a serious karting accident in 2022 resulted in him undergoing 10 surgeries and a months-long rehabilitation following a compound fracture in his leg.

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Alessandro Giusti: French teenager Giusti is currently competing in his second campaign in FRECA, where he has claimed two victories so far and sits fourth in the standings. The 18-year-old has been confirmed to represent MP Motorsport during Formula 3 post-season testing.

Sara Matsui: Japanese karter Matsui joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy alongside Giusti in January. After impressing in various karting championships, the teenager has been participating in her first full European season in 2024, as well competing in the Junior Champions of the Future Academy supported by F1 ACADEMY.

Dean Hoogendoorn: The latest edition to Williams’ programme, 12-year-old Hoogendoorn made the step up to the OK Junior karting class this year after several prior successes in karting, with the Dutch driver becoming the youngest-ever winner of the WSK Super Master Race Mini Gr. 3 Class at the age of nine.

Alpine

The Alpine Academy currently works with 10 drivers across different categories – with one of these set to step up to Formula 1 in 2025 – while the team also support a number of up-and-coming karters as part of their Rac(H)er programme, which aims to promote opportunities for women and girls in the sport.

Jack Doohan: Like Bearman and Antonelli, Doohan is another name to work his way through the ranks with the support of an academy and ultimately reach F1. The 21-year-old from Australia will race for Alpine in 2025 – having recently acted as their reserve driver – and prior to this finished third in the 2022 Formula 2 championship.

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Victor Martins: Martins has been a member of the Alpine Academy for several years, having impressed while climbing the motorsport ladder. The 23-year-old Frenchman claimed the Formula 3 title in 2022 and is now in his second F2 campaign with ART Grand Prix, currently sitting in eight place of the drivers’ championship.

Kush Maini: Another Formula 2 driver to be backed by Alpine is Maini. Like Martins, the 24-year-old from India is in his second campaign and claimed his debut victory during the Sprint Race in Budapest.

Gabriele Mini: Italian racer Mini came close to winning the Formula 3 title this year but ultimately missed out to Leonardo Fornaroli. However, the 19-year-old from Italy was given his F2 debut soon afterwards, stepping in for Bearman in Baku while the Briton raced for Haas in F1. Mini ended the Sprint Race in an impressive P3.

Nikola Tsolov: Tsolov completed his second season in F3 this year, taking three wins en route to 11th place in the championship to mark a strong progression from his rookie campaign. The 17-year-old Bulgarian is signed to Fernando Alonso’s A14 Management.

Sophia Floersch: Joining the Alpine Academy last year, 23-year-old Floersch competed for Van Amersfoort Racing in the 2024 Formula 3 season, marking her third campaign in the category. The German driver has also raced in other series such as the World Endurance Championship.

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Abbi Pulling: The 2024 F1 ACADEMY title looks to be Pulling’s to lose, with the British 21-year-old holding a 95-point lead in the standings heading into the final two rounds. Pulling has also been competing for Rodin Motorsport in British F4, where she became the first female to win a race in the category at Brands Hatch.

Nicola Lacorte: Italian teenager Lacorte became a member of Alpine’s programme at the end of 2023 ahead of stepping up to FRECA this year. The 17-year-old was previously a race winner in Italian F4.

Kean Nakamura-Berta: Nakamura-Berta made his way through the ranks in karting and the Japanese youngster has since been racing in Italian F4, where he currently holds sixth place in the drivers’ standings. He also finished second in the 2024 Formula 4 UAE Championship and took the Rookie title.

Kabir Anurag: The most recent edition to the Alpine Academy is 17-year-old Anurag from Singapore. Anurag – who is currently racing in Italian F4, as well as competing in the Euro 4 Championship – has stated that he hopes to become an F1 driver by the time he turns 22.

Kick Sauber

The Sauber Academy – launched in 2020 – is led by Sporting Director Beat Zehnder and provides a pathway for drivers through the ranks of motorsport. There are currently five youngsters involved with the programme who are refining their skills across a range of categories.

Theo Pourchaire: Frenchman Pourchaire is Kick Sauber’s reserve driver and has participated in FP1 sessions for the squad. The 21-year-old – who won the Formula 2 title in 2023 – has also competed in IndyCar for the Arrow McLaren team during 2024.

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Zane Maloney: Another Formula 2 championship hopeful, Maloney is currently third in the standings with two rounds remaining. The 21-year-old from Barbados took back-to-back victories at Round 1 in Sakhir, marking a promising start to his second campaign in the category. Maloney also acts as a reserve driver for Kick Sauber.

Lena Buhler: Off the back of ending the inaugural F1 ACADEMY season as runner-up in 2023, 27-year-old Buhler has since been racing in FRECA for ART Grand Prix. The Swiss driver joined the Sauber Academy at the start of 2023.

Carrie Schreiner: Representing Sauber in F1 ACADEMY this year is Schreiner, competing in her second and final season in the category. The 26-year-old German also participated in the Formula 4 UAE Championship earlier in 2024.

Taym Saleh: Saleh has been representing the Sauber Karting Team, the 15-year-old from Germany having displayed promise during his rise through the ranks. He recently competed in the CIK-OK Championship.