The CLX Academy has been launched to advance the development of endurance racers, and I have the details on the program in this week’s Driver Development Roundup. I also look at the racing mindset and much more!
Becoming a Professional Race Driver
Convincing Parents to Let You Go for Your Dream
Is Your Race Environment Lying To You?
Comfort and praise feel good, but they don’t make you better. Real progress comes from honest feedback, measurable results, and understanding the motivations of people in your network. Check out this Instagram post from the Pure Performance Group that explains the 4 tests that don’t lie.
Racing Mindset
If you want to race at a high level, talent is not enough. Mindset is what separates drivers over time. Read Brando Londono’s 5 racing mindset principles.
The Anatomy of a Funded Driver
Drive Line explains how speed gets you to the track but structure keeps you there. “If you don’t have a rich family, you need a bulletproof strategy. We broke down the 4 non-negotiable elements that separate amateur drivers from professional brands.”
What F1 Drivers Teach Us About Sustainable Excellence
What separates people who perform at their best under pressure from those who crack? Dr. James Hewitt has spent two decades answering that question—first as a professional cyclist, then through a PhD studying elite performance, and eventually as Chief Innovation Officer at Hintsa Performance, the company behind 19 Formula 1 World Championships with drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Kimi Räikkönen.
In this conversation on the 2 Guys, a Girl and F1 podcast, Sabrina speaks with James, who works with F1 teams and elite performers today, about what fans completely miss when watching races. You can listen to the podcast here.
Norway Accelerates Grassroots Participation with Electric ‘Arrive & Drive’ Program
In 2025, the Norwegian ASN marked a major milestone in its commitment to accessible, sustainable and inclusive motor sport with the launch of an ambitious electric karting program, supported by the FIA Motor Sport Funding Program.
The initiative adopted the ‘Arrive and Drive’ format and utilized 17 electric karts to introduce children aged 9 to 12 to competitive karting for the very first time. The program offered a comprehensive introduction to motor sport with sessions including driving theory, motor sport safety, personalized coaching support and finally a race simulation.
Hosted at three tracks across Norway; Varna, Rudskogen and Trøgstad, the project gave a first taste of motor sport to young people and forms a key part of the Norwegian Automobilesport Federation’s commitment to grassroots development.
Read more about the program here.
How the Reimagined FR Oceania Helped F3 Drivers Prepare for 2026
Nearly half of the drivers on the 2026 Formula 3 grid warmed up for their main campaign by racing in winter championships throughout January and February. Feeder Series spoke to drivers who competed in the renamed Formula Regional Oceania Trophy about how their experiences have prepared them for the upcoming season.
Alex Dunne Saw No F1 ‘Future’ with McLaren
Alex Dunne was spotted in Alpine colours in the Formula 2 Barcelona pre-season test following his departure from the McLaren Formula 1 development program.
Despite taking part in FP1 sessions and Formula E rookie tests with McLaren, Dunne admitted that the opportunity of becoming an F1 driver with the Papaya team was rapidly declining. Ultimately leading him to look elsewhere.
He told Motorsport Week and other media during F2 press day, “I think my decision to leave McLaren was, you know, I think firstly for me, realistically, anyone that pays close attention to F1 knows Oscar and Lando aren’t going to go anywhere anytime soon.”
Physiological and Health Demands of Formula 1
There is a need to better understand the specific demands and characteristics of Formula 1 (eg, high accelerations/decelerations, environmental stress) to optimize driver performance and health; however, data are scarce and much of the knowledge is held within the sport by the teams, drivers and the drivers’ Performance Coaches.
This review from the British Journal of Sports Medicine combined all relevant published research data available for motor car drivers (considering what is known regarding the neuromuscular and strength characteristics (6 articles), and the metabolic, cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses (19 articles)) with novel data collected using structured interviews with three elite Formula 1 Performance Coaches. The limited data suggest that Formula 1 drivers are not especially exceptional when it comes to aerobic fitness, stature or body mass, but there are some sport-specific adaptations, most notably augmented neck strength.
You can read and get access to the report here.
Hoosier Formula Cup Launches Junior Challenge
The Hoosier Formula Cup has launched the Junior Challenge, an initiative providing €100,000 funding to compete in Prototype Endurance in 2027 in the Ultimate Cup Series. Your performance today can fund your racing career tomorrow. Aged 16–25? Now is your moment.
2026 Teen Mazda Challenge Registration is Officially Open
Registration for NASA’s Teen Mazda Challenge is now open and will remain open for new and returning drivers through March 31. As in years past, the TMC season runs from March through December. All March points will be tallied regardless of when a driver registered.
2025 marked a banner season, with changes and improvements to the Teen Mazda Challenge program. Those changes made it more competitive, more lucrative in terms of contingencies, and a better training ground for young drivers seeking a career in motorsports.
Get all the details here.
Driver Development Program News & Resources
CLX Academy Launches to Support the Future of Endurance Racing
CLX Motorsport has announced its latest initiative to support the future of endurance racing, the CLX Academy. The CLX Academy is a performance-based career program in endurance racing. It represents the team’s long-term vision by identifying talents early and giving them support over multiple seasons.
The team defines specific objectives for each stage of a driver’s development. Under a structured and coherent framework based on a long-term vision, the drivers will be supported with high-level motorsport professional standards.
“With CLX Academy, we are trying to find the best young talents, and we are giving them goals to achieve.”
Read more about the program here.
Kulwicki Driver Development Names 15 Semifinalists
In one of the toughest selection processes since the Kulwicki Driver Development program was founded, 15 semifinalists have been chosen from a record 102 short-track racing applicants from across the United States and Canada. Read who they are and how they got there at Speed Sport here.
On the Podcast
The Importance of Long-Term Planning in Your Racing Career
On Episode 4 of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast I speak with human performance consultant Simon Hayes from Performance Physixx. Simon explains the importance of long-term planning to any driver’s motorsport career.
The episode webpage can be found here:
You can subscribe to the podcast through all the popular podcast apps as well as on its own dedicated website here. And don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you can stay up to date on everything Motorsport Prospects!
Karting
Drivers to Represent USA at FIA Karting Academy Trophy Selected
The 2026 edition of the FIA Karting Academy Trophy will once again feature a Senior and Junior category. Drivers throughout the globe will represent their country in the spec championship series. In the United States, ACCUS is tasked with the duty to select drivers to represent the USA, taking in applications for the two spots available. Through the selection process, Senior driver Derek Wargo and Junior driver Marco Sammut will compete in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy in 2026.
Last Week on The Business of Being a Race Driver
Rethinking racing sponsorship is just one of the topics covered in last week’s Business of Being a Race Driver. You will also understand why some racers get big paychecks while others don’t and more!
From the Sim Racing Roundup
How Racing Simulators are Reshaping Motorsports
How racing simulators are reshaping motorsports is a continuous theme in this column and this week is no exception. See how the Clemson Tiger racing team uses them and much more in last week’s Sim Racing Roundup.
Driver Journeys
Chloe Chambers On Her F1 Academy Journey
After finishing her final season in F1 Academy in third, Chloe Chambers will be opening a new chapter in her career. The American driver’s first outing this year was the Formula E rookie free practice session in Miami, where she tested for Mahindra Racing. Feeder Series caught up with her in the Miami paddock to talk about the session, her F1 Academy career and her thoughts on the exemption that would allow a driver to race in a third season of F1 Academy.
“There were some things that happened that were a little bit outside of my own control that took away my championship hopes, but I think in the end, I showed what I could do and what I was capable of, and I think that’s what I can take from F1 Academy with me.”
Alexander Sims On His Path from Stalled F1 Prospect to Two-Time IMSA Champion
Alexander Sims has one of the most eclectic careers in modern motorsport. Having stepped off the F1 ladder at GP3 level in 2011, Sims has since raced at Macau, in GTs, at Le Mans, in Formula E and in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. He sat down with Feeder Series to discuss a junior career that pitted him against future F1 stars and the path he took to find a satisfying professional career in motorsport.
“Sometimes it honestly probably wasn’t a great situation for the team because they’d got a driver that wasn’t paying the bills, but from their point of view rather than allow that driver to continue knowing that they hadn’t paid, they’d rather run the car and have me in there. Generally, the results were better, so at least it proves that the team is operating at a high level and hopefully be able to entice some drivers in for the following season or later that season.”
Sabré Cook Redefines the Modern Racing Driver
Sabré Cook is more than a professional race car driver. She’s driven. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has accomplished as much in 60 years of life as Cook has in 30. Smart and savvy enough to engineer the exotic racing cars she drives, Cook is instead chasing her dreams from behind the wheel, demonstrating what can be achieved with passion, hard work, and a strong support network.
“I’ve always been pretty focused and serious, just knowing that if I wanted to accomplish something, I needed to work hard to get there,” Cook related. “I was just as competitive with school as I was with the racing. I really have to credit that kind of methodology to my dad. He drilled into me that you’ve got to earn every step of the way because it’s not going be easy to perform at that high level.”
Read more about her journey here.