Meet the F1 Academy Class of 2026 – ART Grand Prix and Hitech | F1 Academy

F1 Academy is back for its fourth season. It is predicted to be bigger than ever, with the return of the Circuit of the Americas to the calendar for the first time since 2023 and an all-new track for the drivers in the form of the iconic Silverstone.

This season, F1 Academy will continue with 18 drivers on the grid. ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, Prema Racing, Hitech and Rodin Motorsport are all returning, with each team once again having three cars.

There are 17 full-time drivers in F1 Academy with a one-off Wild Card entry in each race. Hitech will continue to support the Wild Card entries within their team to allow for more young drivers from each race region to participate in the race weekend.

As in the 2025 season, 10 of the 11 Formula 1 teams will also have their own nominated driver, with McLaren supporting two drivers this season and Cadillac F1 Team joining the grid in 2027. American Express, Gatorade, Juss Sports, PUMA and Lego are supporting the remaining drivers.

Here is the ART Grand Prix and Hitech F1 Academy class of 2026:

With an entirely rookie lineup, ART aims to recapture the success of their 2023 F1 Academy season, where they helped Léna Bühler achieve Vice-Champion status.

Lisa Billard is a 16-year-old French Iron Dames-backed driver who was inspired by her father to try karting at age 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. 

Billard made her F1 Academy debut at the Rookie Test in September 2025, where she recorded the second fastest time overall. This led to her announcement as the Wild Card entry for Round 6 in Singapore. In Race 1, she became the first-ever Wild Card entry to qualify in the top eight for a race when she qualified fifth.

She earned a podium in the CIK-FIA 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 experience in Formula 4 under the Iron Dames banner.

Last year, she competed in the French F4 Championship and finished ninth at Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps for her best result of the season. She also claimed the Female Trophy title for the 2025 season.

Supported by: Atlassian Williams F1 team

The 16-year-old French driver made her single-seater debut as a rookie in last year’s French F4, with standout performances at the Circuit des 24 Heures with a P11 finish. She achieved 11 top-20 race finishes in the season.

Jade Jacquet will take part in her F1 Academy rookie season supported by Atlassian Williams F1 Team and ART Grand Prix.

Jacquet took part in the F1 Academy Rookie Test, where her best finish was seventh in the afternoon session.

Supported by: TGR Haas F1 Team

Kaylee Countryman will make her F1 Academy debut with ART Grand Prix, along with her fellow rookie teammates. The TGR Haas F1 Team has picked Countryman as their driver for the season.

The American driver first started karting four years ago and has since earned multiple podium finishes in LO206 J2 Class racing with four-stroke Briggs & Stratton-powered karts.

Countryman progressed to international racing in 2023, competing in the USF Juniors series, where she achieved four top-10 finishes.

She has since competed in the USF2000 Championship and three rounds of the UAE4 Series.

Hitech, the newest team on the grid, returns for its second season with a year of experience under its belt. The British team faced several challenges in 2025, finishing in points positions just six times across 14 races.

2025 F1 Academy Stats: Standings 16th, 5 points

Rachel Robertson made her F1 Academy debut in the final round of the 2025 season in Las Vegas as a replacement for injured Aiva Anagnostiadis. She finished fourth, gaining Hitech’s highest racing finish of the season. 

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

She completed her first F4 tests with Wera Alliance Racing after winning a scholarship shootout at the end of 2024. For the 2025 season, she achieved four top-10 finishes in the F4 Saudi Arabian Championship. Robertson also took part in the F1 Academy Rookie Test, where she achieved two top-five finishes.

Supported by: American Express

Ava Dobson made her F1 Academy race debut as a Wild Card in Miami and is now looking to complete her first full-time season as a 2026 rookie.

The 17-year-old American driver made her single-seater debut in the 2023 Formula 4 United States Championship, with further appearances in the USF Juniors and USF2000 Championship, and a two-round stint in the 2024 GB4 Championship.

Dobson returned to the GB4 Championships for a full season in 2025 and took her first top-ten finish of the season at Donington Park. She went on to achieve an eighth-place finish and took her maiden podium finish in third place in the final round of the season. She also won the Top Female Driver for the season.

Supported by: Juss Sports

Shi Wei is this season’s first Wild Card entry and will participate in the season-opener in Shanghai with Hitech Grand Prix in car.

Last year, Wei was the first Chinese driver on the F1 Academy grid. She took part in the 2025 season opener in Shanghai and completed 182 laps in pre-season testing around the Shanghai International Circuit. 

She has a strong racing background, competing in the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR86 Cup and the China Endurance Championship. Wei also won the Challenge Cup at the FIA F4 Chinese Championships and came third in the CFGP category. Last season, Wei became the first Chinese female driver to win a race at the F4 Chinese Masters.

F1 Academy gets underway for the 2026 season in Shanghai for Round 1 on March 13-15, alongside the F1 Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

All images are credited to F1 Academy Limited.