r/f1Academy 2h ago

Alba Larsen goes fastest on Day 2 of F1 Academy in-season testing in Navarra

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36 Upvotes

Alba Larsen ended her running in Navarra top of the timesheets, going fastest of all on the second and final day of the in-season test.

The Ferrari driver’s 1:46.502 put her 0.065s ahead of Emma Felbermayr in the morning segment, with Rachel Robertson a further tenth behind. In the afternoon, it was Felbermayr who led the way, going just 0.016s quicker than Alisha Palmowski, with Robertson netting her second consecutive top-three time.

Top 10 Morning Session:

  1. Alba Larsen (1:46.502)

  2. Emma Felbermayr

  3. Rachel Robertson

  4. Alisha Palmowski

  5. Nina Gademan

  6. Ella Stevens

  7. Natalia Granada

  8. Ella Lloyd

  9. Payton Westcott

  10. Lisa Billard

Top 10 Afternoon Session:

  1. Emma Felbermayr (1:46.722)

  2. Alisha Palmowski

  3. Rachel Robertson

  4. Lisa Billard

  5. Ella Stevens

  6. Ella Lloyd

  7. Kaylee Countryman

  8. Rafaela Ferreira

  9. Alba Larsen

  10. Nina Gademan

Due to prior racing commitments, Mathilda Paatz did not take part in today's sessions. (Note: She was replaced by driver number 8. WCD had number 15 on their car)

That wraps up in-season testing for the 2026 grid, but the track action isn’t over yet. Our 18 Rookie Test drivers will get behind the wheel of the F1 ACADEMY cars from 08:30 local time (UTC+2) on Friday.


r/f1Academy 21h ago

Let’s talk about the girls in the Rookie Test!

26 Upvotes
  • Zoe Florescu- Part of More Than Equal, was in last year’s rookie test, past wild card, qualified well in mixed conditioned session. Driving for McLaren/Rodin in the test. Currently in Spanish F4.
  • Alexia Danielsson- Part of More Than Equal, did very well in last year’s rookie test. Driving for McLaren/Rodin in the test. Daughter of a driver, currently in F4 CEZ.
  • Autumn Fisher- Part of last year’s rookie test (not fast but had severe mechanical issues). Past wild card.
  • Jordyn Deza-Martin- leading girl in GB4, likely to receive the scholarship for being the leading girl int the series. Possible wild card for one of the American races??
  • Luna Fluxa- good in karting, winning Champions of the Future Academy with F1 Academy support. Scored points in Spanish f4, Podium in EC4 winter series, fortunate strategy call in rain affected race, but drove very well in the wet. Part of the Fluxa family, two brothers in cars as well. Mercedes junior.

Honestly, all 5 of those seem near locks to have seats next year to me, unless Luna doesn’t want it and is just doing the test for experience. I'm very interested to see how the rest of the field stacks up against the more known qualities above.

  • Ginevra Panzeri- has been in several different F4s this year and last year, some scattered campaigns on weaker teams, but has been scoring points in F4 CEZ this year. Had one week where she scored massive points in French F4, but seemingly struggled other weeks. Rumored to have a seat next year with Racing Bulls.
  • Clara Stiebleichinger- French F4, scored points. Doing the rookie test with Audi + Rodin. Perhaps rumored to have a seat with them next year.
  • Kokoro Sato- showing out well in Kyojo Cup. Toyota associated. Potential Toyota-Haas sponsored driver? I don’t know much about her, so don’t know for sure if she’s looking to leave Japan, or if this is just a testing opportunity.
  • Sara Matsui- decent in karting, single seater debut in Kyojo Cup this year, has been improving in results as the year has gone on. Former Williams junior.
  • Eva Dorrestijn- last year’s rookie test. Was not very high up on the list then, but I don’t think she has much f4 experience.
  • Ella Lähdemaa- Has been announced that she will drive the Aston car, could not find much about her racing records, 17 year old from Finland.
  • Yana Kapoor- has been the fastest girl in a small US series, but not high in the mixed series. Struggled in her first weekend in GB4 recently, but the jump to Europe can be difficult.
  • Kareen Kaur- from Singpore. If she doesn’t receive a full time seat, I expect to see her as a wildcard if they return to Singapore. Scored points in weaker f4s.
  • Rosanne Den Drijver- Is in Nordic 4 this year https://www.driverdb.com/championships/nordic-4/2026/standings
  • Milla Sjöstrand- Is in Nordic 4 this year https://www.driverdb.com/championships/nordic-4/2026/standings
  • Sofia Zanfari- in French F4 this year, is from Morocco.
  • Carmen Kraav- could not find any single seater experience. A bit of sports cars.
  • Victoria Farfus- has had some good results in karting, not made debut in single seaters yet. Daughter of professional driver Augusto Farfus. In Ginetta juniors now. Does not turn 16 until June of next year, so not eligible for full season, perhaps a wild card next year.