The mission of the F1 Academy is to provide a global platform for 20 young women to prove their driving skills in top-level motorsport, but most importantly, to provide them with a pathway to develop a successful racing career. Series sophomore Emma Felbermayer is on her way to doing just that, and with the support of the Audi Formula 1 Team, she is the only driver to score points in every race so far this year.
Already in its fourth season, the championship consists of 14 races over six dates on some of F1’s best circuits. Felbermayer has won two of those races, trailing only Red Bull’s Alisha Palmowski, who has taken three wins during the 2026 campaign. With two races at Zandvoort, three races at Austin and the final two rounds at Vegas still to compete, Felbermayer is in good position to challenge for the championship in his second and final year in the series (F1 Academy There is a term limit of two years).
The success of the young Austrian is not limited to this Now! This year, either, he scored his first win in the series with Rodin Motorsports under the Sauber banner in 2025 – before the team changes to an Audi outfit. Furthermore, his strong performances on track extend well beyond race day – whether reverse grid or not – and include several solid qualifying results and massive comeback drives from the back of the grid.
During the Canadian Grand Prix I caught up with the 19-year-old to discuss her F1 Academy experience so far, her karting years, as well as her future ambitions. My initial impression of Felbermayer was that he was shy and perhaps not very well prepared for media duties compared to his F1 counterparts, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriele Bortoletto. “No big deal,” I thought. However, as our conversation progressed, I realized that it was less about her being shy and unprepared, and more about her being an ordinary teenager.
With the support of her family (including her father and grandfather who raced at Le Mans), Audi leadership and guidance from academy boss, Susie Wolff, Felbermayer explained that she is here to seize every opportunity that comes her way. A self-proclaimed “open book” he stressed during his talk drive When it comes to her future endeavors, she’s in no rush to get ahead of herself — it’s all about executing in the present and letting those results influence her future.
Oh, and like everyone else – including me – she enjoys a good Netflix binge after a busy weekend at the track.
Jerry Perez: It’s always easier to start at the beginning, so let’s talk about your karting years. How did it happen, how old were you and how was the journey to the F1 Academy?
Emma Felbermayer: I started karting at the age of seven. My brother got his kart when he was six, and after that, I wanted to try it. From that moment on, I never stopped. In the beginning, it was more like doing it for fun and just a hobby. I was competing in national races, nothing international. After some time, when I was 12-13 years old, I really wanted to see how I compared against the best drivers in the world, so we decided to race at the international level, which was a big step up from the national level. It was tough, especially at that age, you know, because usually drivers start competing in big international races between eight and 10, and I didn’t get involved until I was 13, which is pretty late. I was having to learn things that others had learned years before, so I think that was the biggest challenge during those years.
Finally, I competed in an international championship, including the World Championships, European Championships and WSK races. It was a very busy time.
What was the hardest part of transitioning from karting to the F1 Academy?
I would say the hardest thing is getting your attention. In karting, not a lot of people really look at you, you know? And it’s hard to deal with the attention and pressure, and now I’m also doing the Italian Formula 4 Championship, which is there too. I always want to perform well in everything I do.
But the journey to the championship remains; There was a lot going on at the same time. There was a lot more I had to focus on and learn.
How do you feel about your performance this season—how are you feeling in the car with the team?
So far, I feel like I’m making the most of everything. Last year, I felt a little lost and like I said, I was not prepared for anything here because I was new to it. This year, I feel really confident within the team. I think maybe we had some differences or challenges last year, but we worked very hard over the winter to get everything right and prepare ourselves as well as possible. And so, together with Rodin Group, all parties have worked very hard to achieve what we have achieved so far, and we will continue to work just as hard moving forward.
I think the preparation for the winter was much better than last year, so I feel more prepared. I know what I’m going to expect. Last year, everything was new for me – I was new to the car – I came straight from karting to this championship, which is quite a big jump.
How is your health routine? You know, with all the commitments of the F1 Academy, how do you stay physically and mentally fit to race at this level around the world?
I go to the gym once a day and do cardio or something as per the schedule depending on the day. I get great support from Audi and my physio, as well as nutrition support, trackside electrolyte support and guidance on what I should be taking before the race. The same thing applies to jet lag. Last year, I didn’t think jet lag would be that big of a deal, and sometimes it was hard to adjust to the time zones, so I try to get used to these time zones when I’m at home, because sometimes I arrive only a day before racing, and don’t have much time to adjust to them.
I also go to university, so I have to take that into account along with everything else. But either way, I try to make everything I do fun, because if you don’t have fun, it doesn’t work.
What do you do to unwind after race weekend is over?
When I’m at home, I love meeting friends, going out to dinner, but honestly I also love staying home and having a nice Netflix evening. So yes, lying in bed and watching Netflix is probably the best thing after a stressful week (laughs).
Former F1 Academy champion Dorian Pin was rewarded with an F1 test by Mercedes, while AB Pulling is now racing in GB3 and testing in Formula E. Do you think the best reward for doing well or winning at the academy should be an F1 test?
It’s great to see drivers like Dorian getting these opportunities, and it shows what’s possible when you work hard and perform well. I think my focus now is to continue developing and learning step by step. Dorian spent a few years in LMP2, which is already a much more difficult car than the F1 Academy car, so I think, for me personally, the jump will be a little bigger, because the amount of downforce is completely different from F4 to F1. For me, the focus is always on taking what I’m doing right now and making the most of it, then not really focusing on the next part right now.
Email the author at jerry@thedrive.com
