Over the course of its four seasons, the F1 Academy grid has featured a number of drivers. Drivers can compete for no longer than 2 years, but new opportunities arise for those who win the title in their first season. Occasionally, when the schedule permits, local wildcard entries also appear, offering them a brief opportunity to experience what their future in the sport could hold. Then there are the drivers who come through the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars programme, such as Alba Hurup Larsen.
Early Motorsport Career
The Danish driver was born in Roskilde on 18 November 2008, and her motorsport career began with karting. During the pandemic, she took up go-karting as it was one of the few activities that could be practised safely. Her father bought her her own kart and her family became her racing team turning entertainment into a competitive pursuit. She competed in several championships and in 2023 she was selected to join the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars, winning the same year.
Step up to single-seaters and F1 Academy
She made the step up to her first single-seater at the end of 2024 in the Indian F4 Championship with MP Motorsport, achieving a best result of sixth place in a race. The next step was joining the F1 Academy the following year with the same team. This time, she was sponsored by Tommy Hilfiger and secured two second-place podium finishes. She ended her rookie season in seventh place overall with a total of seventy points.
What makes her stand out: present and projection
The driver has been selected to join the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy on 1 January. As a result, she will race in Ferrari colours in the new F1 Academy season. In addition to this championship, she will also be part of the F4 British Championship grid.
Performance during the first round of the F1 Aacademy 2026
PROMISING START TO THE WEEKEND
The F1 Academy season has just begun, and despite a bittersweet weekend, car number 12 showed great promise. It started with a strong free practice session, during which she was one of the fastest drivers of the day, alternating at the top of the timesheets with others. She maintained this form into Saturday’s qualifying session, where she held provisional pole position for most of the session before losing it and finishing second.
SETBACKS AND FINAL RESULT
From that point onwards, however, fortunes began to change. She had a solid start to Race 1 until an incident damaged her front wing. This caused a loss of grip and downforce, leading her to drop positions. Later on, she encountered further difficulties after running into the gravel. In contrast, Sunday’s Race 2 began well for Larsen, who took the lead and built a gap to the rest of the field. However, a mistake when racing resumed after the safety car restart caused her to fall back to the lower end of the top 10. She eventually finished the race in the eighth position, securing her first points of the season.
Featured Image Credit: F1 Academy
About The Author
Leave a Reply