The mid-season F1 ACADEMY three-day test has commenced at the Circuito de Navarra today (Wednesday).
The test consists of two days of track time for the main season drivers, with the Rookie Test taking place on Friday and allowing the 18-driver rookie lineup to get their first taste of driving an F1 ACADEMY car.
Wednesday and Thursday’s on-track action will feature the stars from the current 2026 grid, as they prepare for the penultimate round of the season in the Circuit of the Americas, Texas, on 24-25 October.
Ten of the current Formula 1 teams back drivers on the F1 ACADEMY grid, with the drivers carrying the colours of their respected supporting team. Drivers taking part in the next two days of testing include Red Bull’s championship leader and 2024 GB4 runner-up Alisha Palmowski, Audi’s Emma Felbermayr, Alpine’s Nina Gademan and Ferrari’s Alba Larsen.
Megan Bruce, who secured the GB4 F1 ACADEMY contribution last season, shall also feature for TAG Heuer, alongside her fellow GB4 graduate Ava Dobson for American Express.
The 2026 grid will have a total of 12 hours of track time across Wednesday and Thursday to rack up valuable mileage ahead of their trip to Texas next month.
On Friday, 18 new drivers will receive six hours of track time on the Navarra circuit, as they aim to impress and secure a seat on the 2027 F1 ACADEMY grid. Last year, seven drivers graduated to full-time seats, including Bruce and McLaren junior Ella Stevens.
This year’s drivers include current GB4 star Jordyn Martin and Donington Park guest driver Yana Kapoor, Zandvoort F1 ACADEMY wildcard Zoe Florescu and Mercedes-backed Luna Fluxa Cross.
In the days prior, the rookies will have been immersed within an F1 ACADEMY team environment, observed driver briefings and engineering sessions, and taken part in various assessment activities to help prepare them for off-track responsibilities. They also took part in a training camp at Loughborough University from 25-27 August.
Today’s morning session commenced at 0900hrs local time (UTC+2) until 1200hrs and will be followed by an afternoon session running from 1400hrs-1700hrs. Morning sessions on Thursday and Friday begin at the earlier time of 0830hrs, running until 1130hrs. On both days, afternoon sessions will run from 1300hrs-1600hrs.
Each car will have five sets of tyres for the in-season test, with the Rookie Test using four sets – one of which being carried over from the previous two days of testing.