The F1 Academy's mission is to give 20 young women a global platform to prove their driving skills in top-tier motorsport, but most importantly, to provide them with a path to follow as they develop what is hopefully a successful racing career. Series sophomore Emma Felbermayr is well on her way to doing just that, and with the support of the Audi Formula 1 Team, she’s the only driver to have scored points in every race so far this year.
Already in its fourth season, the championship features 14 races across six dates on some of F1’s best circuits. Felbermayr has won two of those races, trailing only Red Bull’s Alisha Palmowski, who has three wins halfway through the 2026 campaign. With two races at Zandvoort, three in Austin, and the final two rounds in Vegas still to contest, Felbermayr is well-positioned to challenge for the championship in her second and final year in the series (F1 Academy has a two-year term limit).
View Price on AmazonThe young Austrian’s success isn’t limited to just this year, either, having scored her first victory in the series in 2025 with Rodin Motorsports under the Sauber banner—before the team morphed into the Audi outfit. In addition, her strong performances on the track extend beyond race day—whether it’s a reverse grid or not—and include many solid qualifying results and massive comeback drives from the back of the grid.
I caught up with the 19-year-old during the Canadian Grand Prix to discuss her F1 Academy experience so far, her karting years, and also, her future ambitions. My initial impression of Felbermayr was that she was shy and maybe a pinch not-so-well-prepared for media duties compared to her F1 counterparts, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. “No big deal,” I thought. However, as our conversation unfolded, I realized it was less about her being shy and unprepared, and more about her simply being a down-to-earth teenager.
With the support of her family (including her father and grandfather who raced in Le Mans), Audi leadership, and the guidance of the Academy’s boss, Susie Wolff, Felbermayr explained that she’s here to capitalize on every opportunity that comes her way. A self-proclaimed “open book,” she emphasized during her chat with The Drive that when it comes to her future endeavors, she’s not in a 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 myself—she enjoys a good Netflix binge after a busy weekend at the track.
Jerry Perez: It’s always easiest to start at the beginning, so let’s talk about your karting years. How did that come about, how old were you, and what was the journey to F1 Academy like?
Emma Felbermayr: I started karting at seven years old. My brother got his kart when he was six years old, and after that, I wanted to try it out. Since that moment, I have never stopped. In the beginning, it was more like doing it for fun and just a hobby. I was racing 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 internationally, which was a huge step up from the national level.
Source: thedrive.com
