Off-Season Opinion: You (Yes, You) Need to Watch F1 Academy in 2026
In case you missed it, the F1 community is currently taking an off-season break, which means it is the perfect time to start planning for next year’s season. There are plenty of changes coming to F1 in 2026, but we’ll save that for another blog post. F1 isn’t the only level of motorsport that fans can follow, with many other categories including Indycar, Formula E, and all of the junior categories. However, there is a very special category for female racers called F1 Academy, and here are 4 reasons you should start watching it in 2026.
We all know that the Formula 1 seasons are extremely long. 24 race weekends across an entire calendar year is no easy feat to follow, and the constant business can be overwhelming sometimes, even for the superfans. This is the first reason that Formula 1 Academy is the perfect motorsport category to start following: it is much easier to keep up with while also still being convenient to access and watch. There will be seven F1 Academy weekends in 2026, in Shanghai, Jeddah, Montreal, Silverstone, Zandvoort, Austin, and Las Vegas. The great thing about F1 Academy events is that they happen on the same weekends as the main F1 calendar, making it easier to watch races from afar or spectate from the stands if you are already a local fan or going to the F1 events. The setup of events is a little different from the F1 style: F1 weekends normally have 3 practice sessions, 1 qualifying session, and then the race. F1 Academy race weekends, on the other hand, feature one qualifying session and two races, the first with a reverse grid starting lineup. This weekend format adds to the excitement while also offering many familiar settings to the average F1 fan, making F1 Academy the perfect category to start following this upcoming season.
2025 F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin on track. Photo courtesy of Sky Sports.
Another aspect of Formula 1 that has been extremely important to many F1 fans’ love for the sport is the Drive to Survive docuseries. Drive to Survive (DTS) follows each F1 season closely and includes personal interviews with drivers, team principals, and other essential team members. One of the reasons that DTS is so entertaining is the plot - because they are able to look back on the previous season, the producers can tie together the main storylines of the season and show an entire year of development. Following these main themes helps the season feel more cohesive and engages fans who may not understand the sport as much. Similarly, F1 Academy has its own Netflix docuseries (F1: The Academy) that shows the behind the scenes and allows fans to get to know the drivers a lot better. So far, the first season of the series has been very educating for fans while also keeping the dramatic presentation style that we all know and love.
Speaking of things that we all know and love, the third reason to follow F1 Academy in 2026 is because of the woman who’s running it: Susie Wolff. Susie started karting at age eight, winning multiple junior category titles before being named the best female kart driver in the world. She then went on to compete in Formula Renault UK, British Formula 3, and DTM before entering a new development driver role for Williams for a few years. Susie became the first woman to participate in an F1 weekend since 1992 at the 2014 British Grand Prix, and is now the Managing Director of F1 Academy. Because of all of her experience as a female working her way to the top of the motorsport ladder, Susie is an inspiration for fans everywhere. Through her non-profit organization Dare to be Different, Susie and F1 Academy are able to support young female drivers who want to excel and enter the next levels of motorsport, providing each champion with a fully-funded seat for their next campaign after F1 Academy. Susie is doing great work, is extremely likeable, and already has a strong connection to Formula 1, yet another reason why F1 Academy is so incredible.
Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy and motorsport icon. Photo courtesy of F1 Academy.
Susie Wolff isn’t the only familiar face in F1 Academy - the fourth reason to follow F1 Academy is because the teams are familiar which will make the category easier to follow initially but also keep things exciting. Every F1 team that raced in 2025 supports a driver, but there are also wild card drivers that are introduced at select rounds to add to the talent pool in regions where F1 Academy races. There are also familiar teams that current F1 drivers used to drive for in other junior categories, such as Prema Racing from which Kimi Antonelli, Ollie Bearman, and Oscar Piastri graduated before advancing to Formula 1. However, these familiarities don’t mean that F1 Academy is predictable or boring at all - each driver only has 2 years in the sport, so rookies are constantly flowing in and shaking up the playing field. Overall, F1 Academy is familiar enough to F1 fans to be intriguing and easy to start following while also having its own unique features that set it apart.
In conclusion, F1 Academy is a growing category of motorsport, and there are so many beneficial reasons to start following it next year if you haven’t been already. New brand partnerships are pushing the series onto the market, and now is the perfect time to get interested in F1 Academy. One thing is for sure - I will definitely be following the category next season and can’t wait to see what happens! As always, thank you so much for reading.
Lights out and away we go,
Lucy xx
