How networking can empower you to build a winning team is just part of what you will learn in this week’s Driver Development Roundup. I also have details on how to spot the traits of a great driver at a young age, words of advice from Le Mans legend Patrick Long and three more drivers and their unique driver development pathways.
Becoming a Professional Race Driver
I’ve emphasized the significance of networking and having a strong support team as you chase your motorsport aspirations, both on and off the track. This is precisely why Motorsport Prospects was established—to connect you with top motorsport professionals who can help you build your ideal team.
In the video above, Enzo Mucci explains how important networking and your team are to your success.
In his latest post on Terence Dove on Racing Drivers, Terence explains what he learned from coaching a future F1 driver. “In this week’s article I’ll tell you why a 6 year old can be an obvious F1 team pick, and indeed became one. What the attributes are, and how to develop them yourself. Then why you might have a bit more to offer than the drivers who seem to be born ready to go.” Read the article here (free trial required).
In Racey Thoughts: Gamifying & Removing Barriers, Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets looks at the challenges and techniques of teaching the next generation of drivers proper racecraft.
“It’s said that Baby Boomers need about one piece of feedback each year, while Millennials need feedback every five minutes or so. Workplace managers are either being trained to give young workers more feedback (both confirming and corrective) or they are younger themselves and are already doing that. Growing up with constant, immediate feedback through games has changed what Millennials expect — and what motivates them.”
Chip Ganassi Racing’s return to Indy NXT in 2025 has been one eighteen years in the making for the 16-time IndyCar Series champions. The last time they took part in IndyCar’s top development series was 2007. For Ganassi himself, it’s a series which he has had an eye on for a long time.
“We’ve had guys come out of that series from time to time,” Ganassi said. “(Indy NXT) deserves a closer look from our team, and that’s why we’re here.”
Read more about their plans at US Open Wheel Nation.
Rachel Roberts at Goodwood Road & Racing revisits a driver development proposal from Max Mosely and explains how a driver-promoting feeder formula could inject F1 with a rich stream of talent.
“Nineteen years ago, then-FIA president Max Mosley touted the idea of a promotion-and-relegation format in Formula 1, something he felt might come into effect in two years’ time. Of course, the idea never came to fruition, and while the grid remains a formidable place to break into, that’s not to say other forms of promotion aren’t witnessed in the sport today.”
You can read her full article here.
In the video above, two-time Le Mans winner and Porsche works driver Patrick Long gives his advice to young drivers.
From 2025, as part of the FFSA GT French Championship, SRO is launching the GT Academy which will allow all drivers under 30, registered in GT4, to try to win a prize of €150,000 and sporting supervision within the FFSA Academy. More details (in French) can be found here.
The new TOCA Junior championship will not be held in 2025 and instead it is intended to launch next year under a revised format where all cars are centrally run.
“The parents I’ve spoken to all like this idea because they don’t have to negotiate with teams,” explained series director Dave Beecroft, who has experience of centrally-run categories having been an engineer in the SEAT Cupra Championship that supported the BTCC in the mid-2000s. Autosport has more details.
Formula Ford is still the place to learn to race — that’s according to Marcos Ambrose, who has revived his team to compete in the national series. “We decided to bring Marcos Ambrose Motorsport back to life and we’ve pulled a few extra people in to really make it a success,” said Ambrose. SpeedCafe has all the details.
In the modern day, Formula One test drivers, many of them active junior single-seater racers, tend to sit on the sidelines and wait for the rare opportunity to take to the big stage. What were their lives like 35 years ago? Feeder Series spoke to former F1 test driver Franco Scapini about his time in junior and professional racing and his thoughts on the junior ladder in the present day.
Driver Development Program News & Resources
F1 Academy has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its future talent pipeline with the announcement of an inaugural rookie test and a continued collaboration with the Champions of The Future Academy Program.
Announced last week, the series’ inaugural rookie test will take place in September 2025, providing up to 18 young drivers with their first experience behind the wheel of an F1 ACADEMY car. The Formula 1 website has full details on the program.
The Skip Barber Racing School and the Orlando Kart Center have unveiled a new partnership that will provide opportunities for karters who compete at the Orlando Kart Center. Skip Barber Racing School programs will be awarded to competitors at the Orlando Kart Center, allowing up-and-coming karters to experience the training that has crafted champions for 50 years.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to team up with an organization as legendary and deeply rooted in motorsports as the Skip Barber Racing School,” Orlando Kart Center manager Daniel Lee said. “This partnership marks the beginning of an exciting, long-term collaboration, giving us the opportunity to reward some of America’s top kart racers with an incredible chance to jumpstart their professional motorsport careers,” Lee added.
Recipients will have the opportunity to attend a Skip Barber Racing School program and join an iconic list of alumni, including two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano. Mored details can be found here.
Jensen Global Advisors have announced their F4 Racing Camps Spring 2025 dates. The camps teach the fundamentals to drive race cars at a professional level. They use current pro spec Ligier F4 and F3 series race cars; with unlimited track time from 9 am – 4 pm
Racing Camps are designed for young drivers ages 12 – 21 who aspire to learn the skills to become professional race cars drivers at the Formula One and IndyCar levels. Following successful racing camps, we can organize competition licenses and create customized driver development programs including race competition. You can get more information on the camps here.
CS55 Racing Karting Academy, the first step in the Spanish karting ladder, aimed at children from ages six to eight, is ready for the 2025 season. It does so with renewed strength as a result of the will of Carlos Sainz in a close partnership with the Real Federación Española de Automovilismo to promote an entry path to motorsports from the first step in a financially affordable way. Full details on the 2025 program can be found here.
From the Sim Racing Roundup
Last week I went inside Max Verstappen’s sim racing plans as he works to bring sim racers into real-world motorsport. In addition to that, this latest edition of the Sim Racing Roundup looks at Sebastian Job’s journey from sim racing to the real thing, how sim racing and virtual testing are new and exciting career paths for neurodiverse talents and why Lewis Hamilton uses an F1 simulator only sparingly.
Driver Development Pathways
Rachel Robertson’s route to this year’s Radical Cup UK is far from conventional, but stands out just as much for her unrelenting rise up the karting ranks. Here’s her story and what 2025 holds for a driver who was racing indoor rental karts just two years ago. Autosport tracks her motorsport journey so far.
Jules Caranta was announced as one of the six new additions to the Red Bull Junior Team last summer following a strong performance at the Red Bull Driver Search. Before his first outing in Eurocup-3 with Campos Racing, the 16-year-old opened up on the experience of being selected and the title fight in his maiden French Formula 4 season that helped him get there. Read his profile on Feeder Series here.
After a remarkable rise in international karting, Sofia Zanfari is taking on a new challenge by proudly joining the FFSA Academy to compete in the 2025 French Formula 4 Championship. At just 18 years of age, the Moroccan driver is aiming to reach the highest levels of motor sport. Read more about her career here.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
