How the Cross-Car Project hopes to develop Kenyan motorsport is just one of the topics covered in this week’s Driver Development Roundup. I also have news on an AI-powered driver agent, the work of Shift Up Now, how to control your emotions on track and the incredible story of a driver racing cars with no arms.
Becoming a Professional Race Driver
Formula E and Google Cloud have furthered their AI collaboration to develop an accessible technology, allowing more race drivers to utilize performance analytics.
The Driver Agent is aimed at leveling the playing field to grant access to advanced AI data – including lap times, speed, braking, acceleration and downforce – to drivers at all levels.
As part of the Driver Agent initiative, Google Cloud is also teaming up with More than Equal, the organization that finds young female drivers with high potential and aims to develop female talent in motorsport.
The collaboration will see Driver Agent technology made available for the More than Equal driver development program as well as access to simulators at Manchester Metropolitan University.
More details can be found here.
Pippa Mann and Shift Up Now have awarded $250,000 in grants for women in motorsport reports Forbes. “We’re doing something different here,” Mann explains. “We’re working to provide funding for female racers in a way that ensures they keep control of their careers and the money that supports them. Our foundation is a nonprofit entity, meaning we can accept tax-deductible donations, and every single dollar donated goes to help female racers be on track.”
British racing driver Nicolas Hamilton is set to make his highly anticipated return to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 2025, racing for Un-Limited Motorsport, as part of a three-car lineup alongside Dexter Patterson and Max Hall. Hamilton, who has Cerebral Palsy, is no stranger to the BTCC.
As the only driver in the series’ history to compete with a disability, his achievements have already made history. His determination and resilience have inspired countless fans, proving that with the right mindset, anything is possible. Returning to the BTCC after 20 months away, Hamilton’s 2023 season saw him secure an impressive sixth-place finish at Donington Park in Race 2 of Round 1 of the 2023 season.
Red Bull has pulled the trigger after just two rounds in 2025, swapping Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda. But beyond the on-track implications, what message does it send to young drivers and the Red Bull junior program?
Red Bull’s way of dealing with junior drivers differs from most F1 teams. The way Mercedes has brought Andrea Kimi Antonelli in is a prime example. When the young Italian was announced at Monza, team boss Toto Wolff said: “Five minutes after Lewis told me he that was going to Ferrari, I already made up my mind.”
Read more at Autosport here.
The Race thinks the whole program is failing. Go here to see why.
The new docuseries First to the Finish has been covered by People magazine. “The attention around being a woman in the industry has its positives and negatives,” ays Holbrook, whose split role as a team owner on the track and a mother of two off of it is a key focus in the series. “I think the hardest part is the expectation others set, and the fact that women are always under the magnifying glass.”
Read more here.
It’s been nearly half a century since a woman last competed in an F1 race, and Susie Wolff, in her work with the F1 Academy and beyond, wants to ensure that number doesn’t tick much higher. Autosport looks at the battle Susie Wolff refuses to give up on.
"It cannot be that a winner just stays, or a top-six finisher just keeps racing in F1 Academy year after year. You need to move on. We’re not here to become a landing destination. We are the facilitator of maximising potential and making sure the talent goes onwards and upwards" Susie WolffYou have the power to control your emotions and in the video above, Enzo Mucci explains how.
Feeder Series profiles driver manager Pierre Sancinéna, the former Alpine Academy manager and Gasly rival behind Isack Hadjar’s early success.
“It will be a challenge for sure, but each one of his seasons were a challenge. He’s not a driver who had millions and millions to spend on testing. He always had to adapt quickly, and that’s one of his biggest qualities. He can arrive in a new track, in a new car, and be in the mix already. I trust him on that, and I think these three days of pre-season testing showed it.”
Speaking of Isack Hadjar, Esquire Middle East looks at how he became Formula One’s first-ever Arab driver. “It’s huge to be the first ever Arab F1 driver,” Hadjar tells Esquire Middle East at the Racing Bulls’ HQ in Faenza, Italy. “I feel the support from people of my background. I receive messages not only from French people but lots of Arab fans. I just hope to inspire kids more in the region to get out there and have a go at racing. I want to be a role model, the first one at least.”
Driver Development Program News & Resources
Kenyan president William Ruto has welcomed the Cross-Car Project, an initiative aimed at developing young motorsport talent in Kenya through local car manufacturing. “This initiative will plant a seed for the future of motorsport, engaging trainees as young as 8 years old,” Ruto said.
The Ministry of Sports, through the Motorsports Academy, will oversee the program, ensuring it provides resources and training to nurture the next generation of drivers and engineers.
The FAT Karting League, a new karting program led by former Ferrari F1 race engineer Rob Smedley is set to shake up American karting this spring as it expands from the UK. FAT Karting League (FKL) is an innovative, cost conscious series that has been running for over 3 years in the Europe. FKL is launching their first U.S. Try Out sessions in April 2025, with events across Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio.
EKN has all the details.
Celso Neto won the IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship for the 2025-26 seasons. Neto, a native of Salvador, Brazil, now living in Orlando, was selected from a talented pool of nine finalists. The 20-year-old has already secured a ride with Precision Racing LA for the 2025 Michelin Pilot Challenge season in the Touring Car (TCR) class. In the video above, he tells his full story.
Fueling dreams: with the introduction of the ‘Supported by Iron Dames‘ talent incubator, the new initiative paves the way for future Iron Dames by offering a structured path toward professional development and new opportunities.
Iron Dames have become a synonym with passion and hard work in highly competitive environments – and the project is set to launch a new path for emerging talents: the “Supported by Iron Dames” program is designed as a talent incubator for potential future Iron Dames, an initiative to provide promising female talents with resources, visibility and necessary support to progress.
Read more at Racers Behind the Helmet.
From the Sim Racing Roundup
A sim racer will be racing in the NASCAR Euro Series and in last week’s Sim Racing Roundup you will learn how it happened. You will also get details on the real-world GT4 test for the DTM Esports champion, why Max Verstappen is wrong about motion simulators and how Robert Wickens uses a sim to help him prepare for the next phase of his motorsport journey. All this and much more!
Driver Development Pathways
ABC 4 Salt Lake City has the incredible story of Joseph Renfro, a young race driver pursuing his passion despite the fact that he was born without arms. “As Renfro moved from bikes to race cars, his dad modified the steering wheel and pedals on a four-cylinder Ford Tempo to allow his son to drive. Similarly to riding a bike, Renfro uses the sole of one foot to steer, while controlling the pedals with the other.”
Find out more here.
The Athletic looks at the career of Ollie Bearman who explains how he is building his dream life. “I dedicated myself to racing for the vast majority of my life and all of my actions really revolve around that,” Bearman told The Athletic. “But also now, the closer I get to F1, the more you realize that it can become all-consuming and too much. Sometimes you need to separate your work and F1 and sport life versus your own life.”
Read the complete profile here.
Katherine Legge explains to CNN how she never set out to be a role model, but now she says she has a point to prove in NASCAR.
Legge says that she’s been cautioned not to read the negative comments online, but she understood that she was criticized for being allowed to compete, despite her relative lack of experience. “But the problem there,” she asked, “is how do you get the experience?”
Read more at the CNN website.
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.
