The inaugural Ford Performance Development Program drivers have been announced and in this week’s edition of the Driver Development Roundup you will find out who they are and where they will be racing. I also have more driver development program news, an opportunity to race in Florida in February and the driver development pathway taken by three young drivers.
Becoming a Professional Race Driver
In the video above, Enzo Mucci explains how to use others to spot opportunities but don’t let them affect you too much mentally / emotionally.
Morocco’s iM4 Cup, which I covered here, has just announced their 2025 calendar as reported by Formula Scout.
“Last January, Mygale announced that “four rounds will be organised on the Moroccan national circuits from December 2024 to March 2025” using its first-generation car and Renault’s turbocharged 1.3-litre engines previously seen in French F4. It was to be licensed by Morocco’s national motorsport federation, and be organised by Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives.”
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will introduce a Rookie Free Practice session as part of the Jeddah E-Prix, specifically designed for drivers who have never raced in the Championship.
The 40-minute session, scheduled for Thursday, 13 February from 16:00 to 16:40, will provide experienced racing talent from other motorsport championships valuable track time to discover the new, groundbreaking technology of Formula E’s GEN3 Evo car.
Full details can be found at the Formula E website here.
Susie Wolff believes it is wrong to suggest she is on “a feminist crusade” with F1 Academy saying the championship is helping motorsport appeal to female fans of Formula 1.
“I love F1, we can love this sport, and it is right as we move forward that we show this sport is evolving and it is taking mindful actions to connect with the female audience. That doesn’t mean I am on a feminist crusade to show what women can do, absolutely not. But this is a sport where men and women can compete against each other, one of the few sports in the world, and when you have your helmet on, it doesn’t matter what your gender is.”
Extreme E’s pioneering mixed-gender racing format is breaking boundaries in motorsport and beyond. In just four seasons, on track data has proven the gap in performance times between its male and female drivers has narrowed by almost 70%, proving that equitable competition environments can drive measurable progress.
“It can be a difficult cycle to break; you need the seat time to prove your potential, but you need results to attract the support needed to access that very seat time. Extreme E put themselves out there and tried something new to force change and it makes me so proud to be one of the drivers to prove the success of this concept. We have built some strong momentum and, whilst this doesn’t alleviate the continuing challenges of motorsport, we are making change. It’s pretty special and something I hope motorsport can learn from more broadly.”
Read more about these results at the Extreme E website here.
The Lucas Oil School of Racing Winter Series is right around the corner. Don’t miss out on getting prepared for their 2025 Summer Series with a *$250,000 Prize. We are just under 2 weeks away, don’t miss out on the opportunity to win some amazing awards! 2 Events, 6 Races no drops. Get in on the action at two amazing Florida tracks. Get more details here.
Driver Development Program News & Resources
The first team of Ford Performance Junior Drivers has been announced. Marco Signoretti (Canada), Erik Evans (USA), Nathan Vanspringel (Belgium), Robert Noaker (USA), Sam Paley (USA), and Jenson Altzman (USA) are members of the inaugural program.
All six showed real promise on the track but had to face a panel of Ford Performance leaders to answer questions across a broad spectrum of their racing lives, from how they interact with engineers at the racetrack to how they handle media or high-pressure scenarios. All passed the test with flying colors.
Additionally, Ford Performance partner Haupt Racing Team in Europe is supporting two silver rated drivers for 2025. Salman Owega (Germany) and Finn Wiebelhaus (Germany) have been named Ford Performance GT3 Junior Drivers and will receive support more relevant to their career progression as they race Mustang GT3.
The FormelAustria Young Driver program has announced their class of 2025 in an event in Vienna. Hady Mimassi flew in from Canada, Simon Schranz arrived from Tyrol, Kristyna Kalistova travelled to Vienna from the Czech Republic, while Marcel Kieser and Luis Moser had the shortest trips both hailing from the province of Lower Austria.
The quintet of teenagers came to the headquarters of the Formelaustria Young Driver Program for the official photo shooting for the 2025 season and the program’s inaugural gala.
Mimassi and Schranz will start in the 2025 FIA F4 Central European Championship, while Kieser and Kalistova will enjoy a year of extensive testing and club sport races. Moser is going to participate in the ADAC GT4 Germany.
For more information on the program, you can read my interview with founder Dr. Harold Ian Miltner here.
In related FormelAustria Young Driver program news, to provide Simon Schranz with the best possible preparation for his F4 CEZ Championship by FIA campaign, the program together with Renauer Motorsport have entered a car in this year’s Formula Winter Series, held in Portugal and Spain. Schranz earned himself a rookie podium in race 2 of the first round of the Formula Winter Series in Portimao
Williams Racing is proud to confirm the 2025 line-up of the Williams Racing Driver Academy, with the stars of tomorrow all making a step up in their careers. Building on the Academy’s proud tradition of supporting young drivers, which most recently saw Franco Colapinto graduate to a full-time Formula 1 seat, the Academy will continue to offer best-in-class support to drivers through every stage of the motorsport ladder.
“We’re excited to confirm our Williams Racing Driver Academy drivers for this year, and proud to showcase the amount of talent and promise in each of our drivers,” Sven Smeets, Sporting Director, commented. “The Academy is central to our commitment to shaping the future of our sport, supporting them both on and off the track. We’re looking forward to following all the drivers’ progress throughout this 2025 season.”
Click here to find out who the drivers are and where they will be racing.
Nitro Kart has partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) to become part of the team’s driver development program. Nitro offers the program opportunities to place drivers in championship-level equipment. The primary focus will be Nitro’s excellent cadet karting program.
Nitro joins Kiwi Motorsport and Palou Motorsport as partner teams in Chip Ganassi Racing’s driver development program. The partnership provides select support to the teams and allows drivers access to equipment at multiple levels of motorsport while they train, learn and grow with CGR.
Find out more about the program here.
Shift Up Now athletes Heather Hadley and Sally Mott, along with Development Athlete Ashlyn Speed, endured the chaos of an eventful season opener in rounds one and two of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship presented by Michelin at the Daytona Road Course on January 22-24, 2025.
You can find out how they did at the Shift Up Now website here.
Last week I brought you some insight into how Formula 1 driver academies work. This week I have two more articles that bring you further insight into these programs.
- What are F1 driver development programs? How teams spot and nurture future champions (The Athletic)
- Racing Academies: chimera and reality (Vroom Kart)
STEM Motorsport Programs
The FIA has launched a new program to provide mentorship opportunities to disabled people in motorsport.
The organization says the program is designed to build a sense of community and global connection, increase awareness of disabled people in motorsport and facilitate personal and professional growth. Less experienced individuals – mentees – will be paired with more experienced peers – mentors – connecting individuals and enhancing confidence through these relationships.
There are 50 seats available on the program. Applications will open on February 6 and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mentors and mentees will be matched based on their career interests, skills, knowledge, experience, disabilities and wider skill set. Providing resources and clear guidelines, the FIA will help mentors and mentees build successful relationships that accelerate all-round development.
The program will be hosted online. Participants will connect through a digital platform, allowing for flexible and accessible interaction regardless of location, with the online nature ensuring ease of scheduling and resource sharing.
Nathalie McGloin, FIA disability and accessibility commission president, said, “The DAA [Disability & Accessibility Commission] was created to ensure accessible racing and motoring, to promote knowledge sharing and best practices, and to champion inclusivity and representation.
“I’m proud to be part of the launch of this next step in the FIA’s commitment to accessibility and diversity, and look forward to seeing these mentorship partnerships flourish.”
Those who want to register an interest can follow this link: https://forms.office.com/e/nHyLFCHXFV
The Iron Dames racing team has partnered with NASA to help spread a message: Challenge your perceptions and empower future generations.
“If you were to look across the firing room years ago, you would see one woman out of about 400 engineers that had a technical role,” Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson shares. “I look today and its somewhere around 25% to 30% women in the room. Things have certainly changed over the last 50+ years.”
Read more about the program at Grassroots Motorsports.
From the Sim Racing Roundup
Why Toto Wolff thinks sim training is important headlined last week’s edition of the Sim Racing Roundup. Not only does he feel it is important for F1 drivers, but he also feels it is crucial for all race drivers. I also have the inspiring story of sim racer turned real-life pro Suellio Almeida, the latest tech reviews, sim racing advice and more!
Driver Development Pathways
Jamie Chadwick explains to AutoWeek why she is leaving the IndyCar pipeline and part of the reason was the physicality of an IndyCar. “I did a lot in Indy NXT to get strong enough. I think I did maybe better than I expected in Indy NXT, but not I would say well enough to guarantee myself an opportunity in IndyCar.”
Read more at AutoWeek here.
US Open Wheel Nation talks to Hailie Deegan about her Indy NXT transition progress and the challenges that lie ahead for her. “I know it’s gonna take a little bit of time,” she said. “I’m not just gonna hop in and say, ‘I’m equal with you guys.’ They have a lot more experience than me.” You can read more of their conversation here.
Dennis Hauger explains to US Open Wheel Nation how he is preparing in the change of scenery from Europe to North America as ha chases his dream in Indy NXT. “I’ve always loved the racing here,” Hauger, who is driving in Indy NXT for Andretti in 2025, said. “And I love the sort of mindset that goes on here compared to Europe.”
Read more about his plans and why he moved to the United States 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.
