You are a race driver so act like one. You will find out what this means in this edition of the Driver Development Roundup. You will also learn how to progress your mental performance, find out about a new driver development program from BMW and learn about a fashion project that contributes to the growth of female participation in motorsport. All this and much more this week!
Becoming a Professional Race Driver
Terrence Dove of On Racing Drivers by Terence Dove explains the importance of why you should act like a racing driver everywhere.
“This is one of the most important ideas I can share with drivers—a philosophy that influences everything you do, both on and off the track. It’s about acting like a racing driver in every part of your life, going all in, and refusing to hesitate. This doesn’t just apply to driving but to sponsorship, business opportunities, relationships—any situation where resistance or doubt holds you back.”
Read his complete post here.
Khushal Bhatia of Slicks and Sticks looks at the career of Ricky Carmichael and how he feels that NASCAR’s pay-to-drive reality destroyed his NASCAR dream. “In recent discussions with Kevin Harvick, Carmichael reflected on the hurdles he faced during this change. These included not only the specialized learning curve but also the financial realities of NASCAR, where sponsorship and funding play crucial roles in success.”
You can read the full column here.
While it was chaotic, this year’s Macau Grand Prix, the first for Formula Regional cars was a success in the end. Here are two articles that look at why and what the future could hold for the iconic race for young drivers.
- The key takeaways from Macau’s perfect storm of chaos (Autosport)
- Formula Regional proves to be worthy warden of Macau GP title (Formula Scout)
- FIA FR World Cup: The joy of racing and the promise of future glory (FIA)
Formula 1 remains the aim of many young drivers but sometimes it seems like that dream is unattainable due to factors such as lack of budget or lack of space. 2024 has seen some dramatic changes with more young drivers joining the grid but why? The Race looks at five factors in F1’s massive driver clear-out.
“While Anderson pointed out that not every team has gone for youth with Ferrari making a big money move to secure a driver in Hamilton who will be 40 in 2025 and Aston Martin recommitting to 43-year-old Fernando Alonso as its team leader, there’s been a real pivot towards young drivers from most other teams.”
Read the complete analysis here.
2025 Series News
There have been a number of developments globally regarding various development series that you may want to look into. All have their pros and cons but each one of these articles will give you valuable insights into what they offer.
- Significant changes to be implemented in the 2025 Australian Formula 4 Championship (Motorsport Australia)
- Formula Regional Australia has been approved for 2025 (Speed Cafe)
- From 2025 onwards, Winfield Racing School will be officially entering three junior championships to support and guide drivers from the school as they launch their careers (Winfield Racing School)
- F1 Academy announces seven rounds that will consist of 14 races as series continues to run on Formula 1 weekends (Austosport)
- F4 South East Asia returning is great news for motorsport (Eurasia Motorsport)
- Evans GP Announces Entry into the Relaunched South East Asian Formula 4 Championship (Evans GP)
Driver Development Program News & Resources
BMW M Motorsport is launching their BMW M Racing Academy development program for GT4-category racers in the 2025 season. The “Class of 2025” includes Spain’s Nerea Martí, Turkey’s Berkay Besler, Matthew Million from the USA, and Germany’s Niels Tröger. The four were chosen via a rigorous selection process and will undergo a unique development program in 2025.
Daily Sportscar has more details here.
The British Racing & Sports Car Club has announced that Lewis Islin is the 2025 Fiesta Junior Scholarship winner. Held over three days at Blyton Park, the competition saw around fifty young drivers competing for a funded season in the 2025 Fiesta Junior Championship. Over Monday & Tuesday, participants were tested through track driving, fitness assessments, and media interviews, leading to twelve competitors to go through to Wednesday’s final (six from each day). Touring car stars Josh Cook, Jade Edwards, Jack Mitchell, Max Coates and Danny Buxton served as the instructors and judges, selecting standout drivers to progress through each stage.
For more information on the Fiesta Junior Championship go to: https://brscc.co.uk/formulae/fiesta-junior-championship
Romet Jürgenson’s WRC2 prize drive for winning Junior WRC crown increased to six events and Taylor Gill and Max Smart were handed second Junior WRC seasons after impressing in 2024. Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó leaves the FIA Rally Star process with high expectations of future success. Find out more about the FIA Rally Star talent development program at the FIA website here.
Formula E has unveiled enhanced plans for the grassroots gender diversity initiative, FIA Girls on Track, that it will deliver across all race markets in Season 11. Additions include new race-day activations for 50 young women and more exclusive behind-the-scenes access available to those looking to build a career in motorsport and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
More details on the program can be found here.
Radford Racing School and Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) will once again host the Radford Racing School F4 U.S. “Karts to Cars” Scholarship School, a joint venture that brings together some of the best karters from around North America to get their first experience in a single-seater race car. The two-day school will take place Dec. 5-6 at Radford Racing School’s multi-track facility in Chandler, Ariz. Three accomplished karters have received nominations from their respective karting programs. Pictured above, from left: Ty Arbogast and Vaughn Beesley from New Castle Motorsports Park, as well as the first female participant, Sarah Bradley, from ROK Cup USA.
RACER has all the details.
Many motorsport enthusiasts want to go wheel-to-wheel racing, but the path from where they are to where they want to be can be challenging. It’s not just a monetary issue, either. In recent years, Region-led SCCA Drivers’ Schools have gone from plentiful to few and far between, making it a challenge for those on the outside looking in. Recently, though, SCCA introduced (or reintroduced, depending on how you look at it) the Race Experience, and Grassroots Motorsports was there to take it in. Read more at the SCCA website.
Formula 1 is leading the charge in empowering inclusion in motorsport, showcasing a commitment to diversity and equity that resonates worldwide. With initiatives like We Race As One, The Hamilton Commission, and F1 Academy, Formula 1, alongside its partners, is championing a more inclusive and representative culture within the sport. These efforts are about more than just racing—they aim to create a motorsport environment that opens doors to diverse talents and inspires audiences who value meaningful progress and social impact.
Read more at Drive Sports Marketing.
The Grandstand Project is the brainchild of business student Sherry Ma, a long-standing F1 supporter who had been growing restless at the lack of fashion-focused clothing for race-going fans.
“So at its core, our mission really is to support women in motorsports, but also in all aspects of motorsport and the automotive industry – all of the models for the inaugural collection, which is designed specifically for Las Vegas, are all real car girls that I’ve met at car meets.”
Ma’s desire of growing the female presence in F1 has seen her commit to donating 3% of proceeds to women in motorsport initiatives. Find out more about the Grandstand Project here and here.
Driver Development Pathways
If you are a regular reader of my newsletter or my Sim Racing Roundup (and if you are not you should be! Subscribe here.), then you will be familiar with sim racer turned Formula 2 racer Max Esterson. If you are not familiar with Max’s story, the F3 website explains it quite well.
Austin Prock created a Linkedin page when he was 19 years old. It says as much right at the start of what he wrote in the about section before saying he is the son of Jimmy Prock and attempting to live his dream of being a professional race car driver. It goes on to further describe how much he’s already done in his career. And then comes the clincher. The last sentence reads, “I will one day set records of my own in the world of motorsports.” Read more about Austin’s prediction and motorsport journey at RACER here.
An intense debut at short notice and a double points finish next time out convinced McLaren to sign Taylor Barnard to its Formula E team full-time this season. Having now moved away from Formula 1’s junior single-seater pathway, the young Briton can still forge a name for himself. Read about why McLaren’s latest single-seater star has chosen a different career path at Autosport.
Aedan McHugh did not have the money to race but he knew that he wanted to be involved in motorsport so he had to figure out a way. Read about his motorsport journey and what he did to make it happen at Autopian here.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former 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.
