Kareen Kaur, Singapore’s First Female F4 Driver, Earns F1 Academy Rookie Test Spot

Singaporean driver Kareen Kaur has been selected for the 2026 F1 Academy Rookie Test and its new preparatory training camp, giving the 16-year-old an opportunity to demonstrate her potential in front of teams competing in the championship.

Photo from Instagram: @kareen.kaur_racing

Kaur is one of 18 drivers selected for the expanded programme announced by the F1 Academy. The programme begins with a three-day training camp at Loughborough University in England from 25 to 27 August before moving to Circuito de Navarra in Spain from 9 to 11 September for the Rookie Test.

From Sepang to F1 Academy

Kaur has been developing her single-seater experience through a structured programme with Evans GP. She has completed an extensive Formula 4 testing programme at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, combining track sessions with data analysis, simulator preparation and driver coaching.

She has also taken part in selected touring-car events with Evans GP Academy. Racing different types of machinery has given her experience with varying weight, braking and handling characteristics as she continues her transition from karting to car racing.

Her touring-car outings included the Asia Classic Car Challenge at Sepang, where she qualified on class pole and secured a class victory in a Mazda MX-5.

Kaur is also set to compete for Evans GP in the 2026 South-east Asia Formula 4 Championship.

She began karting at nine and became Singapore’s first female Formula 4 driver in 2025. She competed in selected Indian F4 events, scoring championship points before gaining further experience in South-east Asia.

F1 Academy has previously been identified as a key target in Kaur’s career development. Her selection for the 2026 Rookie Test now places her in an F1 Academy environment alongside an international group of emerging drivers.

Training Goes Beyond Driving

The new Rookie Training Camp at Loughborough University will assess drivers across several areas beyond their performance behind the wheel.

The three-day programme includes physiological profiling, cognitive testing and performance screening. Drivers will also take part in workshops covering strength and conditioning, resilience, performance lifestyle and behaviours associated with elite-level sport.

The programme is designed to give the F1 Academy and its teams a broader assessment of the drivers before the on-track test in Spain.

At Circuito de Navarra, the selected drivers will experience an F1 Academy team environment. They will observe engineering sessions and driver briefings while completing media and assessment activities before taking part in on-track running in F1 Academy machinery.

A Route Towards the 2026 Grid

Selection for the Rookie Test does not guarantee a race seat in F1 Academy. However, the 2025 edition showed that the assessment could provide a pathway into the championship.

Seven drivers from the inaugural Rookie Test progressed to full-time places on the 2026 grid, while two others later received Wild Card appearances.

Kaur is among several Asian representatives selected for the 2026 programme, alongside Yana Kapoor, Sara Matsui and Kokoro Sato.

The full 18-driver group features competitors from both karting and car-racing backgrounds. All selected drivers are eligible to compete in F1 Academy in the future.

The 2026 F1 Academy Rookie Training Camp runs from 25 to 27 August at Loughborough University, followed by the Rookie Test at Circuito de Navarra from 9 to 11 September.