PUMA select Rachel Robertson for 2026 F1 ACADEMY season

Rachel Robertson will make her full-time step up F1 ACADEMY for the upcoming season, with the Scottish racer set to represent the series’ Official Partner PUMA on the 2026 grid.

The 18-year-old will be piloting the PUMA operated by Hitech car. She previously drove for the British team in a one-off appearance at last year’s Las Vegas season finale, earning a P4 finish in Race 1.

In the space of four years, Robertson has gone from starting out in karting to racing in the all-female series. Competing in her second year in the British Kart Championships in 2024, she achieved multiple top-10 finishes and was the only female to compete in the Senior Rotax class.

Selected for a factory drive with Radical Motorsport the following year, she beat out more than 50 other young British drivers and went on to claim third in the Radical Cup UK Standings. Robertson was one of 18 drivers chosen for the inaugural F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test last September, achieving the fifth-fastest time at the Circuito de Navarra.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining F1 ACADEMY with PUMA for 2026,” said Robertson. “It’s been an amazing journey to get here, just three years ago I was coming off my novice kart plates, having only got into the sport after persuading my dad to take me indoor rental karting.

“So much hard work has gone into this from my family and so many amazing people, and I’m hugely grateful for everything. I love that PUMA is the fastest sports brand in the world and that it represents being brave and true to yourself. That's exactly what I want to be this year.”