A new young talent will be proudly sporting our colours on the F1 Academy grid, as Emma Felbermayr is announced as the team’s entrant in the all-female series for 2025. The soon-to-be 18-year-old will be racing for KICK Sauber F1 Team in her Rodin Motorsport-operated car, making her debut at the 2025 F1 Academy season-opener in Shanghai, China.
Hailing from Austria, and born in a family with rich motorsport heritage, as both her father and grandfather competed in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans in several editions, Emma’s racing career began in karting at the age of seven, subsequently entering her first national race in the Micro Class the following year. After progressing through the Mini Class, she advanced to the Junior category and, at 13, competed in her first international race, finishing runner-up in the 2021 ADAC Ladies Cup.
In 2022, Emma moved up in the Senior category, taking part in the German Championship, WSK races, and the World Championship with TB Racing Team. After recovering from a rib injury at the beginning of 2023, Emma transitioned to the KZ category, competing in the German Championship, ADAC Kart Masters, and the World Championship in Wackersdorf, where she qualified 23rd overall out of 119 drivers.
This year, Emma has been competing in all major shifter-karting events worldwide, including WSK-Karting and the World and European Championships. A new chapter in the young Austrian’s racing career will begin in 2025, as she moves up to single seaters, representing KICK Sauber F1 Team on the F1 Academy grid all around the world. As part of her racing programme, Emma will be also taking part in the 2025 Formula Winter Series as well as in the 2025 Spanish F4 Championship with Rodin Motorsport.
Mattia Binotto, COO & CTO, Sauber Motorsport: “We are delighted to welcome Emma to the team, as she prepares to make her F1 Academy debut in 2025 in our colours. Emma is young but has already shown her potential, and we are looking forward to seeing her represent us on the international scene from next year. We are also thrilled to be partnering with Rodin Motorsport for our F1 Academy operations, counting on their decades-long experience with junior drivers in several series, and having most recently clinched the 2024 F1 Academy title. This marks the beginning of an exciting journey, and we can’t wait to see what we can achieve together. Welcome to the family, Emma!"
Emma Felbermayr, driver: “I’m proud and thrilled to be joining KICK Sauber F1 Team for the 2025 F1 Academy season. This is an incredible opportunity to take the next step in my racing career and to challenge myself at this exciting level. I’m looking forward to representing the team, growing as a driver, and making the most of the visibility and platform F1 Academy offers. I can’t wait to get started and see what we can achieve together!"
Benn Huntingford, Sporting Director, Rodin Motorsport: "We're delighted to welcome Emma to Rodin Motorsport. She has shown great potential and resilience in karting and we look forward to supporting her in her transition into cars with F1 Academy. There will be a steep learning curve ahead but together with KICK Sauber F1 Team I'm confident that our combined experience and resources can give Emma the platform she needs to be successful. I'd like to thank KICK Sauber for entrusting Rodin Motorsport with this important step in Emma's career."