Williams recruit rookie Jade Jacquet for 2026 F1 ACADEMY season

Williams have become the latest team to confirm their 2026 F1 ACADEMY driver, with the team signing 16-year-old Jade Jacquet for next season.

Jacquet started out in international karting in 2023, before competing in the French Junior Karting Championship the next year. Stepping up to single-seaters at 15, she scored multiple top-20 finishes across the 2025 French F4 season, including a P11 finish at the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans. In addition, she claimed the Female Trophy at the Dijon-Prenois circuit.

The French racer also participated in the inaugural F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test, clocking in the seventh-fastest time of the afternoon. Competing with ART Grand Prix next year, Jacquet will also join the Williams Racing Driver Academy, working closely with the team at Grove with access to the full spectrum of Academy support.

“I’m super excited to be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy and F1 ACADEMY for the 2026 season,” said Jacquet. “The team has been very welcoming and I’m looking forward to working with them to learn as much as I can throughout my debut season. Thank you to Atlassian Williams Racing for believing in me and I can’t wait to get on track.”

Sven Smeets, Sporting Director at Atlassian Williams Racing, added: “We are proud to welcome Jade to our team as our Atlassian Williams Racing driver in F1 ACADEMY. Jade has made rapid progress in her motorsport career and has strong potential for the future, already demonstrating her ability to learn and adapt in her transition to single seaters.

“As a member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy, we’ll be working closely with her to nurture her development both on and off the track. As a team, we continue to support Formula 1 and F1 ACADEMY’s shared mission to advance female representation in motorsport and look forward to seeing Jade start her 2026 campaign.”