Norwegian karting talent Lilo Fyrileiv has been in talks to secure one of F1 Academy’s remaining seats for the 2023 season, Feeder Series can reveal.

By Charlie Widdicombe

Fyrileiv, 18, finished 15th in the Z-I shifter kart class of the 2022 IAME Warriors Finals at Le Mans, having finished 14th the year before at Adria.

Speaking to Feeder Series at Autosport International, Fyrileiv revealed her plans to move from karts to cars: “We are looking at the opportunity to be racing in F1 Academy,” she said. “We had a talk with a team and it looks positive for now at least, so we’ll see.”

Despite the subsidised entry provided to F1 Academy competitors by the teams and Formula 1, Fyrileiv mentioned that money and the short timeline for preparation posed challenges to prospective entrants. The calendar was only announced officially on 23 February, and the opening race takes place in April at the Red Bull Ring in Austria – giving aspiring drivers like Fyrileiv just two months to source the $150,000 required.

Given the step up to cars and the single-seater experience of some of the previously announced drivers like Abbi Pulling and Nerea Martí, Fyrileiv is acutely aware of the scale of the challenge ahead should she manage to secure a place on the grid.

“I think I’m good for the physical part. Then, because I don’t really have that much from before from cars, jumping straight from karting to cars, I think it will be a lot different, but I’m hoping for the best,” she said.

Above all, Fyrileiv is excited by the prospect of this potential step up. “I really hope that … I am going into F1 Academy, and of course [I will] just practice, practice, practice, learn from the best and take all the information I can get.”

As to where Fyrileiv might end up, Campos Racing and Rodin Carlin have both confirmed all three of their drivers, leaving six seats theoretically available across ART Grand Prix, Prema Racing and MP Motorsport. This ambitious Norwegian talent will be hoping to attach her name to one of them very soon.

Additional reporting by Jake Sanson

Header photo credit: IAME