Every junior single-seater driver wants to reach the top of the pyramid: Formula 1. Those who are part of driver academies have a much greater chance of doing so. This series explores the performances of driver academy members in 2025. Today, Feeder Series spotlights the Mercedes Junior Team.

By Anabelle Bremner

In 2025, Mercedes protégé Andrea Kimi Antonelli stepped up to F1 with the Brackley outfit, playing a key role in the team’s hard-fought second-place finish in the constructors’ championship. It marked the first time in Mercedes’ history that both of its F1 drivers were graduates of the junior programme.

Mercedes have hinted at roster changes for 2026 with changes to the list of junior drivers on their website. Noah Strømsted, Yuanpu Cui, Alex Powell and Julia Montlaur are no longer featured, while each of the other eight drivers discussed in this article are listed.

• Noah Strømsted (F3, P6)
• Doriane Pin (F1 Academy, P1; FR Europe, P30*; FR Middle East, P29*)
• Rashid Al Dhaheri (FR Middle East, P6; FR Europe, P8)
• Yuanpu Cui (GB3, P18; FR Middle East, P28; FR Europe, N/A)
• Alex Powell (F4 Middle East, P2; E4, P5; Italian F4, P9; Spanish F4, P42*; FR Europe, N/A)
• Andy Consani (French F4, P13; Italian F4, P32*; E4, P18)
• Ethan Jeff-Hall (British F4, P5)
• James Anagnostiadis (Karting, various)
• Kenzo Craigie (Karting, various)
• Luna Fluxá (Karting, various)
• Julia Montlaur (Karting, various)
• Many Nuvolini (Karting, various)

Check out the e-book below to read all eight of the 2025 F1 driver academy reviews!

Noah Strømsted (F3, P6)

After debuting with Campos Racing in the 2024 F3 season finale at Monza, Strømsted joined reigning champions Trident to contest his first full season in 2025. 

Strømsted retired from the opening sprint race at Albert Park but started second in the feature race and maintained position to take his maiden F3 podium. From there, Strømsted built up a  five-race points streak, which he ended with another second-place finish, this time in the feature race at Imola.  

A string of non-scores over the next eight races followed, broken only by eighth and seventh in the Barcelona and Spielberg feature races respectively. He clinched a much-needed maiden win at the Spa sprint, but by this point, Câmara was already 53 points ahead with 78 left on the table. Two non-scores in Hungary followed by 11 points across the Monza weekend limited Strømsted to sixth in the final drivers’ standings.

He will remain with Trident to contest a second full F3 season in 2026.

Doriane Pin (F1 Academy, P1; FR Europe, P30*; FR Middle East, P29*)

Already a successful endurance and single-seater competitor, Pin entered her sophomore F1 Academy season, again with Prema and in Mercedes colours, off the back of a promising 2024 campaign in which she finished second. She failed to score points in brief spells in FR Europe and FR Middle East, also with Prema, but her primary campaign brought significantly more reward.

A feature race win in the Shanghai opening round kicked off Pin’s momentum, and from then on, her form was clear. The 21-year-old took a podium in every round, including wins in Miami, Canada and Las Vegas. She took the championship lead after the opening round and only briefly relinquished it after the Jeddah round. The French driver eventually took the title with 172 points to runner-up Maya Weug’s 157. 

Previous F1 Academy champions have earned fully funded race seats at the next step of the ladder. It is not yet known where Pin will be racing for 2026, and the series has yet to announce funding plans for her.

Rashid Al Dhaheri (FR Middle East, P6; FR Europe, P8)

Four successful F4 campaigns in 2024 – which yielded fourth place in F4 UAE, 10th in Italian F4, 11th in Euro 4 and second Formula Trophy UAE – laid the groundwork for Al Dhaheri’s accession to the Mercedes Junior Team in 2025. 

First, the Emirati driver competed with Mumbai Falcons in FRegional Middle East over the winter. He took three podiums and finished sixth in the drivers’ standings with 144 points, only finishing outside the points on three occasions. 

Al Dhaheri’s primary campaign in FR Europe proved more uneven. Despite flashes of pace, including third place in the opening race at Misano and second-place finishes at Budapest and Le Castellet, sustained performances remained elusive. He wrapped up the season eighth in the drivers’ standings with 105 points and failed to score in half of the season’s races.

He also competed in this year’s Macau Grand Prix, finishing 10th in the qualifying race and being classified 20th in the main race with Theodore Prema Racing after an incident on the penultimate lap took him out of the race. 

Al Dhaheri’s 2026 plans are unconfirmed, but he has participated in multiple FR Europe tests with teams’ champions R-ace GP over the winter break. 

Yuanpu Cui (GB3, P18; FR Middle East, P28; FR Europe, N/A)

A race winner in British F4 last year with Phinsys by Argenti, Cui dabbled in three championships in 2025. A two-round stint in the FR Middle East proved fruitless, landing him 28th in the championship with zero points, while two rounds as a guest driver in FR Europe also returned little in the way of results. 

Cui contested the first four rounds of his main championship, GB3, with the Argenti by Prema team. He scored points in 10 of 12 races, with a best finish of sixth place. He switched to Hillspeed to compete in one further round at Silverstone, where he took a best finish of seventh place. Cui did not contest the last three rounds of the championship and ultimately placed 18th in the drivers’ standings with 122 points. 

Cui will race with Mtec Motorsport in 2026’s FR Oceania championship, with his main season plans unconfirmed. 

* Partial season

Alex Powell (F4 Middle East, P2; E4, P5; Italian F4, P9; Spanish F4, P42*; FR Europe, N/A)

The longest-serving member of the Mercedes Junior Team, Powell returned to Italian F4 and the renamed E4 and F4 Middle East championships for his second campaign in each in 2025, switching to R-ace GP. One-off appearances in Spanish F4 with Saintéloc Racing and FR Europe with Prema Racing yielded no top-10 finishes.

In F4 Middle East, Powell took a double podium finish at round two, back-to-back wins in Dubai and Lusail, and a triple podium finish – including one race win – in round four. Those results landed him second place in the championship with 281 points. Two mechanical issues in the first round, however, dealt a severe blow to his championship challenge, and despite scoring seven podiums in the last eight races, he was unable to overhaul teammate Emanuele Olivieri at the top of the drivers’ standings.

In E4, Powell claimed a victory and two further podiums, all at Mugello, to take fifth in the three-round championship with 86 points. 

In Italian F4, he scored a second-place finish at Vallelunga, before another triple podium – again at Mugello – gave him two victories and a third place. This was a season highlight for Powell, but afterwards, his form tailed off dramatically, and he failed to score in the last five races of the season. With that, he was unable to better his 2024 finish of fifth, ending up ninth in the standings on 126 points. 

Powell’s 2026 plans have not yet been announced, but it is rumoured that he will move to Eurocup-3 with Campos.

* Partial season

Andy Consani (French F4, P13; Italian F4, P32*; E4, P18)

Consani made his single-seater debut in French F4 this year after a successful karting career highlighted by a podium in the WSK Euro Series and a top-20 finish in the FIA Karting European Championship. 

He started his single-seater career with a bang, scoring a podium in the very first French F4 race at Nogaro, but could not maintain momentum. Of the 12 races he entered, he scored points in five and ultimately finished in 13th with 30 points, having missed the final two rounds to switch to Italian F4 and E4.

Consani competed in rounds six and seven of Italian F4, finishing in 32nd place on zero points. In E4, he competed in rounds two and three, scoring three points and placing 18th in the championship with a best finish of ninth.

* Partial season

Ethan Jeff-Hall (British F4, P5)

Jeff-Hall’s first foray into single-seaters proved hugely successful. Off the back of wins in the Rotax Max Challenge International Trophy’s Senior class, the FIA Karting World Championship’s OK class and the Ginetta Junior Championship, the Briton stepped up to British F4 for 2025, competing with Phinsys by Argenti. He also earned a spot in the Mercedes Junior Team over the winter as a reward for his 2024 efforts.

He scored seven podiums over the course of the season, including a win at Silverstone in September and a second-place finish at the non-championship F1 support round, also at Silverstone. Consistency was key for Jeff-Hall, who finished in the points in all but seven of the 30 races in the championship. Ultimately, the 17-year-old took home 206 points to finish fifth in the championship. He has continued to test F4 machinery in recent weeks.

James Anagnostiadis (Karting, various)

Fresh from a victory in the Champions of the Future Academy Program and a second-place finish in the FIA Karting World Championship’s OK-Junior class in 2024, Anagnostiadis stepped up to the OK class for the 2025 season. 

The Australian found success in his main season in the FIA Karting European Championship, finishing second in the standings on 187 points. He finished 15th in the Champions of the Future Euro Series, which visits the same venues.

In September, Anagnostiadis competed in the OK class of the FIA Karting World Championship for the first time and started on pole position in the final. He dropped to fourth by the end of the 25-lap race at Kristianstad, finishing just over nine seconds behind winner Thibaut Raemaekers, but it was a strong showing nonetheless. 

The 15-year-old also competed in the final two rounds of the WSK Super Master Series over the winter, finishing 34th overall. He ended the year with an 11th-place finish in the WSK Final Cup in the KZ2 class, suggesting that shifter kart campaigns may be in his plans for 2026.

Kenzo Craigie (Karting, various)

Just like Anagnostiadis, 2024 OK-Junior world champion and IAME Warrior Final champion Craigie stepped up to senior karting in 2025. He warmed up with 14th place in the IAME Winter Cup’s X30 Senior class and ninth in the WSK Super Master Series’ OK class before pivoting to FIA Karting events.

In his main season in the European championship, Craigie finished 10th. He had a best result of third in the final at Rødby in Denmark, which gave him 44 of his 96 points. The 15-year-old fared better in the world championship, finishing fifth, just a tenth behind Mercedes stablemate Anagnostiadis.

The Briton did win one title in 2025, conquering the Champions of the Future Euro Series in September after having had to settle for third in 2024. 

Craigie appears to be stepping up to F4 next season, having tested extensively with R-ace GP over the winter. 

Luna Fluxá (Karting, various)

Fifteen-year-old Fluxá clinched the OK-N Champions of the Future Academy Program title in 2024, and this year, she took on top-level championships in the OK class. 

Competing against fellow Mercedes juniors Anagnostiadis and Craigie in the FIA Karting European Championship in the OK class, the Iron Dames–backed racer finished 36th in the overall standings, with the highlight being 13th place in the final round at Rødby. She also finished 47th in the world championship, 39th in the Champions of the Future Euro Series and 55th in the WSK Super Master Series. 

Fluxá will step up to junior single-seaters next year, competing in Spanish F4 with reigning champions Campos Racing. 

Julia Montlaur (Karting, various)

After finishing ninth in last year’s IAME Series France, French karter Montlaur stepped up in 2025 to  the FFSA Karting Junior Championship and the Champions of the Future Academy Program’s OK-N Junior class. 

The 12-year-old achieved several top-20 finishes in each series but struggled to trouble the frontrunners. She finished 21st in the FFSA standings and 31st in the Champions of the Future Academy standings. 

This year, Montlaur was also selected as one of nine competitors to take part in the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars final selection.

Many Nuvolini (Karting, various)

The youngest member of the programme at only 12 years old, Nuvolini joined Mercedes after having dominated all of his national 2024 campaigns. He clinched victory in the IAME Warrior Final and Asia Final in the X30 Mini class, leading in his signing by Mercedes. 

Nuvolini stepped up to junior karting for 2025. He contested the Champions of the Future Academy programme and held first place in the standings after rounds two and four. He lost his lead as the series headed to the Middle East, however, finishing second overall in the championship to Conor Clancy.

Early in the year, Nuvolini competed in the WSK Super Master Series, ultimately finishing fifth in the standings. He also contested the FIA Karting European Championship and World Championships but could not match his success in other series, finishing 52nd in the European series and 29th in the world championship. His Champions of the Future Euro Series campaign also yielded little in the way of results.

The Frenchman fared better on his return to the IAME Warrior Final, finishing 10th. He crossed the line first but received a 10-second penalty for a final-corner collision that eliminated rival Daniel Miron Llorente. 

Header photo credit: Prema Racing