Cooper Shipman earned a scholarship package worth nearly $300,000 for winning the 2025 Formula 4 United States title – and he’s putting it to good use. Feeder Series caught up with the American driver during the FRegional Oceania Championship round in Teretonga to learn more about how Shipman charged to a F4 title, how he plans to use his scholarship package, and his plans for the future. 

By Owen White

Some think of the winter season as a chance for the best racecar drivers to sit back and relax after long months at the shop and the track. However, for Cooper Shipman, it’s been a time to refine and show off his skills behind the wheel of an open-wheel car.

Seventeen-year-old Shipman spent the traditional offseason period behind the wheel of a Tautus FT-60 chassis in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, racing against top F1 prospects such as Freddie Slater and Fionn McLaughlin.

The opportunity to race among the world’s best teenage drivers followed Shipman’s dominant charge to a title in the 2025 F4 US Championship with Kiwi Motorsport. 

With four podium finishes but no wins through the first two three-race rounds at NOLA Motorsports Park and Road America, Shipman was off to a consistent but suboptimal start. His eventual championship was the product of conquering that large early-season learning curve and a huge mid-season confidence boost that sparked a chain reaction of nine consecutive victories.

“We barely had any testing in the car before the first round, and it was learning as I was going for the first two weekends,” Shipman told Feeder Series. “I got super close to a couple of wins, didn’t quite get it over the line, but then we got to the third weekend in Mid-Ohio and as soon as we got the first win, we took it from there.”

Shipman’s maiden victory at Mid-Ohio did not come easily, however. Though the Kiwi Motorsport driver claimed pole position, he was overtaken by Crosslink Motorsports’ Kekai Hauanio on the opening lap. With a decisive move on lap two, Shipman regained the lead and never gave it up again. By the time the chequered flag fell, Shipman won by a gap of 6.207 seconds over MLT Motorsports’ Alex Popow.

“That kind of acted like a springboard for me for the rest of the season,” he explained. “We were able to keep the momentum and take it throughout the rest of the year and didn’t lose a race after that, so it was pretty special.”

From then until he clinched the championship, Shipman never lost a race. So what turned him from a regular podium finisher into an unstoppable force nearly overnight?

“For one, Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite tracks, so I think that gave me some confidence,” he said. “I felt pretty confident in my ability, but I think, honestly, it was just getting those weekends in the car. I had pretty much made every single mistake I could possibly make up until that point, so I knew every way in which I could get better. I think we came to Mid-Ohio with a really solid plan and were really able to refine all those mistakes and just make sure we put together a really solid weekend with just doing the little things right and minimising mistakes.”

At the conclusion of the F4 US season, Shipman was awarded the 2026 FR Americas scholarship as a prize for winning the drivers’ title. The prize package includes the lease of a Ligier JS F3 chassis, an FR engine, three sets of tyres per race weekend and race entry fees. For Shipman, the scholarship came as a huge financial relief.

“It’s a big help. It basically cuts the cost for the season more than in half,” Shipman told Feeder Series. “Since we’re saving money on that end, we’re able to put that money into development.”

Shipman wasted zero time in beginning his preparation for the next year – not even waiting for the conclusion of the F4 US season. After locking up his championship during the penultimate race weekend at Virginia International Raceway, Shipman opted to skip the final round and step up a level to FR Americas, which likewise raced in Barber Motorsports Park that weekend. 

Though Shipman showed immediate promise in the Ligier JS F3 car, even scoring a podium on debut, his focus was on improvement and unlocking more precision in his driving style. 

“It’s definitely been a challenge,” Shipman explained. “The driving style is very different, with more weight, more power, more downforce. Everything about the car is completely different from what I was used to, so it’s been a big learning experience for me. I’ve really enjoyed driving the car.”

After wrapping up his first weekend behind the wheel of FR Americas machinery, Shipman set his sights on FR Oceania, his next destination with Kiwi Motorsport. A number of young talents take advantage of the month-long overseas winter series to help keep themselves in shape and well trained in between their primary programs. Four of the 22 current F1 drivers have won championships in the New Zealand series, including F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad, last year’s champion.

Shipman immediately found himself in the midst of top-rated junior prospects, many of them with experience in F3 or FR championships. Shipman was pleased with the opportunity not just to stay active in a racecar but to learn from some of the world’s best young drivers.

“It’s definitely been a big help, and I think we’ll see that this year,” he said. “Not only am I getting more experience in a Formula Regional car, but I’m also getting four action-packed race weekends where I’m competing against some really good drivers, being able to see all their data, see where they’re doing better and learn from them. [I can] take that into this season and figure out, ‘Hey, where do I need to improve as a driver in this car?’ Also, getting a couple races out of the way and avoiding the rust that sometimes comes with the first weekend, I think it was a no-brainer to come down here and do this series because it was just an amazing opportunity.”

In addition to adjusting to a heightened level of competition and another new car, Shipman had to balance the frenetic nature of race weekends containing four races as opposed to the two or three races run each weekend in most American open-wheel development series. Still, Shipman saw the hectic weekends as another valuable experience.

“It’s definitely been a challenge,” Shipman told Feeder Series. “I personally like it. I think especially in a winter series like this […] it’s important to get as much track time and as much racing as you can, and it allows you to build on momentum throughout the weekend and really refine your skills. I’ve definitely enjoyed the extra track time that I’ve gotten here.”

The data and track time proved valuable for Shipman, who scored his first FR Oceania podium in Teretonga by bringing his #14 entry home in third position during the second race of the weekend. He finished his campaign in 15th place overall and fourth in the rookie standings. He was also the recipient of the series’ Most Improved Driver award.

Heading into the meat of the 2026 motorsport season, Shipman will compete in his first full-time campaign in FR Americas using his F4 US scholarship winnings. With a trusted team behind him and a more secure financial situation than perhaps any other driver on that grid, Shipman is riding a tidal wave of momentum as he dives into racing at the highest level on the Parella Motorsports Holdings ladder. Where he goes after that remains an open question.

“After this season, I’ll know a little bit more,” he said. “Obviously, going towards IndyCar would be great, but also any type of endurance seat, or really anything that comes up where I have an opportunity to advance my career is likely where I’ll go. I don’t have a clear path at this point, but we’ll see what happens.”

Interview by Kaylene Lau

Header photo credit: Bob Meyer