Audi’s Rising Star Emma Felbermayr: From Karting to F1 Academy’s Front Row

At 19 years old, Emma Felbermayr is proving that patience and preparation pay off. The Austrian driver, backed by the Audi Formula 1 Team, is the only competitor in F1 Academy to score points in every race this season. With two wins already under her belt, she trails only Red Bull’s Alisha Palmowski in the standings, and with rounds still to go at Zandvoort, Austin, and Las Vegas, she’s firmly in the championship hunt.

F1 Academy, now in its fourth season, gives 20 young women a global stage to showcase their talent, and Felbermayr is making the most of it.

Her path hasn’t been a straight line. Felbermayr started karting at seven after watching her brother, but didn’t move to international racing until she was 13, late by the sport’s standards. "That was the biggest challenge," she told me during the Canadian Grand Prix. " That grit carried her into F1 Academy last year with Rodin Motorsports under the Sauber banner, where she scored her first win.

This season, with the team now rebranded as Audi, she says winter preparation made all the difference. "Last year I felt lost. Now I’m confident.

Off the track, Felbermayr balances racing with university and a strict wellness routine, daily gym sessions, nutrition support, and even planning for jet lag when she arrives at a track just a day before a race. But she’s quick to admit she’s still a teenager at heart. "The best de-stress after a weekend?

Lying in bed and watching Netflix," she laughed. When asked about the ultimate prize, an F1 test like the one Mercedes gave former champion Doriane Pin, Felbermayr stays grounded. "For me, the jump from F4 to F1 would be too big right now.