Williams racing driver academy

French Junior Karting Championship: Williams signed 16-year-old Jade Jacquet for the upcoming season, making them the most recent team to confirm their 2026 F1 ACADEMY driver.

Jacquet participated in the French Junior Karting Championship the next year after beginning his career in international karting in 2023. Stepping up to single-seaters at 15, she recorded repeated top-20 results across the 2025 French F4 season, including a P11 finish at the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans.

In addition, she captured 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.