MP Motorsport has its three F1 Academy drivers set for the 2024 season thanks to a partnership with the newly formed Red Bull Academy Programme.
The Red Bull Academy Programme is sponsoring three drivers: Hamda Al Qubaisi driving for Red Bull Racing, Amna Al Qubaisi driving for Visa Cash App RB and Emely De Heus driving for Red Bull.
All three drivers will sport the colours of the associated brand as well as further sponsors which are set to be announced in the near future.
The Academy Programme will be led by Manager Sarah Harrington and the Performance Coach has been a part of Red Bull racing since 2016.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming Hamda, Emely and Amna, three incredibly talented drivers, into the Red Bull Academy Programme and are looking forward to working with them closely this season,” Harrington said.
“This is a landmark moment for us and is testament to our complete commitment to the future of women’s motorsport.
“F1 Academy provides an opportunity to promote genuine change in our industry and this is a great stepping-stone to help ensure that the drivers progress to the next level.
“This is a pivotal moment for women in motorsport and we are excited to see what this season brings”.
Al Qubaisi, 21 finished third overall in F1 Academy’s inaugural season last year with four race wins to her name.
The 21-year-old began her karting career in 2015 before progressing to single-seaters in 2019 to contest Italian F4 and she became a race winner in UAE F4 in 2020, before competing in Italian F4 once again and partaking in an FIA F3 test at Magny-Cours.
De Heus, 20 is also an F1 Academy Race Winner and like Al Qubaisi, continues with MP Motorsports this year.
The Dutch racer’s single-seater career (which launched in 2020 off the back of championship success in karting) has seen her compete in the W Series, UAE F4 and Spanish F4.
23-year-old Amna Al Qubaisi finished sixth in last year’s F1 Academy standings with two race wins.
Her karting career began at the age of 14 and saw her compete in the Rotax Max Challenge World Finals, X30 Euro Series and Italian X30 Championships.
From 2018 onwards, A. Al Qubaisi competed in single-seaters and her F1 Academy journey was preceded by stints in Italian F4, Formula 4 UAE, F3 Asian and the Formula Regional European Championship.
MP Motorsport’s Team Principal Sander Dorsman is delighted to retain the same F1 Academy driver lineup from last year, along with the backing from Red Bull.
“I’m happy to confirm Hamda, Amna and Emely as our F1 Academy line-up for 2024 and as members of the Red Bull Academy programme,” Dorsman said.
“This means we will stick with the drivers whose talent we are familiar with – all three have already become true members of the MP Motorsport family in recent years.
“Together, we look forward to a challenging new F1 Academy season in which we hope to repeat and further improve on our strong 2023 results.
“Hamda proved to be one of the title favourites while Amna and Emely each took their wins.
“And since we narrowly missed out on the teams’ title last year, we hope to go one better this year!
“Also, I’m grateful for Red Bull’s unwavering support of our efforts and we aim for a successful partnership together.”
The seven-round 2024 F1 Academy season begins in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on March 07-09.
Four spots remain on the 2024 grid, one at ART Grand Prix and Campos Racing plus two spots at Rodin Motorsport.
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