American Teen Ava Dobson Tabbed to Drive for American Express in 2026 F1 Academy Season
This week, series organizers announced that 17-year-old American race car driver Ava Dobson will represent American Express during the 2026 F1 Academy season. Amazingly, despite her young age, this will be Dobson’s 10th year racing.
”I’m truly super honored to be chosen to race in the series and having an amazing partnership with American Express,” Dobson said about the move. “I can’t wait to continue to build off of that throughout the whole year and work really hard with the team, and with American Express to be the best we can be.”
F1 Academy is the next step on the racing path for Ava Dobson
Ava Dobson made her single-seater debut in the Formula 4 United States Championship in 2023 after winning the Parella Motorsport Holdings Powering Diversity Scholarship. During the brief stint, her best finish was 11th. That same year, she competed in the USF Juniors and USF2000 Championship.
Since then, Dobson has raced in the GB4 Championship, where she was the highest-scoring female driver in 2025. She finished the season with her first podium in the finale at Donington Park. That finished earned her €50,000 (around $59,000) towards a potential F1 Academy seat. After making her F1 Academy debut in Miami last May, the organization named her the fourth Wild Card driver to progress to the 2026 season.
The 2026 F1 Academy season begins on March 13 in Shanghai. It will be part of the F1 Chinese Grand Prix weekend. The series will then move on to Saudi Arabia, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, Austin, and Las Vegas.
In December, the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team announced Kaylee Countryman, a 15-year-old American racer from Chandler, Arizona, as their driver for 2026. Countryman, who turned 16 on Jan. 3, only began racing three years ago. She was the 10th driver confirmed for the upcoming F1 Academy season.
