Most Formula 1 teams run a junior programme: they sign promising drivers young, help fund and guide them up through Formula 3 and Formula 2, and keep first call on anyone who makes it to F1. Following an academy is a way to watch the next generation of a team arrive before they reach the top.
Only part of the grid is signed to a programme at any time, so this is not the full entry list. For every driver and the current order, see the F2 standings and F3 standings. Affiliations here are current for the 2026 season and change as teams sign and release drivers.
Red Bull Junior Team
The most aggressive programme on the grid, quick to promote and quick to drop. Feeds the Red Bull and Racing Bulls F1 teams.
| Nikola TsolovF2 | Campos Racing |
| Ernesto RiveraF3 | Campos Racing |
| Mattia ColnaghiF3 | MP Motorsport |
| Fionn McLaughlinF3 | Hitech |
Ferrari Driver Academy
One of the longest-running programmes, and the one that produced Charles Leclerc. Backs drivers toward Ferrari's F1 seats.
| Rafael CâmaraF2 | Invicta Racing |
| Dino BeganovicF2 | DAMS Lucas Oil |
| Tuukka TaponenF3 | MP Motorsport |
Alpine Academy
Runs one of the larger junior line-ups, with several of its drivers fighting near the front of the 2026 F2 championship.
| Gabriele MinìF2 | MP Motorsport |
| Alex DunneF2 | Rodin Motorsport |
| Kush MainiF2 | ART Grand Prix |
Aston Martin Aramco Driver Academy
A smaller, newer programme, building toward the team's works Honda era.
| Mari BoyaF2 | Prema Racing |
Audi Driver Development Programme
The newest on the grid, launched as Audi prepares to enter F1. Freddie Slater was its first signing.
| Freddie SlaterF3 | Trident |
McLaren Driver Development
Rebuilt in recent years around a wider group of juniors across several categories.
| Matteo De PaloF3 | Trident |
Williams Driver Academy
A smaller programme that has leaned on F3 to develop its next single-seater talent.
| Alessandro GiustiF3 | MP Motorsport |
Programmes without a grid driver
The Mercedes Junior Team runs one of the bigger academies, but in 2026 its members are all racing below F2 and F3, in karting, Formula 4 and Formula Regional, so none appear on this grid. Its most recent graduate, Kimi Antonelli, has already reached Formula 1.
Everyone else on the 2026 grid is racing without an F1 junior-team seat, as far as has been announced. That is normal: academy places are scarce, and a strong season is often what earns one. The full fields are on the F2 and F3 standings.