Alp Aksoy Accepted into the Scuderia Ferrari Academy

Motorsport News from Türkiye
Author: Mustafa Odabaşı
Creation: 18 October 2026

16-year-old Alp Aksoy, as the first Turkish driver to join the Ferrari Driver Academy, is bringing Türkiye directly onto Formula 1's official development pathway.

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16-year-old Turkish driver Alp Aksoy has become the first Turkish driver accepted into the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy's 2027 roster. The Istanbul-born young racer, with the 5-year deal he signed with the Italian giant, earned the title of Ferrari Academy Driver and will take to the track in the 2027 season with the Prema team in the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA). This means a Turkish motorsport athlete entering the most institutionalized development pathway leading to Formula 1.

Highlights

Alp Aksoy is the first Turkish driver accepted into the Ferrari Driver Academy.
The agreement signed with Ferrari is 5 years long.
2027 plan: racing with Ferrari's backing in FIA FRECA with the Prema team.
The performance that influenced the selection: 3 wins in Italian F4 and Euro4.
The academy announcement was officially made on October 16, 2026.

Those who have been through this know: deals that bind young drivers to main teams often stay in the headlines but never materialize on track. But Ferrari's academy structure works differently: Getting in is not easy, and once you're in, there is no easy ride. From Dino Beganovic to Rafael Camara, who stepped up to Formula 1 through the Haas door this year, the names the academy has produced are enough to show how serious a filter this program is. Alp Aksoy is the first Turk to pass through this filter.

Who is Alp Aksoy and how was he selected for the Ferrari academy?

16 yaşında bir Türk lisesi öğrencisi olan Alp Aksoy, Ferrari Driver Academy kapılarını açan ilk Türkiye'li pilot olarak motosporlarında yeni bir dönemin habercisi.

Alp Hasan Aksoy was born on October 10, 2010, in Istanbul. His introduction to motorsports came at age four, and his first race was at age five in Dubai. Having completed his karting career and moved up to open-wheel series, Aksoy is currently competing in the Italian F4 Championship with Prema Racing colors. He is also a high school student; it was shared on the school's official account that he is in 11th grade at Bahcesehir College's Nakkastepe 50th Anniversary Campus.

The selection process was not one of the fast signing ceremonies today's young driver market is accustomed to. In Aksoy's own words, the process took twelve months, and most of that time was spent in tests.

Since the day we met, twelve months have passed with Ferrari. During those twelve months, they put me through their tests.
Alp Aksoy, Ferrari Driver Academy driver

The tests in question are not a one-dimensional evaluation. The process included driving performance as well as simulator work, physical and mental tests. In other words, the Italian team doesn't just look at lap times on track; it also measures the young driver's body, head, and recovery capacity after injury. In the past, race results were what mattered in such programs, and the rest stayed on paper. Now the picture is much more detailed, and the fact that Aksoy could wait through this lengthy process shows that he is not only fast but also a resilient profile.

What performance influenced the entry into the Academy?

Aksoy's 2026 season was his first season in single-seater racing. To get on Ferrari's radar in such a season, he needed to deliver results, and the young driver achieved this with a total of 3 wins in the Italian F4 and Euro4 series.

The first weekend of the season was particularly eye-catching: Aksoy took two wins and a third place in Italian F4, closing the weekend with the championship lead. Leading after the first race weekend is not a bad calling card for a rookie season. At the fifth round in Misano, he claimed two second places and a third; in other words, he never left the podium.

There are other results that stick in the memory as well. It was reported that Aksoy won the championship in the Formula Trophy UAE series, and it was also announced that he would race at the Macau circuit as part of the F4 World Cup. Read together, all of this makes it clear that the academy decision was not made by chance. Of course, a caveat is needed: three wins in the F4 category are not yet a championship, but a performance showcase that opens the academy door. The real test begins in 2027.

What plan will be followed with Prema in FRECA in 2027?

Aksoy's 2027 route is clear: with Ferrari's backing, he will race in the Formula Regional European Championship, namely FIA FRECA. The team will not change; he will continue on the road with Prema Racing, with whom he worked in Italian F4, but this time as a Ferrari Academy Driver. Although the sponsorship details have not yet been fully clarified, it is stated that Ferrari logos will appear on Aksoy's race suit and helmet at races. The information that the 2027 FRECA season will consist of 10 races outlines the framework of the calendar.

To understand FRECA's place on this ladder, a simple logic suffices: this category, which comes after Formula 4, is the step where young drivers prepare for Formula 3. Prema's experience at this step is unquestionable, and Ferrari traditionally directing its academy drivers to Prema is no coincidence. It is clearly readable from this route that Aksoy's next goal is F3.

Who joined the academy squad this year?

Aksoy was not admitted to the academy alone. Alongside the 2027 squad, Colombian Salim Hanna and Dutchman Daniel Miron also joined Ferrari's development program. Hanna will race in Formula 3, while Miron is the name who entered the program through the karting branch. Also on the program's current roster this year are Danish Alba Larsen, who took her place in the academy as of January 1, 2026, and Niccolò Maccagnani: Larsen is racing in a Ferrari-liveried car with MP Motorsport in the F1 Academy season.

Driver	Nationality	2027 Program
Alp Aksoy	Türkiye	FRECA, Prema
Salim Hanna	Colombia	Formula 3
Daniel Miron	Netherlands	Karting
Alba Larsen	Denmark	F1 Academy, MP Motorsport
Niccolò Maccagnani	Italy	Formula 3
Tuukka Taponen	Finland	Formula 2, ART Grand Prix

The squad also has an exit leg: Rafael Camara has left the academy and stepped up to Formula 1 with Haas. When measuring the health of a program, one must look at the exits along with the entries; Camara's F1 contract is the most concrete proof that the academy works.

What does this step mean for Turkish motorsport?

Let's say it from the start: a Turkish pilot being accepted into Ferrari's driver development program extending to Formula 1 is a development that has never happened before in Turkish motorsport history. After the path opened by the Deniz and Can Öncü brothers in MotoGP and the success shown by Ayhancan Güven in the GT and endurance front, there is now a Turkish name in the most prestigious academy program on the formula front as well. Across different outlets, this development has rightly been described as historic, and there is no need for exaggeration; the fact itself is weighty enough.

On the academy program's official page, this sentence attributed to Enzo Ferrari stands out: "I love thinking that Ferrari can train drivers as well as cars." Being the first Turkish representative of a program whose founding philosophy is this old and this clear deserves to be described as "the most important turning point of his career" for Aksoy. The phrase used by his school, "on the way to becoming Türkiye's first Formula 1 driver," is for now a promise; but behind that promise there is now concrete institutional support, a team, and a calendar.

Duration of the deal and what comes next: What should be expected?

Duration of the deal 5 years. This means Aksoy will spend the next five years as a Ferrari Academy Driver, and five years covers exactly the critical span from F3 to F2 in a formula driver's career. Ferrari's choice of this duration shows it is making a long-term investment in the young driver; this is not a one-season trial.

The signs to watch in the coming period are also clear: First, consistency with Prema in the 2027 FRECA season. Then most likely F3, and from there F2. The clarification of details within the sponsorship scope will also occupy the agenda. As with all rapidly rising young drivers, Aksoy's path involves both time and the rival factor; every name on the academy roster is climbing the same ladder step by step. But the first step being given by Ferrari itself is part of the job. If a 16-year-old has gone through a twelve-month selection process, it can be assumed that he has the necessary backing for the rest of the ladder as well. The track will show the rest.