Alp Aksoy Will Race with Prema in FRECA in 2027

Alp Aksoy will race for the Prema team in the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) in the 2027 season, following the 5-year deal he signed with the Ferrari Driver Academy. Announced through Ferrari's official channels on October 16, 2026, this step also went down in Turkish motorsport history as the first Turkish athlete to be admitted to the academy. The young driver, born on October 10, 2010, is still racing in Italian Formula 4 with Prema and has climbed one more rung on the ladder toward his F1 goal.

Who is Alp Aksoy, and how was the 5-year deal with Ferrari signed?

Alp Hasan Aksoy is following a career curve that will be familiar to anyone who has watched this sport as a spectator for 30 years: international results in karting, followed by a leap into single-seater categories. Born on October 10, 2010, Aksoy prepared for the Formula 4 transition announced by TOSFED at age 15 and conducted test drives with Prema in 2025. That same year, in the Formula Trophy run in the UAE, he won the championship with the Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited team, operated by Prema, taking two wins and four podiums in seven races.

In 2026, he completed his debut season in Italian F4 with Prema Racing. He finished second with 318 points in the overall standings and first with 413 points in the rookie class. He spent one weekend of the season with two wins and a third place; he reached the podium with a second place at Misano. There is one detail I would like to point out: in per-race statistics, the points and win counts can show small differences depending on when in the season they were measured. This does not mean the data is wrong; the table changes as standings and cut-off dates change. The main idea remains the same: Aksoy closed his first F4 season with a serious lead.

The deal with Ferrari also reads as a natural consequence of this performance. The 5-year contract, signed after lengthy negotiations and comprehensive tests, was announced on Ferrari's official social media accounts on October 16, 2026. The selection process proceeded through invitation-based evaluations: Aksoy went through driving performance, simulator work, and physical and mental tests among young talents from different countries. The result was the title of the first Turkish athlete accepted to the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy.

What is the Ferrari Driver Academy, and who are its graduates?

Speaking as the category editor: The Ferrari academy is still one of the most influential institutions in young drivers' career planning. In the past, academy membership resembled an ordinary support contract signed with the team; now there is a comprehensive infrastructure covering everything from simulator to physical program, from mental preparation to career management. Names such as Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu, and Oliver Bearman passed through this structure that Aksoy joined. Some left a fateful signature on the F1 championship, some found a permanent seat on the grid; in any case, the density of the list summarizes what the academy means.

On the Turkish motorsport side, the response to his acceptance is clear. TOSFED President Eren Üçlertoprağı emphasized that the athlete's acceptance into the academy is a great source of pride not only for him and his family but also for Turkish motorsport; the federation noted that there is full confidence that the young driver will represent the country at the highest level in the coming years. These lines may sound like protocol language, but they also reflect the essence of the matter: Türkiye suffered loneliness for many years in the lower tiers of Formula 1; the Ferrari connection is the first concrete example breaking that loneliness.

How is the program planned with Prema in 2027 FRECA?

Aksoy will continue racing in FRECA as a Ferrari Driver Academy driver in 2027, but this time in a series with a longer calendar and broader competition. The Formula Regional European Championship, as the name suggests, is a series filling the step between Formula 4 and Formula 3; it is seen as one of the milestones on the road to Formula 1. For a driver who has pushed the limits of an F4 car, the transition to the regional category with more aerodynamics and higher speeds is considered the most critical adaptation of a career. Making this transition with Prema is a significant advantage: Aksoy worked with this team in Italian F4 and Formula Trophy; the team language, data culture, and compatibility in track engineering will not have to be built from scratch.

While Ferrari announced its 2027 academy roster on its official Instagram account, the three new names joining the roster were Aksoy, Colombian Salim Hanna, and Dutch Daniel Miron. It was also shared that the young Turkish driver was at Istanbul Park for FRECA testing. Although this detail may seem small, its symbolic value is high: a driver growing up in Türkiye working at the circuit in his own homeland in Ferrari academy colors is a scene that would have been hard to imagine a decade ago.

How will the 2027 FRECA calendar and route take shape?

The 2027 FRECA calendar announced by the FIA envisions a 10-round season. The season begins on April 9-11 at the Portimao circuit in Portugal and ends on October 8-10 in Spain. The most striking item on the calendar is the race supporting the Formula 1 Hungarian GP by contract; in the category, this is the first F1 support race since the Monaco round in 2022. For a regional driver, racing on an F1 weekend serves as a rehearsal for moving up to the top category in terms of engineering rhythm and media pressure.

Another important context on the route concerns Türkiye: Formula 1's 2027 calendar has been announced, and the Turkish GP will be run at Istanbul Park on October 1-3, 2027, after a six-year gap. Aksoy is expected to finish the season finale in Spain; however, Türkiye's return to the F1 calendar paints a picture of a year that the Turkish motorsport community reads together with the young driver's career. By nature these are separate programs, but Türkiye's name appearing on the same calendar in both the junior and top categories raises the bar back toward the old days.

What does this step add to Aksoy's Formula 1 goal?

Aksoy's own goal is clear: to race in Formula 1 in 2030 and one day compete in F1 in his own country. It is known that he said the academy agreement brings him one step closer to that goal; here I can summarize the situation in editorial language without quoting. A five-year academy contract frames the most critical age range of a driver's career (from 16 to 21). During this period, moves between categories, test programs, and mental development will all take shape under Ferrari's supervision. The move from F4 to FRECA is the first step of this plan; for academy drivers, the next rungs are usually F3 and F2, but we will see that when the time comes.

To make an honest assessment, not everything will be smooth sailing in FRECA. Competition at the regional level is noticeably tougher than in F4; physical endurance, tire management, and performance in qualifying sessions within a crowded grid will be decisive. Aksoy's output in his debut F4 season signaled his talent at the junior level. Now the real question is whether he can sustain the same output at a more demanding level. Ferrari's decision to select him is a vote of confidence backed by institutional strength; but it will be settled on the track.

What does the Ferrari academy decision change for Turkish drivers?

For someone who has followed Turkish motorsport for many years, the meaning of this news needs to be clarified. The tradition of circuit racing in Türkiye is strong; names such as Ayhancan Güven, Can Öncü, and Bilge Ayan have made a name for themselves on the international stage. However, being the first Turk to enter Scuderia Ferrari's driver development structure is a different threshold: there is now an institutional commercial and sporting backbone on a Turkish driver's path to F1. This creates a reference point not only for Aksoy but also for the new generation growing up on karting tracks. There was no concrete example of a Ferrari academy before; now there is.

Therefore, it is more accurate to record the development conveyed on this page as a milestone rather than a case story. Aksoy will open the season in Portimao in 2027, race in the F1 support event in Hungary, and finish in Spain in October. Those ten months represent the closest F1 perspective Turkish motorsport has seen in the last decade. The rest is a matter of points, wins, and patience; patience is just as valuable in this business as good timing.

Sources

• Alp Aksoy (TOSFED) at the Ferrari Driver Academy
• Bigger and even better FIA FREC calendar for 2027 (FIA)
• Turkish driver Alp Aksoy signs a contract with Ferrari (Ajansspor)
• National athlete Alp Aksoy takes another step closer to his Formula 1 goal (Anadolu Agency)
• Ferrari announces its 2027 driver academy roster: Alp Aksoy is included (TRF1)
• Alp Aksoy takes another step closer to his goal (TRT Spor)
• Formula 1 reveals its 2027 calendar: October 1-3 in Istanbul (TRT Spor)
• Alp Aksoy to race in FIA FRECA in 2027 as a Ferrari academy driver (Sondakika)
• Alp Aksoy (Wikipedia)
• Who is Alp Hasan Aksoy? His Formula 4 career and journey to F1 (MacFit)
• Alp Aksoy Moves Up to Formula 4 (TOSFED)