Mercedes Junior Team
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Base | Brackley, Northamptonshire, England |
| Team principal(s) | Gwen Lagrue (co-Director) |
| Current drivers | Formula Regional Rashid Al Dhaheri Formula 4 Andy Consani Kenzo Craigie Luna Fluxá Ethan Jeff-Hall F1 Academy Payton Westcott Karting James Anagnostiadis Many Nuvolini Niccolò Perico Devin Titz |
| Website | https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/team |
The Mercedes Junior Team is a driver development programme by the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team to help promote drivers from karts through the feeder series ladder to promote them to their Formula One team. Four drivers have been promoted to Formula One while part of the Junior Team: Pascal Wehrlein (2016), Esteban Ocon (2016), George Russell (2019), and Andrea Kimi Antonelli (2025). Of these, Russell and Antonelli have raced for the Mercedes works team.
Current drivers
| Driver | Years | Current Series | Titles achieved as Mercedes Junior Team member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luna Fluxá[1] | 2022– | F4 Spanish Championship | none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| Kenzo Craigie[2] | 2023– | UAE4 Series Italian F4 Championship E4 Championship |
none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| James Anagnostiadis[3] | 2024– | Karting (OK) | none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| Rashid Al Dhaheri[4] | 2025– | Formula Regional Middle East Trophy Formula Regional European Championship |
none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| Andy Consani[4] | 2025– | UAE4 Series Italian F4 Championship E4 Championship |
none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| Ethan Jeff-Hall[5] | 2025– | F4 British Championship | none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| Many Nuvolini[4] | 2025– | Karting (OK-J) | none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| Niccolò Perico[6] | 2026– | Karting (OK-NJ) | none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| Devin Titz[6] | 2026– | Karting | none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
| Payton Westcott[7] | 2026– | F1 Academy Italian F4 Championship |
none as Mercedes Junior Team member |
Graduates to Formula One
This list contains the drivers that have graduated to Formula One with support from Mercedes. Therefore, drivers who have had support in the past and entered Formula 1 through other means are not included. Drivers who drove for other teams while still part of Mercedes' youth setup are highlighted in italics.
| Driver | Academy experience | F1 experience with Mercedes | F1 experience with other teams | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Former series | |||
| Pascal Wehrlein | 2014–2018 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2014–2015, 2018) Formula One (2016–2017) |
N/a | Manor (2016) Sauber (2017) |
| Esteban Ocon | 2015–2019 | GP3 Series (2015) Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2016) Formula One (2016–2018) |
N/a | Manor (2016) Force India (2017–2018) Renault (2020) Alpine (2021–2024) Haas (2025–) |
| George Russell | 2017–2021 | GP3 Series (2017) FIA Formula 2 Championship (2018) Formula One (2019–2021) |
2020, 2022– | Williams (2019–2021) |
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 2018–2024 | Italian F4 Championship (2021–2022) ADAC Formula 4 Championship (2022) Formula Regional Middle East Championship (2023) Formula Regional European Championship (2023) FIA Formula 2 Championship (2024) |
2025– | N/a |
Former drivers
References
- ^ a b "Class of 2022: The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team's Junior Programme". Mercedes AMG F1. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Mercedes announce seven junior drivers for 2023 – including new British recruit". Formula 1®. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "Mercedes-AMG F1 Team: Summer of Success for Junior Programme". Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Team Announces Expanded 2025 Junior Programme". Mercedes AMF F1. 7 March 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ Wood, Ida (5 February 2025). "Mercedes signs world karting champion Ethan Jeff-Hall as F1 junior". Formula Scout. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Introducing our 2026 Junior Driver Line-Up!". Mercedes AMG F1 Team. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ Coleman, Madeline (9 February 2026). "16-year-old American Payton Westcott to represent Mercedes in 2026 F1 Academy season". The New York Times. The Athletic. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Scott, Mark (5 July 2019). "Mercedes add 15-year-old Aron to junior ranks". PlanetF1. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Scout, Formula (27 November 2023). "Paul Aron confirms exit from Mercedes-AMG F1 Junior Team". Formula Scout. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ Korney, Stephanie (10 April 2019). "Alex Powell, 11, Becomes First Jamaican, Caribbean Driver to Sign with Formula 1 Team". Jamaicans.com. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ "Frederik Vesti - Junior Drivers". Mercedes AMG F1. 19 January 2021. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ "Mercedes sign 13-year-old Chinese karter Yuanpu Cui to junior programme". Formula 1®. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Feeder Series. "Daniel Guinchard has confirmed to F1 Feeder Series he would part ways with the Mercedes Junior Team". Twitter. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ "Doriane Pin joins Mercedes Junior Programme for 2024 F1 Academy campaign". Formula 1®. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.