Aditya ChaudhuriThe first three drivers of the recently-launched Red Bull Academy Programme to support F1 Academy have been revealed.
Hamda Al Qubaisi, Amna Al Qubaisi, and Emely de Heus will be racing in the 2024 F1 Academy season for MP Motorsport. While Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi will be part of Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, De Heus will join Oracle Red Bull Racing.
Hamda Al Qubaisi finished third in the Drivers’ Standings of F1 Academy 2023, taking four wins across the season, while her sister Amna secured two wins. De Heus, meanwhile, finished the inaugural season with one win and two podiums.
Sarah Harrington, Red Bull Academy Programme Manager, said:
“We are thrilled to be welcoming Hamda, Emely and Amna, three incredibly talented drivers, into the Red Bull Academy Programme and are looking forward to working with them closely this season. This is a landmark moment for us and is testament to our complete commitment to the future of women’s motorsport. F1 Academy provides an opportunity to promote genuine change in our industry and this is a great stepping-stone to help ensure that the drivers progress to the next level. This is a pivotal moment for women in motorsport and we are excited to see what this season brings.”
Sander Dorsman, Team Principal, MP Motorsport, added:
“I’m happy to confirm Hamda, Amna and Emely as our F1 Academy line-up for 2024 and as members of the Red Bull Academy programme. This means we will stick with the drivers whose talent we are familiar with – all three have already become true members of the MP Motorsport family in recent years. Together, we look forward to a challenging new F1 Academy season in which we hope to repeat and further improve on our strong 2023 results. Hamda proved to be one of the title favourites while Amna and Emely each took their wins. And since we narrowly missed out on the teams’ title last year, we hope to go one better this year! Also, I’m grateful for Red Bull’s unwavering support of our efforts and we aim for a successful partnership together.“
