MP Motorsport’s Esmee Kosterman has endured a difficult but encouraging start to her rookie 2026 F1 Academy season, with her results often failing to reflect her pace.
The Dutch driver’s single-seater career began in 2024 in the Indian F4 Championship, where she scored points on her debut. In 2025, she built on her experience with a full campaign in the 2025 British F4 Championship before making her F1 Academy debut as the Wild Card entry at Zandvoort. Kosterman impressed on home soil by qualifying P9 and finishing P12 and P7 across the weekend’s two races.
Those performances earned her a full-time seat with MP Motorsport for 2026, where she also made history as the first driver in F1 Academy to receive backing from LEGO.
A promising but unlucky opener
The 2026 F1 Academy season-opener in Shanghai saw Kosterman finish Free Practice in P17 before improving to P15 in Qualifying. Despite a dramatic, safety-car-interrupted Reverse Grid Race, the MP Motorsport driver managed to maintain her position, crossing the finish line in P15.
Kosterman looked more competitive in Sunday’s Feature Race, slowly making her way through the field after the opening lap. Unfortunately, her race came to an end on Lap 5 when Jade Jacquet locked up and collided with the rear of Kosterman’s car, forcing both drivers to retire. Although she left Shanghai without points and a DNF, the retirement overshadowed what was otherwise an encouraging opening weekend.
A mixed 2026 F1 Academy Montreal round
As F1 Academy was forced to skip the 2026 F1 Academy Saudi Arabian GP due to the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict, the season resumed in Montreal, Canada, with a unique weekend format. An Opening Race was added ahead of the Reverse Grid Race, while the grid for the race was set by the use of the driver’s second-fastest Qualifying times.
Visiting Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the first time, Kosterman struggled to find performance. She began by claiming P18 with her fastest Qualifying lap and P17 with her second fastest Qualifying lap, leaving her with plenty of work to do across the weekend’s races. Despite having a strong start in the Opening Race, early contact with Ava Dobson compromised her afternoon. The Dutch driver pitted for repairs after sustaining front-wing damage and a puncture, which dropped her down the order. Her race turned worse when Race Control handed her a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Despite a tough first race, Kosterman bounced back in the Reverse Grid Race. Starting from P18, the 21-year-old climbed up to P14 on Lap 2 with several strong overtakes before ultimately crossing the line in P11, though post-race penalties promoted her to P9. While the result left her just outside the points, it marked her best finish of the season.
Kosterman was unable to carry that momentum into the wet Feature Race. Running outside the top ten, Kosterman collided with Jacquet at Turn 15, eventually receiving a five-second time penalty and finishing P12.
A missed opportunity at Silverstone
Kosterman arrived at the 2026 F1 Academy Silverstone round with higher expectations, having previously raced at the circuit during her British F4 campaign. However, despite the advantage, Kosterman failed to translate her experience into her first points finish.
After ending Free Practice in P12, Kosterman looked capable of challenging further up the order before a late spin in Qualifying triggered yellow flags and left her 15th on the grid. While her weekend briefly worsened when she stalled at the start of the Reverse Grid Race, the MP Motorsport driver fought back and produced one of her strongest recovery drives of the season as she crossed the line in P12.
Unfortunately, another penalty brought her Silverstone weekend to a close. Kosterman finished the Feature Race in P15 after receiving a five-second time penalty for a safety car infringement.
Eyes on the second half of the 2026 F1 Academy season
With three rounds remaining in the 2026 F1 Academy season, Kosterman still has the opportunity to turn her encouraging pace into top-ten finishes. A return to Zandvoort could offer Kosterman her best opportunity to score her first points of the season, having impressed there on debut last season.
The final two rounds in Austin and Las Vegas will present a new challenge, with Kosterman set to tackle both circuits for the first time. However, if she can build on the race pace she has already shown while minimising the penalties and rookie mistakes, there is no doubt that Kosterman can finish her season on a high.
