Swede Alexia Danielsson will make her F1 Academy debut at the United States Grand Prix after being confirmed as the Wild Card entry for the fifth round of the 2026 season in Austin representing F1 Academy Official Partner TeamViewer. The 17-year-old Swede will drive the #45 car operated by Hitech at the Circuit of the Americas. Her debut follows a strong performance at the recent Rookie Test in Navarra, where she topped the afternoon session and recorded the second-fastest time overall.
Danielsson has spent the 2026 season competing in the Formula 4 CEZ Championship, while her preparations for F1 Academy have also included extensive development work through More than Equal.
Her Austin appearance will now give her another opportunity to demonstrate her potential as she targets a full-time place on the F1 Academy grid in 2027. TeamViewer will also use the Austin weekend to promote its Forward Together campaign through a special livery on Danielsson’s car. The design features 250 women recognised for supporting others through mentorship, advocacy, knowledge sharing and career opportunities.
Danielsson relishing “amazing” opportunity at COTA
Austin will mark Danielsson’s first F1 Academy race weekend and give her the chance to compete in front of the Formula 1 paddock at one of the biggest events on the calendar. Her involvement comes shortly after she attended the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where McLaren announced her as one of its drivers for the F1 Academy Rookie Test.
For Danielsson, the chance to race at COTA during a Formula 1 weekend represents a major milestone in her young career.
“I will race as a Wild Card in F1 Academy during the United States Grand Prix, which feels absolutely amazing. Racing at COTA in front of such a huge crowd, right in the middle of a Formula 1 weekend, will be an experience I will never forget and something I can build on going forward. More than anything, I’m just really excited to get the chance to race during a Formula 1 weekend. I’ve only been to an F1 race once before, and that was at Zandvoort in the Netherlands a month ago, when McLaren announced me as one of their drivers for the Rookie Test.”
Learning the priority as Danielsson targets 2027 seat
Although Danielsson will want to make an impression in Austin, she has placed learning at the centre of her objectives for the weekend. The limited track time during an F1 Academy event will provide a different challenge from the race weekends she usually encounters. With a full-time F1 Academy seat for next season among her targets, the Wild Card appearance will also allow her to gain valuable experience of the championship’s format.
“My main goal for the weekend is to learn as much as I possibly can. I’m also competing for a place on the grid for the full season next year, so if I get that opportunity, I want to be as prepared as I can be. When I was at Zandvoort, I saw how different their race weekends are compared to what I’m used to. There’s hardly any practice, for example, so you have to get up to speed really quickly.”
Danielsson also credited More than Equal with helping her progress throughout the season, both behind the wheel and away from the circuit.
“It’s been an incredible season. All the support from More than Equal has made such a big difference. I’ve had so much high-level driver training, both on and off the track, my own performance coach, and loads of other opportunities. I feel like I’m a much more complete and stronger driver now than I was at the start of the year, and everything feels like it’s moving in the right direction.”
F1 Academy highlights importance of communities
Danielsson’s TeamViewer car will carry a special design in Austin during the F1 Academy weekend that focuses on the communities helping women develop their careers both inside and outside motorsport. The Forward Together livery features women from communities including Austin Women in Tech, Girlstart, Women in Miami Tech and Driven by Us. TeamViewer’s campaign aims to demonstrate the influence that professional and personal support networks can have on career progression.
F1 Academy Head of Commercial Operations Karin Fink highlighted the importance of those communities and the role they can play in creating opportunities for women.
“Motorsports has always had a strong community behind it, and this is no different at F1 ACADEMY. The drivers are supported by so many around them, so it is nice to see some of those communities that inspire change for women, both on and off the track, featured on TeamViewer’s livery. By creating spaces where women not only belong but also have the opportunity to engage and share knowledge, we are able to empower more women to advance, no matter the industry.”
TeamViewer builds on Forward Together campaign
TeamViewer has used its F1 Academy partnership to place a greater focus on the people and networks that support women throughout their careers. The company’s Austin activation builds on its previous work highlighting role models, while this year’s campaign shifts attention towards the wider communities that create opportunities and provide support.
TeamViewer VP of Brand and Sports Partnerships Faith Wheller explained that the campaign aims to underline the importance of those networks while also supporting Danielsson on her F1 Academy debut.
“Building on our campaign last year where we brought visibility to role models, this year we wanted to do something just as important to helping women advance. Forward Together highlights the need for communities and the role they play in our careers. The opportunity to support a young talent like Alexia in her F1 ACADEMY debut while also featuring many women who have supported the next generation in other industries is why this livery is so important. We look forward to being in Austin this October to support Alexia in person.
