Williams-backed Jade Jacquet endured a difficult start to her 2026 F1 Academy season, leaving the season opener in Shanghai without scoring any points but with plenty of lessons learned. Heading into the year, the 16 year-old had limited single-seater experience, having contested in her first full season in French F4 last year alongside teammate Lisa Billard, who also steps up to F1 Academy this season.
After qualifying 13th, the weekend proved challenging for the rookie. The French driver struggled to make progress through the field in Race 1, where she finished 13th, and was forced to retire following a collision with Esmee Kosterman in Race 2.
Reflecting on a mistake that resulted in a five-place grid penalty for the next race, Jacquet said: “I learned a lot. Yesterday I made some mistakes and I know how to avoid them. Today of course the race was tricky. It’s a shame, the crash into Esmee – it was a little mistake and I couldn’t avoid the crash.”
However, despite a disappointing end to her first F1 Academy race weekend, the 16 year-old took positives from the progress she made.
“I know how to manage the next race and I learned a lot. My starts are better now and I made improvements on my warm-up and my racing strategy. My first lap of Race 2 was pretty good. I overtook two cars on the outside of Turn 6 so it was good.”
Jacquet “really excited” to go racing in Montreal
Although she is set to serve her penalty in Montreal, the French driver said she is “really excited” to go racing in Canada. When asked what she wants to improve on ahead of the next round, Jacquet explained: “Don’t overpush on the entry and think more about the exit, because when you feel like you’re a bit slow, you don’t have to overpush. That’s worse and you make mistakes.”
As the 2026 F1 Academy season enters a lengthy break following the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian round, drivers will be looking to reset. Despite not having raced there before, Jacquet is excited to see what she and ART Grand Prix can achieve at the second round.
“Montreal is a very nice place so let’s see what we can do at this track.”
