American single-seater racer Yana Kapoor will make her GB4 debut with Arden Motorsport at Donington Park this weekend as she prepares for an upcoming F1 Academy Rookie Test.
The 19-year-old will make her first competitive appearance in Britain during the 5–6 September event, adding another car and circuit to her experience while continuing her development in single-seaters. Kapoor currently competes in the Formula Pro Western USA series and will head to the Circuito de Navarra later this month for the F1 Academy Rookie Test.
Kapoor ready for first taste of British racing
Donington Park presents several new challenges for Kapoor, who has never previously raced in the UK or competed in the GB4 car. Rather than setting a firm results target, she wants to use the weekend to learn quickly and build her experience across each session.
The American will join Arden for the sixth round of the 2026 GB4 season, giving her the opportunity to work within a new team environment while adapting to unfamiliar machinery and a new circuit.
“I’m really looking forward to it, this is my first time racing in the UK and in the GB4 car, so I’m just hoping to get a lot of experience and learn a lot,” she said.
Kapoor is a first-generation American racer born to Indian parents and combines her motorsport programme with studying Material Science Engineering at the University of Illinois. Her Donington appearance gives her another international experience at an important stage of her early racing career.
GB4 outing provides preparation for F1 Academy Rookie Test
Kapoor’s GB4 debut comes shortly before she participates in the F1 Academy Rookie Test at Navarra later in September. She therefore sees Donington as an opportunity to build additional single-seater mileage before that assessment.
Although the GB4 car differs from the machinery she will encounter during the F1 Academy test, experiencing another platform should require Kapoor to adapt her driving and feedback within a short period. That ability to quickly understand unfamiliar machinery will form an important part of the weekend.
“I’m just gaining some more practice before the actual test and I think it’ll be good to get experience in a different car before the F1 Academy test.”
Her Arden appearance consequently carries significance beyond the three GB4 races themselves. Kapoor can use the weekend to develop her approach to learning a circuit, working with engineers and finding performance in a car she has not previously raced.
Kapoor brings consistent US form to Donington
Notably, Kapoor arrives in GB4 after producing a consistent campaign in Formula Pro Western USA. She has finished inside the top 10 in each of the eight races held so far and currently occupies eighth place in the championship standings.
Her best results are seventh-place finishes at Sonoma Raceway and Thunderhill Raceway Park. Kapoor also sits as the highest-ranked female competitor in the series, giving her a solid foundation before making the transition to British competition.
“It’s super fun. The series is a little bit small, but it’s definitely good. We have some really good drivers, so there’s a lot of learning every weekend.
“The GB4 car is somewhat similar to the car that I drive back in the US. So the targets for this weekend are just to see how quickly I can get up to pace and make progress really fast and keep making progress in every session.”
That similarity should provide Kapoor with some useful reference points, although Donington’s circuit characteristics and the competitive GB4 environment will still require significant adaptation.
Progress the priority for Kapoor on GB4 debut
Kapoor’s focus throughout the Donington weekend will remain on reducing the learning curve rather than setting a specific finishing-position target. With each session providing additional knowledge of the car, she wants to demonstrate measurable progress from her first laps through to the races.
The weekend also offers valuable preparation for the demands of the F1 Academy Rookie Test. Moving between different cars and teams within a short period gives Kapoor an opportunity to develop the adaptability expected from drivers progressing through the junior single-seater ranks.
Her Donington appearance adds another international element to a season already centred on development in Formula Pro Western USA. After completing her first GB4 weekend with Arden, Kapoor will turn her attention to Navarra and another important opportunity to demonstrate her potential later this month.
