Kaylee Countryman

Kaylee Countryman is a 15-year-old American racing driver from Chandler, Arizona, who went from bored golf cart driver to international motorsports prospect in less than four years—and she’s doing it with the kind of speed and swagger that’s already turning heads at Haas F1 Team.

EARLY YEARS

Born January 3, 2010, in Chandler, Arizona, Kaylee Countryman didn’t grow up around racetracks or wrenching on engines in the garage. Her introduction to motorsports came the way most Gen Z stories do: streaming television and sheer boredom. In 2021, when she was 11 years old, Kaylee came home one day fed up with puttering around in a 20 MPH golf cart and stumbled onto Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” on TV. She watched the entire 2021 Formula 1 season unfold—the intense Verstappen versus Hamilton rivalry that had the racing world on edge—and something clicked. “I was like, ‘That’s really cool. I want to do that,'” she recalled. Her parents, equally captivated, did what any supportive modern parents would do: they Googled it. Their research revealed that virtually every professional race driver started in karting, and as luck would have it, the Radford racing school was close to home. By the time Kaylee turned 12 in January 2022, she wasn’t just watching racing on TV anymore—she was doing it for real.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she’s not strapped into a race car, Kaylee’s interests reveal a girl who likes big ideas and fast everything. She describes herself simply: “I’m 15 years old, I like space, speed, and traveling.” The space fascination fits—there’s something about infinite possibilities that appeals to someone already defying gravity in her career trajectory. She trains her arms and neck to handle the physical demands of racing, but her culinary skills are decidedly more grounded: the best meal she can cook by herself is deviled eggs. She wishes she could play a musical instrument, and she’s already gotten a taste of the travel bug through racing, with the prospect of F1 Academy circuits around the world stoking her excitement. In late 2024 or early 2025, she fronted XIVI’s “Born to Ride” sustainable fashion campaign, proving she’s got the personality to match the speed.

EARLY SUCCESS

Countryman’s racing career started on her 12th birthday in 2022 at the Phoenix Kart Racing Association in Glendale, Arizona, driving a four-stroke Briggs & Stratton-powered kart in the LO206 J2 class. Most kids that age are still figuring out algebra; Kaylee was figuring out apexes and racing lines. And she was good at it—fast. In her first year, she racked up multiple podium finishes at her home track, grabbed second place at a national karting event in California, and competed at the Grand Nationals in Indiana. Not bad for someone who’d been racing for less than 12 months. By 2023, she’d already graduated to the more demanding two-stroke J3 Competition platform and became a factory driver for CompKart. The progression was swift, the learning curve steep, and Countryman handled it with the kind of maturity that belied her age. She admits she had doubts at first—”I didn’t know the amount of work and time this sport would take to not only understand it, but to even be remotely good at it”—but those doubts were quickly silenced by results. What fuels her, she says, is “the speed and the environment around this sport.” Translation: she’s hooked.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2022: Began racing on 12th birthday at Phoenix Kart Racing Association in LO206 J2 class; earned multiple podiums at home track, second place at national karting event in California, and competed at Grand Nationals in Indiana.
• 2023: Progressed to two-stroke J3 Competition; became factory driver for CompKart.
• 2025: Joined Exclusive Autosport for USF Juniors season as one of only three females in a 22-driver field; participated in F1 Academy Navarra Collective Test in Spain during second half of year, racing against current F1 Academy grid.
• 2025 (December 15): Announced as 2026 F1 Academy driver for ART Grand Prix, supported by Haas F1 Team, becoming one of the youngest drivers on the grid.
• 2026: Set to compete in both F1 Academy (14 races across 7 rounds from Shanghai in March through Las Vegas in November) and USF2000 with Exclusive Autosport.

INSPIRATIONS

Countryman’s racing heroes reflect both the modern F1 landscape and a deeper appreciation for racecraft. Sebastian Vettel tops her list—she admires him as “insanely talented” with a “great understanding of car and self.” Lewis Hamilton is her other racing hero, and it was the 2021 Verstappen-Hamilton battle that first lit the fire. Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” was the gateway drug, and the sport itself became the addiction. Her parents deserve credit too: they didn’t dismiss their 11-year-old daughter’s sudden racing dreams as a phase. Instead, they researched, investigated, and made it happen. That kind of support doesn’t show up in race results, but it’s the foundation of every lap she turns.

REPUTATION

Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team Principal, didn’t mince words when welcoming Countryman to the 2026 F1 Academy program: “Her personality and passion for this sport are contagious,” he said, adding, “We’re delighted to welcome Kaylee Countryman… we want to ensure she has everything she needs to flourish… together, we’ll achieve some exciting things.” Media coverage has been universally positive, describing her as an “extraordinary race driver” who’s “breaking barriers and molds for females” in motorsports, with “impressive speed and maturity” beyond her years. The fact that she was one of only three females in the 2025 USF Juniors field and will be among the youngest in the 2026 F1 Academy isn’t lost on anyone. She’s not just fast—she’s making the kind of noise that gets F1-backed teams to invest in 15-year-olds. After her F1 Academy test at Navarra, she noted, “The rookie test really opened my eyes on how the car was going to feel… getting that experience was really beneficial. And it was awesome to race against the current F1 Academy grid.” She’s collected the right people around her—Haas F1 Team, ART Grand Prix, Exclusive Autosport, Road to Success, CompKart, Geneva Financial—and industry insiders are paying attention. Her reputation is that of a serious talent with contagious energy, someone who’s proving that the barriers in motorsports are meant to be broken, not respected.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Countryman’s 2026 is already mapped out and it’s ambitious: she’ll pull double duty, competing in both the F1 Academy with ART Grand Prix and Haas F1 Team support, and USF2000 with Exclusive Autosport. The F1 Academy season kicks off March 13-15 in Shanghai and runs through 14 races across 7 rounds, including Silverstone on July 3-5 and wrapping in Las Vegas on November 19-21. She’s realistic about the challenge ahead: “I look forward to taking another step in my career and learning to work in such a professional environment. I’m particularly excited about the various circuits we’ll be visiting around the world and being part of all that F1 Academy represents. I’m keen to build on that foundation as we go racing in 2026.” Beyond 2026, her dreams get bigger: she wants to win the Indy 500 and compete for races and championships in IndyCar or IMSA. She’s 15 years old with a Netflix origin story, factory backing, international testing under her belt, and the audacity to dream about winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. If the last four years are any indication, dismissing those dreams would be a mistake.

References:

Kaylee Countryman to Race in 2026 F1 Academy Season – Haas F1 Team
Haas name Kaylee Countryman as 2026 F1 ACADEMY driver – Formula1.com
Kaylee Countryman Official Website
Breaking Barriers in Motorsports: Q&A with Female Racer Kaylee Countryman – Beauty News NYC
Kaylee Countryman – Geneva Financial
Kaylee Countryman Driver Profile – USF Juniors
Introducing Kaylee Countryman – Haas F1 Team YouTube
We welcome Kaylee Countryman to Road to Success – RTS Program