Aurelia Nobels

Aurélia Nobels is a Brazilian-American racer from Boston who cried before her first karting session at age 10, then immediately demanded her dad find her a team so she could make it a career—and she’s been proving she meant it ever since.

EARLY YEARS

Born in 2007 in Boston, Massachusetts to Belgian parents, Aurélia Nobels grew up in Brazil—a cultural cocktail that gave her the kind of adaptability most people spend their whole lives trying to develop. Her multicultural upbringing wasn’t just interesting dinner table conversation; it shaped her into someone who could thrive anywhere, on any continent, in any paddock.

The racing bug bit at age 10 when her brother dragged her to a karting track in Brazil. True to form for someone who would later become one of motorsport’s most determined young talents, her first reaction was to burst into tears and refuse to get in the kart. Then she drove it. And then, in what might be the most perfect encapsulation of her personality, she marched up to her dad and told him to find her a team because this was now her job. She started racing officially in 2018, quickly progressing through Brazilian karting before hitting the international circuit in 2020-2021, competing in the European and World Championships and the Champions of the Future series.

OTHER INTERESTS

Outside racing, Aurélia keeps her personal life remarkably private—no public hobbies, side hustles, or social media oversharing about her downtime. What we do know is that she’s a fan of Spa-Francorchamps, which marks her as someone with excellent taste in circuits, and she was particularly excited about racing at Jeddah.

EARLY SUCCESS

After cutting her teeth in Brazilian and European karting, Nobels made the leap to single-seaters in 2022 with Brazilian F4—and immediately became the only female driver on the grid. Racing with Blau Motorsport, she scored her first championship points at Interlagos during her third weekend and followed up with P9 and P8 finishes at Velo Città. She also squeezed in rounds of Danish F4 and the Spanish F4 finale that same year, because apparently one incredibly challenging rookie season wasn’t enough.

But 2022’s real headline came when she won the FIA Girls On Track – Rising Stars competition in the Senior category—a victory that secured her a coveted spot in the Ferrari Driver Academy. At an age when most teenagers are stressing about college applications, Nobels was being welcomed into one of motorsport’s most prestigious development programs, joining Maya Weug as one of only two females in the FDA stable.

The 2023 season brought new challenges when she moved to Prema Racing with support from Iron Dames to compete in Italian F4 and the Euro 4 series. She battled in the midfield at iconic venues like Monza and Barcelona, hovering near the points-paying positions. But the season also delivered harsh lessons: a series of accidents culminated in an injury at Misano that sidelined her for two rounds. It was the kind of setback that could derail a young driver’s confidence, but Nobels came back swinging.

She prepped for her next chapter by racing in F4 UAE during the winter—essentially using one racing series as training for another—before making her F1 Academy debut in 2024 with ART Grand Prix. As the youngest driver in the field at just 17, she notched six points-scoring finishes, with a best result of P5 at Zandvoort, and finished 12th overall in the championship standings.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2018-2021: Progressed through Brazilian and international karting, competing in European and World Championships and Champions of the Future series.
• 2022: Won FIA Girls On Track – Rising Stars competition (Senior category), securing Ferrari Driver Academy membership; became the only female driver in Brazilian F4, scoring first championship points at Interlagos.
• 2023: Confirmed as Ferrari Driver Academy member alongside Maya Weug; competed in Italian F4 and Euro 4 with Prema Racing/Iron Dames.
• 2024: Competed in F1 Academy with ART Grand Prix as youngest driver in field (age 17); achieved six points-scoring finishes with best result of P5 at Zandvoort, finishing 12th overall.
• 2025: Returned to F1 Academy for sophomore season with ART Grand Prix, supported by PUMA.

INSPIRATIONS

Nobels has kept her racing heroes and influences close to the vest—there are no public declarations about childhood posters or drivers she idolized. What does come through in interviews is her connection to the FIA Girls On Track program, which she described as a career highlight, suggesting she values the pathways being built for young women in motorsport as much as any individual driver’s legacy.

REPUTATION

Ferrari calls her “one of the brightest stars of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy,” while Brazilian racing media has labeled her “one of the most promising up-and-coming talents” from the country. ART Grand Prix team principal Sébastien Philippe praised her determination and adaptability, noting she’s “shown her determination by racing on several continents and adapting to the European system”—exactly the kind of challenge his team loves to tackle.

Nobels herself describes her driving style as “clean but aggressive,” explaining: “Clean with the tyres so not to damage them and clean driving, but still aggressive to be fast.” It’s a philosophy that mirrors her career trajectory—calculated, controlled, but never passive. She’s not just participating; she’s racing with intent.

As one of only two females in the Ferrari Driver Academy and the youngest competitor in the 2024 F1 Academy field, she’s become a symbol for what’s possible when talent meets opportunity. The media coverage has been universally positive, emphasizing her multicultural background, resilience through injury, and the groundbreaking nature of her achievements—particularly that Girls On Track win that kicked open the Ferrari door.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Nobels is competing in her second F1 Academy season with ART Grand Prix in 2025, backed by PUMA as the series’ official partner. She’s framed it as “unfinished business,” telling media she’s “motivated to do my best” and that being one of the youngest on track “gives me an extra boost of motivation.” With Ferrari continuing to support her development through the Driver Academy, she’s positioned in one of the sport’s most envied pipelines—though like most smart young racers, she’s keeping her long-term goals deliberately vague and letting her laptimes do the talking.

References:

Aurélia Nobels Driver Profile – F1 Las Vegas GP
Aurélia Nobels – Racers Behind the Helmet
Aurélia Nobels Makes Her Debut – ART Grand Prix
Aurélia Nobels Feature – UniCredit Group
Aurélia Nobels Biography – Famous Birthdays
Aurélia Nobels Interview – F1 Academy
Aurélia Nobels – Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy