EMILY COTTY Climbs From Horse Riding to F4 Points in Just Two Years

May 23, 2025

GRRL! SUMMARY:

Fifteen-year-old EMILY COTTY is proving that unconventional paths can lead to impressive results, transitioning from horse riding to karting in 2022 before becoming Junior Rotax champion and making her F4 debut. Her rapid progression shows that when talent meets opportunity, traditional timelines become irrelevant – and she’s maximizing every learning opportunity with R-ace GP’s experienced lineup.
COTTY broke through for her first points finish at Dubai’s reverse-grid race, climbing from 20th to 12th in what she called a performance that “maximized our potential on new tyres.” She followed up with another points finish at Yas Marina, running in the top 10 before getting bumped to 11th on the final lap – the kind of near-miss that builds character and shows she belongs in F4’s competitive field.
The British-New Zealand driver’s learning curve continues in Italian F4, where she’s adapting from Middle East Giti tyres to European Pirelli compounds while leveraging teammate data from reigning F4 Middle East champion Emanuele Olivieri. Her 17th-place finish in race one at Misano and recovery drive from 34th to 24th demonstrate the steady progress that suggests bigger results are coming as she gains experience on European circuits.