Nina Gådeman

Nina Gådeman is a Dutch racing driver who turned viral sim-racing videos into real-world sponsorships, proving that a good internet presence can be just as valuable as a trust fund—and earning herself a seat with PREMA Racing in the F1 Academy for 2025 as part of the Alpine Academy.

EARLY YEARS

Born on September 30, 2003, in Wijster, Netherlands, Nina Gådeman grew up in a family that loved go-karting but didn’t exactly have the budget to back that passion properly. Her father, who doubled as her mechanic out of financial necessity rather than choice, got her into a kart at age five. By six or seven, he decided she was ready for her first race—against nine-year-old boys, no less. Her mother had concerns. Valid ones, as it turned out.

“My dad thought I was ready… But I obviously wasn’t ready,” Gådeman recalled years later. “The bigger guys were nine years old, and I was a tiny little girl. I couldn’t even keep up on the warm-up lap.”

It wasn’t exactly an auspicious debut, but she kept at it. Early karting meant makeshift practice sessions with two cones for braking and turning drills, then progressing to smaller tracks around the Netherlands. When she entered her first Dutch Championship race, engine tuning issues meant she only got to participate in three of nine practice sessions. The learning curve was steep, the resources were thin, and the competition didn’t care that she was underprepared.

Money—or the lack of it—was a constant theme. Her father worked on the kart himself because hiring a proper mechanic wasn’t in the cards. Eventually, the financial strain became too much. After a stint in the Citroën C1 Cup, Gådeman had to stop racing altogether. She took two jobs, funneling every spare cent into her savings account, sometimes blowing it all on a single race weekend. After roughly a year and a half away from the track, she was stuck watching from the sidelines while her peers kept climbing the ladder.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she couldn’t afford to race in real life, Gådeman did what any sensible millennial would do: she went online. She became a well-known esports content creator, producing sim-racing videos that didn’t just rack up views—they went viral. The exposure caught the attention of sponsors, and suddenly, the girl who couldn’t afford track time had companies willing to fund her comeback. It’s the kind of modern motorsport fairytale that would’ve been impossible a decade ago, and Gådeman made it work through sheer hustle and a decent internet connection.

EARLY SUCCESS

Gådeman officially started karting in 2018, and just one year later, she was selected as a finalist for the 2019 Girls On Track Le Mans Shootout. That same year—or possibly 2020, depending on the source—she won the FIA Motorsport Games Karting Slalom Cup, taking home the gold medal. It was a significant achievement for someone who’d only been racing competitively for a year, and it set the stage for her transition into tin-top racing.

She earned rookie honors in the PTC Cup and secured a second-place finish in the TB class at the 2022 24 Hours of Zolder, racing with an all-female lineup. By late 2023, she was testing in British F4, setting her sights on single-seaters.

Her 2024 British F4 debut with Fortec Motorsport was a baptism by fire. The driver quality was high—”That’s why I wanted to do British F4 over Italian or Spanish,” she said—and she finished 18th overall in the standings. But there were bright spots: a rookie podium at Thruxton in Round 4, three finishes in 12th place, a solid climb at Brands Hatch, and notable wet-weather pace at Silverstone. She was learning, adapting, and sharpening her racecraft in one of the most competitive junior formulas in Europe.

Then came Zandvoort. Gådeman entered the F1 Academy as a wild card in 2024 and became the first wild card driver in the series to score points, finishing fourth and tenth and qualifying sixth in both races. It was the kind of performance that turns heads, and it did.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2019/2020: FIA Motorsport Games Karting Slalom Cup Champion (Gold Medal)
• 2019: Finalist, Girls On Track Le Mans Shootout
• 2022: 2nd place, TB class, 24 Hours of Zolder (all-female lineup)
• 2023: FIA Motorsport Games Karting Cup Champion
• 2024: Rookie podium finish at Thruxton, Round 4, British F4 (Fortec Motorsport); 18th overall in standings
• 2024: First wild card driver to score points in F1 Academy (P4 and P10 at Zandvoort); qualified 6th in both races
• 2024/2025: Seven Female Trophy wins in Formula Winter Series with Hitech, including podium finishes and multiple top-10 results

INSPIRATIONS

No documented information available.

REPUTATION

Gådeman has built a reputation as a driver who doesn’t quit, even when the money runs out and the odds are stacked against her. Her wet-weather pace at Silverstone turned heads, and her climb at Brands Hatch showed she could adapt quickly to different conditions. The fact that she funded her own comeback through viral videos is the kind of scrappy, entrepreneurial story that resonates in an era where traditional sponsorship pipelines are crumbling.

She’s also become a role model for young women trying to break into motorsport. “The biggest challenge is convincing girls that they belong in motorsport,” she said. “But we’re proving every day that we do.” It’s a message she’s lived, not just preached. “When I was younger, it felt natural to race with boys… Boys weren’t always thrilled about being overtaken by a girl.”

Her decision to race British F4 over easier alternatives speaks to her competitive mindset. She wanted the challenge, the high driver quality, the credibility that comes from racing in one of the toughest junior series in Europe. And when Alpine came calling, offering her a spot in their Academy for 2025, it validated everything she’d been working toward. “Being part of Alpine has been transformative,” she said. “I’ve grown as a driver and as a person.”

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

In 2025, Gådeman will race full-time in the F1 Academy with PREMA Racing, backed by Alpine. It’s a significant step up, and she’s approaching it with the right mindset. “This year is about learning and growing,” she said. Her long-term goal is Formula 3 by 2028—a realistic target for a driver with her trajectory and the backing of a major manufacturer.

If she keeps her head down, continues to sharpen her racecraft, and doesn’t let the hype distract her, there’s no reason she can’t make that happen. She’s already proven she knows how to turn nothing into something. Now she just has to turn something into everything.

References:

Rule Mobile – Nina Gådeman Career Summary
F1 Las Vegas GP – Driver Profile: Nina Gådeman
F1 Academy – Nina Gådeman Driver Page
PREMA Racing – Nina Gådeman Official Bio
Goodwood – Interview with Nina Gådeman
ELLE – Feature on Nina Gådeman
FIA Formula 4 – Nina Gådeman Announcement