EXCLUSIVE: Alba Hurup Larsen Opens Up On F1 Academy Signing, F1 Goals, And Juggling Racing At 15 Years Old

Alba Hurup Larsen has signed with Tommy Hilfiger for the 2025 F1 Academy season.

Alba Hurup Larsen - F1 Academy / F1 Academy Press Image

15-year-old Alba Hurup Larsen is set to join the F1 Academy grid in 2025 with Tommy Hilfiger. The Danish driver made her single-seater debut earlier this year in the Indian F4 Championship where she scored points and she also won the 2023 FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars programme.

Hurup Larsen, who is also part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, will have turned the minimum age of 16 before the 2025 F1 Academy season begins in March at the Shanghai International Circuit in China.

Sports Illustrated had the opportunity to speak with Hurup Larsen during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend about her new contract to drive with Tommy Hilfiger in 2025.

Sports Illustrated: Can you give us some insight into how you found out you would be Tommy Hilfiger’s 2025 F1 Academy entry, what was your first reaction, and how does it feel to be working with such an iconic brand?

Alba Hurup Larsen: When I found out it was Tommy Hilfiger that would be my partner in 2025 in F1 Academy, I was really, really excited. I think it’s such a great match. I love fashion and Tommy Hilfiger is one of the most iconic fashion brands.

Tommy Hilfiger and the whole team goes in for equality and diversity which I am really passionate about, so therefore, I think it is such a great match and I was so excited when I first found out. 

SI: You’ve mentioned on social media that your long-term goal is to become the first female F1 World Champion. How have you seen the barriers to entry change with the introduction of the F1 Academy series?

AHL: F1 Academy has done a lot of great things for women in motorsport. Because it is such a worldwide series there is so much attention and the collaboration with F1 really does something good to the series and gets a lot of fans involved. It also helps having a better connection with brands and sponsors that will really help when I get further up the ladder on my way to Formula 1.

SI: It has just been confirmed that F1 Academy will be racing in Las Vegas next year. Does this change how you will be watching the F1 race this weekend?

AHL: Yeah, since I will be driving here next year it has kind of changed the way I will look at the race. I will definitely look at how they overtake so that I can get an idea of how I should do it when it’s my turn next year. I really look at all of the racing details and all of the rest that there is when there is a Formula 1 race, but this time I would really look into the racing and how they drive and all of the little things they do to go faster that can maybe help me next year.

SI: How do you feel the Ferrari Driver Academy has contributed to your development as a driver so far?

AHL: First of all, if it wasn’t for Ferrari, I wouldn’t be standing here today because of the initiative they took with Girls on Track with the FIA and Iron Dames. I wouldn’t be here because that competition really pushed my whole career and Ferrari has been so supportive all year. They have been offering me tests, training and coaching and without them I wouldn’t be here so I owe them a lot of gratitude.

SI: Can you describe how winning the FIA Girls on Track- Rising Stars last year has helped propel your motorsport career forward?

AHL: The FIA Girls On Track Rising Stars competition last year was the turning point for my career. After signing up for the whole competition, I really took everything more seriously and since I have, everything has just been going uphill with so many great experiences and new opportunities so without that, I don’t think I would have this fast and big of a racing career already.

SI: Having all of these racing commitments at a young age, how do you juggle everything and how do you cope with the pressure?

AHL: I have a very supportive family, I have a very supportive school that helps me get a bit more time for my assignments. If I need to get something off my chest I know who I can go to with my family or my racing coach, everybody at home is just so supportive. So, I will always have that support in my bag and know that if I fall, they will catch me.

Hurup Larsen has roughly four months to prepare for her F1 Academy debut in March. We wish her all the luck.