South African teen Emma-Rose Dowling set for F1 opportunity

A 15-year-old racing driver from Benoni is set to take a major step toward Formula 1 after being selected for the F1 Academy programme.

Emma-Rose Dowling will compete in the female driver development series across Britain this year, a move that puts the South African teenager firmly on the radar of motorsport fans.

The Grade nine pupil at St Dunstan’s College began kart racing about five years ago and has steadily progressed through the ranks.

Rising South African talent

Dowling said she started racing in four-stroke karting before moving into the faster two-stroke category.

“After doing a few months in that, I moved to two stroke, where I’ve been racing,” she explained.

Last year also marked her first full season competing overseas.

“Last year was my first season going properly overseas and doing Champions of the Future, which F1 Academy collides with.”

Her selection came after her mother entered her for the programme.

“My mom signed me up, and I got chosen for racing for the F1 Academy programme this year across Britain.”

Balancing racing and school

Dowling said the journey to the F1 Academy requires significant dedication and support from family and sponsors.

“Yes, it does require a lot of effort, determination and consistency,” she said.

“If you put a lot of effort into it and it’s what your dream is and what you want to succeed in, it makes it a bit easier because you have a passion for it.”

She admitted that balancing school and racing can be challenging.

“It is a bit difficult handling school and normal life, but it’s what I want to pursue in my life.”

Testing in Britain

Dowling is preparing to travel to Britain for testing ahead of the season.

The F1 Academy schedule includes race weekends that typically begin with testing on Thursday, qualifying on Friday, and two race days over the weekend.

Living in South Africa means frequent travel to Europe for testing and races.

Dowling said she is looking forward to learning new tracks when she arrives in Britain.

“I’m really excited to learn the new tracks. I haven’t been to most of them.”

Support needed for F1 Academy journey

The young driver said she is still looking for sponsors to help support her racing career.

She encouraged supporters and potential sponsors to follow her progress on social media.

“If you want to get in contact, you can definitely get in contact on my Instagram.”

With the global Formula 1 season about to get underway, Dowling said she is a fan of McLaren driver Lando Norris.

But when it comes to predicting the championship outcome, she is staying cautious.

“I predicted something last year, and it didn’t really work, so I’m not going to do any more predictions this year.”

Listen to Dowling using the audio player below: