Rafaela Ferreira
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rafaela Ferreira | |
|---|---|
 Ferreira at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix | |
| Nationality |  Brazilian |
| Born | Rafaela Daminelli Ferreira[1][2] 18 April 2005 |
| F1 Academy career | |
| Debut season | 2025 |
| Current team | Campos Racing |
| Car number | 18 |
| Starts | 14 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 12th in 2025 |
| Previous series | |
Rafaela Daminelli Ferreira (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁafaˈɛlɐ feˈʁejɾɐ]; born 18 April 2005[3]) is a Brazilian racing driver who competes in F1 Academy for Campos Racing as part of the Red Bull Academy Programme.
Karting
In 2022, Ferreira became the first woman to take pole position in the Copa Brasil de Kart, in the F4 Graduated category.[4]
F4 Brazilian Championship
Ferreira joined the 2023 F4 Brazilian Championship, racing with TMG Racing.[5] She became the first woman to stand on the podium in the series, with a third-place finish at Interlagos.[6] She finished 13th overall.[7] Ferreira and Cecília Rabelo were the only women to participate in the championship that year.[8]
Ferreira returned to the championship in 2024 with the same team, becoming the first woman to win a race in the series after victories in Buenos Aires and Mogi Guaçu.[9][10] She finished the season in fourth place, with three wins and ten podiums.[11][12]
Ferreira returned in 2025 driving for Cavaleiro Sports for the second Interlagos Round which supported the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix. Ferreira took fifth place in Race 1. She won the second race of the weekend taking her first win in the championship since the third round in Interlagos in 2024, where she won Race 1. Ferreira ended her weekend with a fourth place in Race 3.[13]
F1 Academy
On October 30, 2024, the Racing Bulls Formula One team announced that Ferreira would be representing the team in the 2025 F1 Academy season, replacing Amna Al Qubaisi.[4] She raced for Campos Racing with teammates and fellow Red Bull Academy members Alisha Palmowski and Chloe Chambers.[14] Ferreira had five points scoring finishes in her rookie season and placed 12th overall in the driver's standings.[15][16] Her highest race result was fifth place finish in Race 1 at Shanghai.[17]
Ferreira will continue to race in the 2026 F1 Academy season as the Racing Bulls supported driver.[15]
Personal life
Ferreira is from Santa Catarina, Brazil.[18] She has stated that Bia Figueiredo, a female Brazilian racing driver, was an inspiration to her while she was growing up.[19] Ferreira has collaborated with former Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo and his clothing brand in partnership with Racing Bulls on the F1 Academy grid.[19][20]
