- In just a few days, Circuit 27 in Thessaloniki will become the arena for the competition of athletes taking part in this season's Champions of the Future Academy series.
- Among the drivers who will take part in the competition in Greece for the first time in their career on May 29-31, 2026, is also 14-year-old Julia Angelard. The Polish woman will have Friday training sessions, followed by two separate racing days, including training, qualifying, two heats and the final.
- After a rainy round at the La Conca track, Julia is optimistic about the next round of competition at COTFA, where she is one of nine competitors – including three in her age category – representing the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive programme.
Two finals to win
As with previous rounds of the COTFA series, competitors will spend Friday focusing on practice sessions, kart tuning, and getting to know the track, which may be new to many drivers.
Then, on both Saturday and Sunday, the entire field will have a practice session, qualifying, two heats, and a final – each day separately. This means two opportunities to fight for victory in the final.
The upcoming competition includes competitors from 35 countries. Julia Angelard is one of three girls who were selected in the Junior category in the 2026 season by F1 Academy to represent the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive program.
Their support from the Formula 1-related series is evident in specially designed racing suits for these competitors, which stand out from the competition on the track.
Julia Angelard: Every debut is a learning opportunity
"Although I've competed in many countries, this will be my first time competing in Greece. I'm excited about the chance to get to know a new track, which I already had the opportunity to practice on a few days ago – every debut is a learning opportunity, and considering that all the drivers will be coming to the Thessaloniki event with similar experience, we're in for a truly interesting and unpredictable round. Keep your fingers crossed for me!", emphasizes the protégé of Minardi Management powered by Dag Ltd.
Senior Category Race Schedule
Friday, 29.05.2026
09:50 – Run in (15 min)
11:10 – Practice 1 (12 min)
12:40 – Practice 2 (12 min)
14:40 – Practice 3 (12 min)
16:10 – Practice 4 (12 min)
Saturday, 30.05.2026
09:00 – Non Qualifying Practice (10 min)
10:05 – Time Qualifying (6 min)
11:20 – Qualifying Heat 1 (9 laps)
13:00 – Qualifying Heat 2 (9 laps)
15:00 – Final (15 laps)
Sunday, 31.05.2026
09:00 – Non Qualifying Practice (10 min)
10:05 – Time Qualifying (6 min)
11:20 – Qualifying Heat 1 (9 laps)
13:00 – Qualifying Heat 2 (9 laps)
15:00 – Final (15 laps).
JULIA ANGELARD, a 14-year-old karting racer, member of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy and a protégé of Minardi Management, is a member of the PZM junior national karting team in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. In the 2026 season, she will compete for Birel ART and the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy, and participate in the More Than Equal project and the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive program.
She began competing in karting at the age of 4. She began her professional starts in the Rotax Max Challenge Poland series in the years 2017-2022 in the MicroMax and Minimax categories. In 2023, at the age of 11, she started in the ROK Cup Poland in the Junior category. In September 2023, she made her international debut as part of the ROK Superfinal and ROK Cup Italia, where she also appeared in 2024, becoming the fastest and highest ranked competitor and advancing 17 positions in one of the races. In the 2025 season, she competed in the Polish Karting Championship, ROK Cup Italia, and Champions of the Future Academy, finishing second in the second round of the series in Jesolo.
press@mediamoto.pl
- Among the drivers who will take part in the competition in Greece for the first time in their career on May 29-31, 2026, is also 14-year-old Julia Angelard. The Polish woman will have Friday training sessions, followed by two separate racing days, including training, qualifying, two heats and the final.
- After a rainy round at the La Conca track, Julia is optimistic about the next round of competition at COTFA, where she is one of nine competitors – including three in her age category – representing the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive programme.
Two finals to win
As with previous rounds of the COTFA series, competitors will spend Friday focusing on practice sessions, kart tuning, and getting to know the track, which may be new to many drivers.
Then, on both Saturday and Sunday, the entire field will have a practice session, qualifying, two heats, and a final – each day separately. This means two opportunities to fight for victory in the final.
The upcoming competition includes competitors from 35 countries. Julia Angelard is one of three girls who were selected in the Junior category in the 2026 season by F1 Academy to represent the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive program.
Their support from the Formula 1-related series is evident in specially designed racing suits for these competitors, which stand out from the competition on the track.
Julia Angelard: Every debut is a learning opportunity
"Although I've competed in many countries, this will be my first time competing in Greece. I'm excited about the chance to get to know a new track, which I already had the opportunity to practice on a few days ago – every debut is a learning opportunity, and considering that all the drivers will be coming to the Thessaloniki event with similar experience, we're in for a truly interesting and unpredictable round. Keep your fingers crossed for me!", emphasizes the protégé of Minardi Management powered by Dag Ltd.
Senior Category Race Schedule
Friday, 29.05.2026
09:50 – Run in (15 min)
11:10 – Practice 1 (12 min)
12:40 – Practice 2 (12 min)
14:40 – Practice 3 (12 min)
16:10 – Practice 4 (12 min)
Saturday, 30.05.2026
09:00 – Non Qualifying Practice (10 min)
10:05 – Time Qualifying (6 min)
11:20 – Qualifying Heat 1 (9 laps)
13:00 – Qualifying Heat 2 (9 laps)
15:00 – Final (15 laps)
Sunday, 31.05.2026
09:00 – Non Qualifying Practice (10 min)
10:05 – Time Qualifying (6 min)
11:20 – Qualifying Heat 1 (9 laps)
13:00 – Qualifying Heat 2 (9 laps)
15:00 – Final (15 laps).
JULIA ANGELARD, a 14-year-old karting racer, member of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy and a protégé of Minardi Management, is a member of the PZM junior national karting team in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. In the 2026 season, she will compete for Birel ART and the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy, and participate in the More Than Equal project and the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive program.
She began competing in karting at the age of 4. She began her professional starts in the Rotax Max Challenge Poland series in the years 2017-2022 in the MicroMax and Minimax categories. In 2023, at the age of 11, she started in the ROK Cup Poland in the Junior category. In September 2023, she made her international debut as part of the ROK Superfinal and ROK Cup Italia, where she also appeared in 2024, becoming the fastest and highest ranked competitor and advancing 17 positions in one of the races. In the 2025 season, she competed in the Polish Karting Championship, ROK Cup Italia, and Champions of the Future Academy, finishing second in the second round of the series in Jesolo.
press@mediamoto.pl
