Aston Martin Racing has revealed the latest intake of drivers for its Driver Academy, which will see 23 young GT drivers push to become the ninth graduate of the programme throughout the year.
The list of names features participants from 14 countries, who will collectively compete for at least nine different Aston Martin partner teams in 2025. This includes 2024 Spa 24 Hours winner and DTM competitor Comtoyou Racing, Nürburgring 24 Hours winner Walkenhorst Motorsport, FIA World Endurance Championship contender Racing Spirit of Léman and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship [IMSA] graduates van der Steur Racing.
JMF Motorsport, Mirage Racing, Volante Rosso, Racar Motorsport and Feathers Motorsport also have aspirants registered for the pioneering programme.
“The Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy is now well proven and established, but it remains unique in its intense focus on driver development and is vital for assessing talent within our partner network,” said Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s head of endurance.
“Such is the standard of the programme, former winners such as Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis and Valentin Hasse Clot all play integral roles in our works driver roster and we are proud to watch the progress they continue to make year on year.”
The Driver Academy initiative has grown exponentially in significance since it began in 2014. It is designed to fast-track talent from within Aston Martin Racing’s thriving partner team network and is a way for AMR to contribute to motorsport by investing in and honing future talent.
The scheme has produced several successful drivers, including works drivers Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis. Other graduates include multiple GT champion Valentin Hasse-Clot, Romain Leroux, Mike David Ortmann and Tom Canning.
The most recent graduate, Jamie Day, is running multiple programmes in 2025, including GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint campaigns with Comtoyou Racing. He also contested the winter based Asian Le Mans Series with Earl Bamber Motorsport and competed in the Bathurst 12 Hours with Volante Rosso earlier this year.
The Academy is open to competitors aged between 16 and 2026 competing in GT3 and/or GT4 programmes with the Vantage platform. The prize on offer for the successful graduate includes financial support towards their 2026 race programme, as well as assistance and guidance from the factory, tailored to their season plans.
The candidates benefited from a two-day seminar in March that included a tour of the Aston Martin Formula One Team campus, media training with former FIA WEC pit reporter Louise Beckett, simulator training at Base Performance, a comprehensive fitness assessment, including a bespoke training programme and nutrition plan, Aston Martin Racing in-house commercial training and a factory-based engineering workshop to further their understanding of how to competitively set-up Vantage.
The participants will now be comprehensively assessed through the season as the judging panel receives feedback from partner teams, works drivers and AMR engineers at events.
The judging panel includes three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Darren Turner, four-times British GT champion and two-times 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jonny Adam, former Academy winner and works driver Hasse Clot, Head of AMR Academy Rachel Adam, AMR Head of Performance Gus Beteli and Head of AMR Partner Racing Huw Tasker. They will evaluate each driver’s ability to manage the strategic, teamwork, commercial and public relations aspects of their role.
2025 Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy candidates:
- Nicolas Baert (BEL)
- Eduardo Barrichello (BRA)
- Erwan Bastard (FRA)
- Archie Clark (GBR)
- Baudouin Detout (FRA)
- Niklas Eker Abrahamsen (NOR)
- Roberto Faria (BRA)
- Declan Fraser (AUS)
- Max Hewitt (USA)
- David Kullmann (CHE)
- Mathieu Martins (FRA)
- Henrique Oliveira (POR)
- Will Orton (GBR)
- Kobe Pauwels (BEL)
- Antoine Potty (BEL)
- Ruben del Sarte (FRA)
- Luca Savu (ROM)
- Clément Seyler (LUX)
- Jodie Sloss (GBR)
- Oliver Söderström (SWE)
- Rory van der Steur (USA)
- Matteo Villagomez (VEN)
- Jesse Webb (CAN)
