George Russell and Silverstone Circuit have launched the GR63 Karting Academy, a four-stage development programme for UK drivers aged eight and nine.
Open qualifying sessions at Kart Silverstone will run from 6 to 31 December 2026. The fastest 80 eligible drivers will advance to a shootout on 31 January 2027, when 25 places in the academy championship will be awarded.
The selected drivers will contest eight fully funded rounds from March to November 2027 using different Kart Silverstone configurations. The official programme says each participant will receive a complete kit including overalls, helmet, gloves and boots.
The top five championship finishers will take part in a final assessment in December 2027 covering lap time, race craft, fitness, talent and media skills. Its winner will receive a fully funded karting season in 2028.
Silverstone is charging £25 for a 15-minute qualifier and £75 for drivers who reach the shootout. From the championship stage, the programme is fully funded. The published material does not state the academy's total budget, equipment specification, coaching staff, selection weighting, 2028 category or the commercial partners funding the programme.
The structure separates broad access from progressively narrower support. Low-cost arrive-and-drive sessions create an initial pool without requiring entrants to own a kart, while the fully funded championship removes the largest published cost barrier for the 25 selected drivers.
Russell will mentor participants, and the British Racing Drivers' Club is supporting the programme. The announcement does not promise a place in a professional single-seater series or driver academy beyond the stated 2028 karting award, so MRI has not described it as a guaranteed career pathway.
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