Motorsport UK and BRDC merge academies to forge unified British driver pathway from 2027

Motorsport UK and the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) are merging their young driver programmes into a new joint national academy set to launch in 2027, creating a unified development pathway for the next generation of British racing talent.

The initiative, called the BRDC Driver Academy powered by Motorsport UK, will absorb the existing Motorsport UK Driver Academy alongside the BRDC’s Rising Stars and Superstars programmes. Former sportscar driver and BRDC Superstars director Andy Meyrick will run the academy, covering areas from on-track performance to fitness and education.

“I’m just really genuinely excited,” Meyrick said ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix. “It’s the right thing to do — for the last few years we’ve been like, ‘we need to do this’. We can’t afford to stand still. There is a danger, in any form of life, that if you keep standing still and your competition is moving forward, then you’re going to become outdated.”

The merger has been widely regarded as long overdue, with the aim of providing continuity of support from grassroots level upward. BRDC vice president Derek Warwick said the combined resources of both organisations would allow them to do things previously out of reach.

“Going forward, to have Motorsport UK involved as well, we’ve got more resources and more money to help these young drivers,” Warwick said. “More ability to do things we haven’t been able to do in the past. I’m very aware that all the Formula 1 teams have got a young driver programme — for us, Rising Stars, the British Racing Drivers’ Club, is important to me, and joining forces with the powerhouse of Motorsport UK is just brilliant.”

The long-term ambition is to protect and extend Britain’s status as the most successful nation in motorsport history. The country holds a record 21 Formula 1 world championships and currently has reigning champions in F1 (Lando Norris), Formula E (Oliver Rowland), and the World Endurance Championship (James Calado).

Among the academy’s most prominent alumni is George Russell, who won the Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award in 2014 and came through the Superstars programme. The Mercedes driver is currently a championship contender in F1 and has spoken about the significant role the BRDC played in his career.