Williams snaps up double F4 champion Kean Nakamura-Berta for Driver Academy
Williams has moved early in the junior market, signing reigning Italian F4 champion Kean Nakamura-Berta to its Driver Academy as the team continues to refresh its pipeline ahead of 2026.
The Japanese-Slovak racer, 18, is fresh off a formidable 2025 campaign with PREMA that saw him sweep both the Italian F4 and E4 titles. He bagged 13 wins and 16 poles across the year, confirming the sort of one-lap sharpness that gets talent spotters scribbling. He’ll step up to a dual Formula Regional program next season, taking on both the Middle East and European championships as the next rung in his climb.
“I’m very excited to be joining the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy this year,” Nakamura-Berta said. “It’s a team that has achieved so much and has a vast history, and I’m proud to be part of it. Racing in Formula Regional will be a new challenge but one that I’m especially looking forward to. Thank you to everyone at Williams for believing in me, and I can’t wait to start this new chapter!”
Twice a karting world champion in 2021 and 2022, Nakamura-Berta has carried that pedigree neatly into cars over the past two seasons. The PREMA link is no accident either; Williams has been increasingly deliberate about placing its juniors with proven ladder teams, and few do the development game better than the Italian powerhouse.
“We’re thrilled to have Kean join the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy at this key moment in his career,” said Williams sporting director Sven Smeets. “He has shown a lot of promise, proving that he is capable of learning, adapting and ultimately winning championships. We look forward to working with him this year and will watch keenly as he hits the track.”
The move continues a busy winter for the Grove team’s junior setup. In December, Williams added 16-year-old Jade Jacquet as its next F1 Academy driver, bolstering the squad’s presence across the pyramid. Meanwhile, its most senior academy names, Luke Browning and Victor Martins, are yet to have their 2026 programs confirmed, and French teenager Alessandro Giusti is set for a second season in Formula 3 next year.
For Williams, this is a smart bit of timing. Landing a driver with Nakamura-Berta’s karting résumé and immediate F4 return is low-risk, high-upside business. Formula Regional offers a meaningful read on race craft and consistency over longer stints, and running both the Middle East and European calendars should give him mileage, versatility, and a crack at significant Super Licence points. If the form carries, the path toward F3 and beyond writes itself.
There’s also the style factor. Nakamura-Berta’s year was built as much on relentless qualifying as it was on control from the front. In the data-driven world of academy scouting, that matters. Williams doesn’t need a finished article; it needs a fast learner with a hard edge and some headroom. On paper, they’ve got one.
Eyes will be on the early-season Formula Regional ME rounds to see how quickly he adapts to the extra power and aero. If he looks comfortable there, the European campaign could turn into a proper yardstick. And given how stacked the 2026 junior grids are shaping up to be, that’s exactly the kind of test Williams will want him to ace.
The academy ladder at Grove is beginning to look busy. That’s the point. With the 2025 Formula One season in full noise and 2026’s new regs looming, teams are replenishing talent pools and locking in prospects before they become bidding wars. Williams has planted a flag with Nakamura-Berta. Now the stopwatch has its say.
Quotes:
– Kean Nakamura-Berta: “I’m very excited to be joining the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy this year… Thank you to everyone at Williams for believing in me, and I can’t wait to start this new chapter!”
– Sven Smeets, Williams sporting director: “He has shown a lot of promise… We look forward to working with him this year and will watch keenly as he hits the track.”
