A significant part of the 2026 season is already behind us, but the most important chapter is still to come. The FIA European Championship, Champions of the Future and the majority of the WSK events have now been completed after a busy first half of the year. Following the summer break, the team’s focus shifts to the two headline events of the season: the FIA World Cup OK-N & OK-N Junior in Viterbo (7–11 October) and the FIA Karting World Championship OK & OKJ in Muro Leccese (5–8 November). Both events will take place in Italy, where the Lenovo Kalì Kart Team will arrive with ambitious targets.
2026 has effectively marked Lenovo’s debut season in international karting, laying the foundations for the long-term growth of this ambitious Academy project. The vision is clear: to build a bridge between Lenovo’s top-level involvement in Formula 1 and grassroots motorsport, with karting representing the first step on the pathway towards professional racing.
Before the FIA World Cup, the team will contest the final round of the Italian Championship at Viterbo on 27 September. Racing on the same circuit, it will provide an invaluable benchmark ahead of the international meeting just two weeks later.
Although the competitive season still has plenty to offer, it is already possible to draw an initial assessment of this prestigious partnership. Marco Angeletti, CRG Marketing Director, reflects on the project’s first year: “The Lenovo Karting Project has been conceived with a medium-term vision. Our objective is to support talented young drivers throughout a development pathway that begins in karting and ultimately leads them into single-seaters and professional motorsport. Achieving that ambition naturally requires time, because development must happen on several levels. The first priority is identifying and nurturing the right drivers, and the opening season inevitably provides the least amount of information when defining the most effective line-up. Together we made shared decisions, often choosing to invest in very young talents who are only at the beginning of their international careers.
Drivers such as Mark Loomets and Julian Rivera represent exactly this philosophy: they are building experience today in order to reach their sporting potential next season. For that reason, we also wanted an experienced reference within the team, and Davide Bottaro has played that role perfectly. Beyond being a benchmark for our younger drivers, he has consistently delivered front-running performances in the premier OK category, including two pole positions during the first half of the season. His entire programme has been built around the FIA World Championship in Muro Leccese, and we believe we can be genuine contenders there. We are equally proud of the work completed within our MINI programme.
The upcoming promotion of Mateo García and Julian Van de Coterlet into the Junior category demonstrates the development pathway we have designed, with both drivers completing a full season of preparation within the Academy. During the second half of the year, the Junior squad will also welcome Mia Zanki, from the F1 Academy programme, and South African talent Brodi Dowling. Both drivers will strengthen the team competitively while perfectly aligning with Lenovo’s EMEA marketing strategy. Naturally, this first season has also provided valuable lessons. It has helped us redefine certain technical priorities and optimise future investments.
We are convinced that the Academy is most effective when managing no more than ten drivers across the Under-16 categories — MINI, Junior and OK — and this principle is already shaping our plans for 2027. At the same time, we are working to dramatically expand the integration of Lenovo technology throughout the project. From increasingly advanced telemetry and data acquisition systems to customised high-performance computing solutions and enhanced driver coaching programmes, every department is evolving. We have clear objectives, exceptional tools and a group of drivers who are becoming progressively more integrated into our working methodology. As we approach the two FIA World Championships, our goal is simple: to transform months of hard work, passion and commitment from every member of the team into results worthy of the project we are building.
With the foundations now firmly in place, the Lenovo Kalì Kart Team enters the decisive phase of the 2026 season determined to fight at the front on the sport’s biggest stage.”