GEORGE RUSSELL LAUNCHES FULLY-FUNDED GR63 KARTING ACADEMY AT SILVERSTONE

George Russell is launching the GR63 Academy, a fully-funded karting program at Silverstone designed to tear down motorsport's brutal financial barriers. The Mercedes driver partnered with the BRDC to create a merit-only pathway that covers everything—equipment, entry fees, the works—for 25 kids who can actually drive, not just write checks.

The selection process runs December 2026 through January 2027: open qualifying sessions narrow the field to 80 drivers, then a shootout picks the final 25. Those 25 race an eight-round championship at Silverstone from March to November 2027, judged on pace, racecraft, fitness, and media skills. Russell will mentor throughout. The top five face off in December, and the winner gets a fully-funded 2028 karting season.

Junior karting routinely runs six figures per season. Russell's program flips that model—if you're fast, you're in. The question now is whether one driver's checkbook can prove the concept scales.