Fast Track To Formula One Whitsunday Teen Makes Racing History

Honda Advanced Formula 2026 class Photo supplied: Jure Portelli.  

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What began with laps around a small go-kart track near the Whitsunday Coast Airport has led Airlie Beach teenager to an achievement no Australian has reached before, graduating from  

Japan's prestigious Honda Racing School Advanced Formula course.  

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17-year-old Jure Portelli is the first Australian and first female to graduate from the elite program, a milestone she hopes proves that talent, not background or gender, determines how far a driver can go.

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"I don't think about it being the first Australian and the first girl," she said.

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“No matter where you come from or your gender or anything like that, if you can get there, then that shows a lot."

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Local Formula 1 Prodigy Dominates in Japan

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Jure moved to Airlie beach in 2012 from Melbourne, later discovering motorsport in 2022 after her father bought a second-hand go-kart from Facebook marketplace at 14 years old. After her first ever go-kart race, she knew she was hooked.

"I did the first race and I was like, 'Wow, this is heaps of fun,'" she said.

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“I don't remember where I placed or how I actually went in the race, but I just remember really enjoying it.”

"Then we just kind of continued to enter the local go-kart meetings, and eventually I started to get competitive and started winning."

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She stepped into a Formula car for the first time through the Ferrari Driver Academy's Rising Stars program in 2023.

“After that program is when we all kind of, like my family and I, specifically me, decided I want to make this into a career,” Jure said.  

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She later competed in Formula V rounds in Victoria before travelling to Japan in 2025, where she secured a podium in her first Vita race at Fuji Speedway.  

Despite her early success, Jure was unable to secure as much track time as she wanted. Instead, she focused on what she could control, pushing herself through physical, mental and simulator training to prepare for the demands of professional formula racing.  

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As her ambitions grew, Jure realised the next step in her career would take her beyond Australia's borders. Drawn by the opportunities and rich motorsport culture overseas, she began looking for a pathway to put her over the top.  

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Her dedication earned her a place at Japan's prestigious Honda Racing School, where she advanced through multiple selection stages at Suzuka to become one of eight drivers chosen from 30.

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"Japan was something me and my team discussed because it's quite different,” Jure said.  

The achievement didn’t come without its challenges, as Jure had to move away from home and her family for six months. While a daunting experience, it was one she labeled as necessary.  

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"It was a very foreign experience... not a lot of people get the opportunity to do that, especially so young," she said.

"But I was more than happy to do that to be able to be a part of the Honda Racing School.  

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During the course, Jure trained alongside professional drivers, combining intensive track sessions, physical training and data analysis while being assessed both on and off the circuit.  

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"You never really know what they're looking out for," she said.

"They're always critiquing you on everything, not just your driving, but how you behave off track, your manners, how well you can communicate with the engineers and the instructors, time management.”

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With one historic milestone behind her, Jure is looking forward to her next step to becoming a formula 1 driver.  

"I'm always just working towards the next opportunity," she said.

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