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A Brazilian legend and dreaming of meeting Ferrari's newest icon: Aurelia Nobels' Racing Idols
Aurelia Nobels was already excited heading into 2025 and now the Brazilian racer has got even more to look forward to as she returns to the F1 ACADEMY grid with PUMA.
Before her sophomore campaign kicks off next month, we caught up with Nobels as she shared her thoughts about her motorsport heroes. Alongside admiring one of racing’s homegrown greats, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member revealed her dream of meeting another legendary figure now he’s joined the Prancing Horse.
AYRTON SENNA
“My first racing idol is Ayrton Senna — not only because he’s Brazilian, but his story and the person he was on-track and off-track. He was always looking for the details and he was working really hard. That’s someone that really inspired me and my dad as well, he was a big fan. The passion that he had, he gave it to the whole family.
“It’s amazing because most of my fans are from Brazil, so I really have their support. I feel like Brazilians are really strong with supporting an athlete. I wasn’t born, but my dad told me about when Senna had a crash, everyone in Brazil was so quiet. It was such an impact, he was really loved by everyone.
“I love to watch some (of his) interviews and videos of him racing. It gives me motivation to actually be like him one day, it’s just so inspiring.”
SUSIE WOLFF
“(I look up to) Everything she does to show everyone that it is possible that women can be in F1. She does so much like F1 ACADEMY and works so much, and that’s one of my goals — to show all the female drivers and young kids that want to start that it is possible if you work really hard and you give it your all. You have to believe in yourself and you can do it, so that’s one of my goals and that’s what Susie wants to show everyone, so everything she’s doing is really inspiring.
“For example, in Zandvoort she came up to me and to say hi. Even when I was on the grid in P5, she came up to me and said, ‘good luck’. I felt really special because she’s an inspiration. She’s like the boss, I felt really good, I was really happy and it was a good motivation.
“She’s always motivating us (drivers), telling us to believe in ourselves and that we can do it, and that’s so nice from her.”
LEWIS HAMILTON & OSCAR PIASTRI
“I have two! I’ve really liked Lewis Hamilton since I was really young, and then Oscar Piastri, he’s so young but so talented. He’s doing such a good job, he won in F2 and then straight away in his first year at McLaren, he’s already at the top.
“Lewis won (the title) seven times and it’s great that he will be part of Ferrari next year. Being in the Ferrari Driver Academy, it’s going to be really helpful and it’s my dream to actually meet him. I’ve never talked to him or saw him, so it’s going to be really special and my mum is a big fan as well, so I’m so excited!”