Williams has signed reigning Italian F4 Champion, Kean Nakamura-Berta to its driver academy.

The Japanese-Slovak driver has already demonstrated consistency and speed throughout his early career, with multiple karting titles to his name. He made his karting debut at seven years old, quickly going on to compete in international karting and securing both the 2021 CIK-FIA OKJ World Championship and the 2022 CIK-FIA OK European Championship.

Graduating to single seaters at the end of 2023 in the F4 South East Asia Championship, Kean had an impressive debut campaign securing two pole positions and a podium, further adding to this with two race wins and six further podiums in the 2024 Formula UAE Championship.

2025 was a breakout year for the youngster as he secured the Italian F4 Championship with nine wins and multiple podiums across the season. He will challenge for the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European championships in 2026.

As part of the Academy, Kean will have the team's full support and guidance in nurturing his talent and developing his skills throughout his progression in the junior categories of motorsport.

The Academy supports drivers on every rung of the motorsport ladder, working with them on and off the track to develop the skills necessary to race at the top level. It has a tradition of supporting young talent, which has most recently seen alumnus Franco Colapinto graduate to an F1 race seat.

"I'm very excited to be joining the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy," said Kean. "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," he continued, "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!"

"We're thrilled to have Kean join the Academy at this key moment in his career," added 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."