21-Year-Old Kobe Pauwels Graduates Aston Martin Racing Academy

Aston Martin Racing has confirmed Belgian rising star Kobe Pauwels as the latest graduate of its highly regarded Driver Academy, capping off a breakout 2025 season that firmly positions the 21-year-old as one of GT racing’s most watchable young talents. It is a quietly big deal in a paddock that notices everything.

Pauwels earned his place by claiming the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Silver Cup title, sealing the championship at the final round alongside Comtoyou Racing team-mate Jamie Day in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Across the season, the pair delivered three class victories and five podium finishes, combining consistency with just enough aggression to keep rivals permanently on edge.

In an Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy intake that featured 23 candidates, Pauwels did more than simply win races. He impressed where it really counts. The Academy’s exhaustive evaluation process includes an intensive post-season test at Bahrain International Circuit, where drivers are assessed not only on outright pace, but on feedback quality, technical understanding, systems analysis and how they operate as part of a factory-supported environment. Pauwels ticked every box, then calmly asked what was next.

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ABOVE: AMR Academy winner Kobe Pauwels

The timing could not be better. While his European campaign may be complete, Pauwels is not putting his helmet down just yet. He is set to make his Asian Le Mans Series debut with Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn in an Aston Martin Vantage GT3, continuing to build experience across endurance formats and international championships. It is the kind of schedule that accelerates maturity very quickly, both on track and off.

The Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy has become one of motorsport’s most effective talent pipelines, designed to identify and fast-track drivers already competing within the brand’s GT3 and GT4 partner teams. Graduates receive financial support toward future race programmes, alongside factory guidance tailored to their individual career paths. For the very best, that support can extend to factory testing opportunities and deeper involvement with Aston Martin’s global racing operations.

Beyond driving, the Academy places heavy emphasis on the realities of modern professional motorsport. Candidates are coached in media handling, commercial awareness, physical preparation and simulator work, while factory engineers provide insight into extracting maximum performance from the Vantage platform. It is not just about being quick, it is about being employable.

Aston Martin Racing’s judging panel, which includes experienced race winners and factory figures, evaluates drivers on strategy, teamwork and their ability to represent the brand publicly. Pauwels’ combination of speed, discipline and clear-headed ambition stood out in a year described internally as one of the strongest Academy fields to date.

For Aston Martin, Pauwels represents exactly what the Academy was created to produce. For Pauwels, graduation is not an endpoint but a launch pad. With factory backing, international exposure and a Vantage GT3 already feeling like home, the next phase of his career is firmly underway — and it is looking very green indeed.

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