Crossland Arrives: Ferrari Academy Graduate Makes Instant Impact in ADC Debut
Hayden Crossland moved from Formula Vees to the Hyper Racer ADC for 2025 under the Pakelo Lubricants Carbon Racing banner — and immediately showed the speed that earned him a Ferrari Academy spot.
The paddock knew Hayden Crossland was coming. The young Victorian had been on the radar of serious open-wheel watchers since his Formula Vee days, and the Ferrari Academy connection had only amplified expectations. What nobody was quite prepared for was how quickly he'd be at the front of the ADC field.
Racing for the Pakelo Lubricants Carbon Racing team alongside 2022 Formula 3 Australia champion Noah Sands, Crossland adapted to the Hyper Racer X1 with a speed that turned heads immediately. The X1 is not a simple car to extract the maximum from — its ground-effect aerodynamics demand a specific driving style and circuit-specific setup sensitivity that takes most drivers several rounds to master. Crossland shortened that learning curve dramatically.
He won Round 1 of the 2025 championship at Winton, announcing his arrival with emphasis. The Ferrari Academy driver turned out to have the mechanical sympathy and racecraft to match his raw speed — qualities that the ADC's spec-car formula rewards above all else.
Carbon Racing's investment in young driver development was paying off visibly. The team had become the exclusive Australian and New Zealand distributor for Italian lubricant manufacturer Pakelo Lubricants, and was actively seeking young drivers transitioning from karts, with Sands and Crossland as the mentors and standard-bearers.
Crossland's 2025 season would ultimately be blighted by reliability issues at One Raceway, but his speed was never in question. Heading into 2026, he represents one of the most credible threats to Sterling's stranglehold on the title.