Novalak began karting in France at the age of ten. By 2015 he had won his first major title, the WSK Super Master Series, competing across France, Sweden, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In 2014, he received backing from Oliver Oakes, the former karting champion and Hitech Grand Prix founder, a sign of the industry's early recognition of his talent. His father, who introduced him to motorsport, passed away in 2017; Novalak subsequently added his father's birthday in Roman numerals to his racing helmet.
Novalak made his single-seater debut in the 2018 Toyota Racing Series with Giles Motorsport, taking two race wins at Teretonga and Hampton Downs to finish fifth overall and claim the top rookie honour. He followed this with campaigns in the Formula Renault Eurocup and a partial season in British Formula 3 with Carlin in 2018, taking pole position on his very first race at Oulton Park before retiring from the race. Despite competing in only four of eight rounds, he finished with 120 points, just two behind drivers with full-season schedules.
Novalak secured a full-time British F3 drive with Carlin in 2019. He won the championship in dramatic fashion: in the season's final round, he and title rival Johnathan Hoggard collided, both drivers dropping to the back of the points. However, the points Novalak collected from his twelfth-place finish were sufficient to clinch the title even as Hoggard won the final race. The episode underscored the knife-edge nature of his championship campaign. His two poles and two outright wins across the season were proof of raw pace, while consistency and points management proved decisive.
Following his British F3 title, Novalak joined Carlin's lineup for the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship alongside Cameron Das and Enaam Ahmed. His first podium in the series came in Austria, offering early evidence of his competitiveness at the higher level.
For 2021, Novalak moved to Trident, partnering Jack Doohan and David Schumacher. He opened with a second place in Sprint Race 1 at Barcelona and consistently scored across multiple rounds, including points finishes at Le Castellet, Budapest, and Spa. A double podium at Zandvoort added to his season tally. The finale at Sochi brought controversy when teammate Doohan ignored team orders and overtook him for victory, leaving Novalak to settle for third after Frederik Vesti also passed him late in the race. Despite the frustration, Novalak finished third in the drivers' championship, and his points haul helped Trident clinch the teams' title.
MP Motorsport signed Novalak to replace Lirim Zendeli for the final two rounds of the 2021 Formula 2 season, and the team retained him for the full 2022 campaign.
Racing alongside Felipe Drugovich at MP Motorsport, Novalak took time to find his footing, scoring his first points at Imola. A fifth in the Barcelona feature race was a highlight, though top-ten results were intermittent across the first half of the year. After the summer break, he claimed a sprint-race podium at Zandvoort — his only podium of the season. He ended the year fourteenth in the drivers' standings while MP Motorsport won the teams' championship.
Novalak reunited with Trident for 2023, paired with Czech rookie Roman Staněk. The opening rounds proved difficult, with qualifying struggles leaving him reliant on racing pace to recover positions. A breakthrough came in Austria when Novalak started on dry tyres in mixed conditions, gaining multiple places on a drying track and crossing the line third — only to be disqualified post-race for rear tyre pressures below the legal minimum. A five-place grid penalty at Budapest followed after he collided with Ralph Boschung under braking in the sprint race.
Novalak's maiden Formula 2 victory finally arrived at Zandvoort. After pitting under a safety car during the feature race, he found himself in the lead and defended from Zane Maloney for the remainder of the contest to take the win. He departed Trident before the season finale at Yas Marina.
In November 2023, Novalak took part in the WEC rookie test at Bahrain, evaluating an LMP2 car with Inter Europol Competition. This led to a full 2024 European Le Mans Series campaign with the team, as well as a start at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2024, marking a pivot toward endurance competition.
Novalak was born in Avignon to a French father and Swiss mother, later living in Montreux and Hertfordshire. He has described himself as "European" and in 2021 raced under a French licence. He cited Formula 1 and Ferrari's Driver Academy as early ambitions, having participated in an FDA assessment in 2017.