Written by Meghana Sree, Edited by Julia Bissessar
F1 Academy is back for a third year of intense racing action and inspirational drives! The all-female series returns in support of the 2025 Formula One World Championship, and this is everything you need to know before the season kicks off in Shanghai, China.
How F1 Academy Works
F1 Academy is a spec series that hosts 18 identical cars, including one Wild Card entry, split across six teams.
All teams will compete with the Tatuus T421 chassis, just like Formula 4, which is powered by turbo-charged engines from Autotecnica and use tyres supplied by Pirelli.
F1 Academy aims to provide a streamlined ladder for young women to progress from the grassroots all the way up to Formula One. Helmed by Managing Director Susie Wolff, the series’ goal is to see female drivers reach F1 and support women in motorsport by giving them an accessible platform to display their talent.
F1 Academy takes place across seven rounds this year, with all rounds supporting the F1 weekend. This allows the series to garner more recognition and engagement, with each F1 team supporting one of the drivers on the F1 Academy grid.
2025 Calendar
A number of changes have been made to the calendar this year, starting off with the championship beginning in Shanghai, China, a venue new to the F1 Academy roster. Other new additions to the calendar include Montreal, Canada and Las Vegas.
Round | Circuit | Date |
1 | Shanghai International Circuit, China | 21st - 23rd March 2025 |
2 | Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Saudi Arabia | 18th - 20th April 2025 |
3 | Miami International Autodrome, USA | 2nd - 4th May 2025 |
4 | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Canada | 13th - 15th June 2025 |
5 | Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands | 29th - 31th August 2025 |
6 | Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore | 3 - 5 October 2025 |
7 | Las Vegas Strip Circuit, USA | 20- 22 November 2025 |
Championship Format
Each of the seven rounds feature four sessions of on-track action, starting with Free Practice on Friday followed by a 30-minute Qualifying session.
Each driver’s fastest lap in Qualifying sets the grid for the second of two races. Race 1 involves the return of the reverse grid format, wherein the top eight drivers from Qualifying start at the back (in reverse order) while drivers from ninth to 18th start from their original qualifying positions.
As for points, two will be awarded to the driver clinching pole from Qualifying for Race 2. The second race will also see the top ten finishers scoring points on the same scale as F1, meaning P1 would get 25 points all the way down to P10 with one point.
Meanwhile in Race 1, the reverse-grid format, will have fewer points to grab. The top eight finishers will be awarded points, with the winner allotted ten points, sliding down to 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and finally a single point for eighth place.
Drivers and Teams
This year, F1 Academy features six teams on the grid: ART, Campos, Rodin Carlin, MP Motorsport, defending champions Prema and new-comer Hitech.
Each team will race with three cars, forming the 18-car grid, an increase from the 15 last year, after Hitech’s entry.
As for drivers, F1 Academy sees several new names this season after the exit of drivers like 2024’s champion Abbi Pulling and the McLaren-backed Bianca Bustamante, owing to the regulations that do not allow champions to compete in the upcoming seasons and permits a driver to only two years in the feeder series.
Some familiar faces also return to the series, such as the 2025 favourite Doriane Pin as well as Maya Weug, supported by Mercedes and Ferrari respectively. Other names to watch out include Chloe Chambers, Lia Block, Tina Hausmann and Aurelia Nobels — all going into their second season of F1 Academy.
Driver No. | Name | Team | Supporting F1 Teams and Partners |
28 | Doriane Pin | Prema Racing | Mercedes |
78 | Tina Hausmann | Prema Racing | Aston Martin |
3 | Nina Gademan | Prema Racing | Alpine |
27 | Chloe Chong | Rodin Motorsport | Charlotte Tilbury |
20 | Ella Lloyd | Rodin Motorsport | McLaren |
5 | Emma Felbermayr | Rodin Motorsport | Kick Sauber |
14 | Chloe Chambers | Campos Racing | Red Bull Ford |
18 | Rafaela Ferreira | Campos Racing | Racing Bulls |
21 | Alisha Palmowski | Campos Racing | Red Bull |
64 | Maya Weug | MP Motorsport | Ferrari |
25 | Joanne Ciconte | MP Motorsport | F1 Academy |
12 | Alba Larsen | MP Motorsport | Tommy Hilfiger |
22 | Aurelia Nobels | ART Grand Prix | PUMA |
57 | Lia Block | ART Grand Prix | Williams |
7 | Courtney Crone | ART Grand Prix | Haas |
11 | Aiva Anagnostiadis | Hitech TGR | TAG Heuer |
2 | Nicole Havrda | Hitech TGR | American Express |
*Bold indicates drivers supported by F1 teams
Additionally, the Wild Card driver entry initiative will continue this year and is set to be operated by Hitech TGR for all seven rounds. This initiative was introduced in 2024, facilitating regional talent to take part in the F1 Academy weekend.
Under this program, a talented female driver from each hosting country is identified and given the opportunity to race throughout the weekend, also having the chance to collect points for both championships, unlike last year.
The Wild Card entry for Shanghai has been confirmed as Shi Wei, also known as ‘Tie Dou’, who will become the first Chinese driver on the F1 Academy grid.
Talking Points Ahead of China
The major story going into 2025’s opening round will be whether Pin will dominate the weekend and cement her status as this year’s favourite, or whether a new prospect will take the crown.
Pin would hope to start this season much like last year in Jeddah — with a dominant Qualifying and Race 1 — minus the unfortunate penalty for taking the chequered flag twice in the second race. The French driver will undoubtedly be seeking redemption this season in a bid to secure the Drivers’ Championship ahead of her rivals.
Another name in the fight for the title will be Weug, who has switched teams from Prema to MP Motorsport, joining newcomers Alba Larsen and Joanne Ciconte.
The grid is also stacked with ten rookies in their first full-time season, who will be keen to make a strong first impression in Shanghai.
One to watch out for would be the 2024 GB4 Vice Champion Alisha Palmowski, who was the Wild Card entry in Qatar last year. The Briton certainly made a strong impression when she finished fifth in Race 1, and her impressive performance supported her campaign for a full-time seat. Backed by Red Bull Racing, Palmowski is sure to put up a good front in the race for the title.
It will also be exciting to watch how Hitech fits into the series as the grid expands. Competing with two full-time rookies — Nicole Havrda and Aiva Anagnostiadis — and the Wild Card drivers, the British team plays a pivotal role in supporting larger pools of female drivers hoping to make it to the big leagues.
Where Can I Watch?
Fortunately for both the series and its fans, F1 Academy will be streamed live on F1 Academy’s YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter) channels. This will help bring huge exposure to the series, bolstering its effort to spotlight female talent in motorsport and give talented drivers the platform to showcase their skills.
All rounds will also be available to watch on F1 TV live and on-demand.
Catch the season opener at China’s Shanghai International Circuit from 21st to 23rd March, with Race 1 starting at 5:50 am GMT on Saturday and Race 2 set for Sunday at 2:45 am GMT.
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