F1 Academy provides talented female racers with the opportunity to showcase their skills on the main stage of motorsport, and this year, many new drivers will be given that opportunity.
And the addition of a new team, Hitech, means the grid has increased from 15 to 18 cars, with one of those cars serving as a wildcard entry, allowing a driver to take part in a one-off race weekend at each of the tracks.
Along with the new drivers, some familiar faces remain, no doubt hoping to use their second and final season in the series to clinch the title.
Prema
Nina Gademan (Alpine)
Dutch driver Nina Gademan takes on the Alpine overalls this season, which were previously worn by 2024 world champion Abbi Pulling.
She was the wildcard entry for Prema at Zandvoort last year, finishing fourth in both races, although a 10-second penalty demoted her to 10th in race two.
Her performances clearly impressed, with 2024 being her first season in single-seaters.
Doriane Pin (Mercedes)
Following a second-placed championship finish in 2024, French racer Doriane Pin will be making a bid for the top spot this season as she enters her final year in the category.
She lines up alongside Gademan and Hausmann to form Prema’s line-up, and continues racing with the Mercedes livery, signing to their junior team at the start of 2024.
Pin started 2024 incredibly strongly, with a win in Jeddah and podiums in Miami. She took two further wins in Zandvoort and Lusail. While it wasn’t enough to catch frontrunner Pulling, Pin still impressed with her on-track performances.
Pin has also excelled in endurance racing, winning the Ferrari Challenge Europe Series and winning the 24 Hours of Spa with Iron Dames in 2022.
Clearly a skilled driver, she will no doubt be a favourite for the championship this year.
Tina Hausmann (Aston Martin)
Swiss driver Tina Hausmann continues her partnership with Aston Martin for this season, and completes Prema’s line-up.
After a challenging start to the season, with two retirements in Miami, Hausmann accumulated seven total points finishes across 2024. But she came close to taking home a trophy in Abu Dhabi, with a season-best finish of fourth place in race two.
Rodin
Emma Felbermayr (Sauber)
Emma Felbermayr takes over the Sauber overalls from Carrie Schreiner as she makes her debut on the F1 Academy grid with the team that helped Pulling to championship victory in 2024.
Felbermayr will make her single-seater debut in the F1 Academy season, having previously competed in the World and European Karting Championships. She is also taking part in Spanish F4 alongside her F1 Academy campaign.
Ella Lloyd (McLaren)
Ella Lloyd will race with the McLaren livery for this season, taking over from GB3-bound Bianca Bustamante.
In 2024 she competed in British F4, taking home three second-placed and one third-placed finishes. She was the wildcard entry for Prema in Singapore, with points finishes (ninth and seventh) in both races.
Lloyd also took part in the all-female Formula E test in November 2024, placing seventh in the time charts.
Speaking ahead of the 2025 season opener in Shanghai, she said: “My first season in single-seaters last year was pretty good, in British F4. I managed to do a wildcard round as well in [F1] Academy, which gave me a little eye-opener on this year.”
When asked what she was looking forward to most, she replied: “Probably going to new tracks, because I’ve only been to Singapore and Zandvoort, so I think it’s going to be a good year.”
Chloe Chong (Charlotte Tilbury)
Chloe Chong is making her return to F1 Academy, having previously competed in the 2023 season with Prema.
At the time, she was the youngest driver in the series, only 15 at the start of the season.
She departed the series in 2024, instead competing in British F4. She returns to F1 Academy this year with Rodin and races with the Charlotte Tilbury livery.
Charlotte Tilbury has been highly involved in the racing series, and this year have created the Charlotte Tilbury Scholarship, supporting one girl’s participation in the 2026 BIKC, along with testing and coaching through Motorsport UK Girls Karting Academy.
Speaking on her return to the series, Chong told Autosport: “I feel incredibly excited but also determined to make my return to F1 Academy.
“Last year we made a decision to take a year out and do British F4 for the year and to learn a lot of new skills with the British weather conditions and tough British tracks. I feel like I still didn’t quite get to prove what I had in the tank, so this is going to be a massive opportunity for me to go and show you all what I’ve learnt in this year off, and how much I’ve developed and also matured as a person.
“I’m of course looking forward to hopefully standing on the podium, on the winner’s step on the podium quite a few times this year. The results in testing have shown that I’m one of the quickest, if not the quickest, at points. The aim is firmly set on competing for the championship.”
Campos
Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford)
After a successful 2024 with Haas, with multiple podiums and a race win in Barcelona, this season Chloe Chambers dons the Red Bull Ford overalls in pursuit of the title.
Having previously driven in Formula Regional Oceania and the Formula Winter series, Chambers is experienced in single seater-racing, and is eager to hunt down the championship victory, telling Autosport: “I think one of my big strengths that I was able to show last season was my race craft and overtaking. I think, for this season, it’ll be important - because of the return of the reverse grid, I’ll be able to fully showcase what I can do.
“Going into this season, I’m feeling pretty confident. Of course, it’s my second season so I’m a little more familiar with the structure of the weekend and how the series operates.
“Ultimately, my aim is to win the championship, but as long as I come out of the year having learnt on the racing side as well as taking advantage of all the media opportunities we get, I will be happy.”
Rafaela Ferreira (RB)
Brazilian driver Rafaela Ferreira impressed in 2024, her first year in single-seaters, as a multiple race-winner in Brazilian F4. She is the first ever female driver to take a podium in the series.
She finished fourth in the standings, before taking part in the Formula Winter series ahead of the start of the F1 Academy season.
She takes over from Amna Al Qubaisi as RB’s representative, and forms part of Campos’ line-up.
Ferreira told Autosport: “I’m super excited for the start of the season, this is a huge opportunity to grow and compete at a high level. Being part of the Red Bull Academy Programme has already allowed me to learn so much, and also by being part of the VCARB family.
“I’ve not raced on any of the tracks before, so it’s going to be different, but a great challenge. We only have one practice session before qualifying, so adapting quickly is key. Testing and being on the sim has helped a lot over the winter and I feel ready for the challenge ahead.
“Understanding the car and learning the differences from track to track will be so important in achieving success this year. I want to be in a position to fight for good results.”
Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull)
Red Bull’s driver for 2025 is Alisha Palmowski, who, in her first year racing in single-seaters, finished as vice-champion in GB4.
Palmowski was Prema’s wildcard entry for Qatar, and she finished fifth in race one (race two being delayed until the following weekend in Abu Dhabi).
After an impressive debut into F1 Academy, Palmowski has her sights set on the title, telling Autosport: “I feel the most motivated I’ve ever been before a season, I’ve had a great off-season and winter, with a lot of time spent in the gym to make sure I’m as physically prepared as possible.
“F1 Academy is a big step up from anything I have competed in previously.
“GB4 is similar to the F1 Academy car, but GB4 is the earlier generation of the car so there are minor differences and a bit of a learning curve to adapt to the new car.
“I’ve never raced abroad much before I made my F1 Academy debut as the wildcard in Qatar, the whole experience will be a lot different this year and a big step up on the global stage as a support series to Formula 1, but I am super excited to learn and get under way.
“My aim for the year - as I expect every driver to say - is to be champion. The focus will be on development and progression and hopefully we see good results from that.”
MP
Alba Larsen (Tommy Hilfiger)
Alba Larsen is this year’s Tommy Hilfiger driver after the brand’s previous driver Nerea Marti graduated from the series at the end of last year.
Larsen, who is a protege of former Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen, was one of four drivers selected for 2023’s FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars programme, where she stepped into a formula car for the first time.
She featured in two Indian F4 weekends in 2024, with an eighth-placed finish in her second race and a rookie podium.
Joanne Ciconte (F1 Academy)
Australian driver Joanne Ciconte is the youngest of this year’s line-up at 16, and she will pilot the F1 Academy-liveried car.
2024 was her first year in single-seaters, scoring points on debut in Australian F4. She has since competed in the Central European Zone F4 Championship, Spanish F4, and Formula Winter Series ahead of her debut season in F1 Academy.
Maya Weug (Ferrari)
After an impressive 2024 campaign which saw her finish third in the standings, Maya Weug moves from Prema to MP as she continues her partnership with Ferrari for her final year in F1 Academy.
Last year finished on a high for Weug after she took her first F1 Academy victory in the final race of the series in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking about how she felt about her championship chances, Weug said: “I think definitely coming off with a win at the last round last year was really good, gives you good confidence and you can relax a bit during the winter.
“It’s a new team for me, but we worked very well together in pre-season testing on the simulator and everything, so I’m feeling confident.”
ART
Courtney Crone (Haas)
Courtney Crone takes over from Chloe Chambers as Haas’ representative in the 2025 F1 Academy season. She partners up with Aurelia Nobels and Lia Block as part of ART’s line-up.
Alongside her 2024 campaign in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, Crone was the Miami wildcard for Prema, finishing 14th and 11th in the two races that weekend.
Aurelia Nobels (Puma)
In her second year in the series, Brazilian driver Aurelia Nobels continues her campaign this year with Puma and ART.
She finished 12th last season with a season-best finish of fifth in the Netherlands, and will hope to make her way up the rankings to make the most out of her final year in F1 Academy.
She said: “Last year, it was a tough one with a lot of ups and downs, but I learnt a lot during the off-season. I did, for sure, a step in driving, as well, and we worked hard with the team to find the right compromises. I feel very confident.”
Lia Block (Williams)
With a background in rallying, Block’s first season in single-seaters was impressive.
She finished eighth in the 2024 F1 Academy season, racing with Williams and ART.
She continues with both teams for the 2025 season as she no doubt hopes to make a bid for the top spot.
Hitech
Nicole Havrda (American Express)
Canadian racer Nicole Havrda makes her F1 Academy debut as American Express’ representative this season.
She made her single-seater debut in 2022, and in 2023, she claimed three titles in the Formula Pro USA Winter Series, SFR FA2, and Formula Pro USA.
She then took part in Formula Regional Americas, with a sixth-placed overall finish and four podiums.
Aiva Anagnostiadis (TAG Heuer)
Making her single-seater debut in 2024, Australian driver Aiva Anagnostiadis finished 10th in Indian F4, having previously been awarded the Australian Ladies Trophy at the 2021 Australian Kart Championship.
She took part in the Formula Winter series during the off-season, and forms part of Hitech’s line-up as TAG Heuer’s representative for 2025.
