The 2025 season is shaping up to be a busy one for Lia Block, 2023 American Rally Champion and daughter of late rally legend Ken Block. Not that she's not used to tackling a busy schedule, considering over the last few years she's been competing and dabbling in a few different series like Extreme E, Nitrocross (as its first-ever female competitor), and even taken a run at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2023.
The trailblazing 18-year-old spared a few minutes of her precious time ahead of her second season in F1 Academy to talk to Motorsport.com about what she's been up to and the season(s) ahead.
Emily Selleck: What was it like to compete — and win — against some of the biggest names in Nitrocross?
Lia Block: I grew up watching Rallycross with my dad, but Nitrocross has a bit more of a twist with the electric cars being so fast. It was a lot to handle, especially with so much competition … but it felt amazing to be a trailblazer as the first female in that class.
ES: Is there a lesson you learned while competing in Nitrocross that you’re bringing into open-wheel racing?
LB: There’s this fast-paced thinking you need to have because everything's happening so fast and you're going over jumps at the same time you're trying to race with someone. That, mentally, has helped me going into F1 Academy, but it actually feels easier because everything's a bit more slowed down from a race craft point of view [in open-wheel racing]. Every little bit of racing that I've done, from Rallycross to Extreme E, you can take a little bit [of what you learned] and use it in wherever you're going.
ES: Your driving style in Nitrocross was so fearless. Do you feel like you bring that same energy to wheel-to-wheel racing in F1 Academy?
LB: It feels a bit different because in Rallycross you can run into each other a bit and nothing's going to happen. But in F1 Academy and single seater racing, everything has to be super precise, and you have to anticipate what the person [next to you] is going to do or not do. You need to go all-in or you're going to touch wheels or you're going to spin.
ES: What were some of the biggest challenges when you first moved into single-seaters?
LB: When I started in single seaters, which was only a year ago, it was like starting from scratch. The biggest challenge for me was the engineering side of the cars, because all of the fine tuning makes such a big difference out on track … compared to Rallycross. It was a bit of a learning curve staring at data for the first time not knowing what the heck I'm looking at. There's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes that really helps me on track.
ES: You experienced a lot of success early in your career. How do you manage the pressure of those expectations heading into a series like F1 Academy?
LB: In rally it took me two years to win the championship, and I had to start from scratch there as well. But winning a championship and going straight into F1 Academy, mentally, was very hard because I had to go back to learning and open my mind again. In the end, I saw those small gains throughout the season last year and have been slowly moving up the ranks. I ended in a really good spot, so hopefully I can just keep that mentality going forward and hopefully get some wins this year.
ES: Is there a piece of advice from your dad that you still think about every time you put your helmet on?
LB: There's so many different things that he's taught me since I started racing that have stuck with me, maybe even subconsciously. What I've learned from him and my mom growing up is work ethic: what you put in is what you get out, do everything at 110% every time, and try to keep your ceiling growing and keep pushing to where you want to be in the future.
ES: You’ve become such a role model for young women and girls who want to get into racing. How does that responsibility make you feel?
LB: At the beginning it felt really scary because I always want to portray myself in a really good light and keep inspiring people every day. So I just try to focus on myself and my career so that I can show young girls that anything is possible - we can compete against the boys and win. It’s going to take a woman who’s really in the spotlight to [spark change], which is why I think it’s so important to be in F1 Academy right now. We're put on such a big stage.
ES: I’m really excited to see the F1 Academy series on Netflix. What was the filming process like?
LB: It was a bit weird in the beginning having big cameras around you all the time when emotions were really high or emotions were really low, and you just wanted them to go away. But I think it's so important for everybody to be able to see what happens behind the scenes and how much work gets put into what we do on track. We’re at a lower level than F1 but there's still a lot of work that goes into it. I think it's going to be cool. They came to my house in Park City, Utah, and we did a little bit of off-road racing and hung out with my family.
ES: There’s a lot that goes into F1 Academy outside of racing. What’s one part of the off-track lifestyle that you really enjoy?
LB: I really enjoy doing physical training. It makes me feel better, and I know it's going to help me perform on track and sustain more G forces on the body. Doing the extra work behind the scenes in the gym has been really fun for me, and I also see a lot of progress.
ES: What does your training program look like?
LB: When I started I had never trained neck muscles and never done a bench press or anything like that, so last year it really ramped up. What we like to focus on are [the areas] that feel sore when I’m in the car and the muscles that we’re using the most. We’re always training to the next level. Yes, I'm in F1 Academy, but we're training to an F3 level to always be one step ahead and make sure we're ready. So upper body is a big one. And being a female, the chest area is a really hard thing to grow muscle-wise. We also have [different] hormones so it's not the same as training as a male. Williams has also helped us behind the scenes with our trainers and physical therapists. So it's definitely been trial and error in that way, but we seem to have a good base right now to keep building up.
ES: Does your team allow you to do winter sports in Park City during the off-season?
LB: When I signed my contract with Williams, there were a couple of things in there that I wasn't allowed to do, which included snowboarding. I was like, ‘Oh, can we take these out?’ They just want me to be careful, which I definitely am, because it would be devastating if I hurt myself during the break. [Racing] is [the] biggest priority, no matter what. I still do things like snowmobiling and snowboarding, but do it at a lower level than I would have a couple of years ago.
ES: What race are you most looking forward to on the calendar this year?
LB: Las Vegas. It's cool that it's so close to my home, I can literally drive there from my house. The atmosphere is going to be insane and it’s the last race for F1 Academy. It’s going to be cool.
The 2025 F1 Academy season kicks off at Shanghai International Circuit in China, the 21-23 March weekend.
