2025 F1 Academy Grid: Who are they and who are they racing for?

Credit: Hugo Hu

F1 Academy returns once again to the motorsport scene for 2025, as the all-female feeder series championship prepares for its third season this calendar year.

The championship was introduced in 2022 following the financial drowning of the W Series and therefore F1 stepped up to the task and gave these female drivers an opportunity to grow in a brand-new championship that was named F1 Academy.

Since 2023, the F1 Academy has run and we have seen many drivers come and go including the only two champions who are Spanish driver Marta Garcia and the reigning 2024 F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling.

This year, the grid will extend from the 14 drivers + a wildcard entry to 17 drivers + a wildcard entry. This is due to the addition of Hitech TGR who join the championship for the first time and add F1 Academy to the list of many feeder series championships they compete in - along with FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3.

Each driver will also be backed by a sponsorship or a Formula 1 team as all 10 teams will sponsor a driver in 2025, with some retaining their drivers from 2024 whereas some have gone for someone else on the F1 Academy grid.

In this piece we will look into the 17 drivers who are signed up to the championship for 2025, across each team. To begin we will start with the reigning Teams' champions - Prema Racing.

3. Nina Gademan - Prema Racing (NLD)

Credit: Joe Portlock

First up is Dutch racing driver Nina Gademan, who will be backed by the BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team, and is set to have her rookie campaign in the 2025 F1 Academy Championship.
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Gademan won't be making her F1 Academy debut though as she was a wildcard entry at the Netherlands round in 2024, which was her home event. In the round, she competed at a high level and scored more points than any of the other wildcard entries.

​The 21-year old has limited experience out of karting but does have a full season of British F4 under her belt, where she finished 18th overall with 28 points to her name.

Gademan will be one of three drivers to race full time at Prema Racing for 2025 and will take on Alpine's backing for this season's F! Academy, which was the position Abbi Pulling found herself in, on the way to winning the 2024 title.

28. Doriane Pin - Prema Racing (FRA)

Credit: Hugo Hu

Next up at Prema is the 2024 F1 Academy runner up Doriane Pin, who continues being supported by the Mercedes AMG Formula 1 Team for the 2025 campaign.

Pin shone in her rookie season back in 2024, taking three race victories and five additional podiums on the road to finishing second in the standings - 121 points behind eventual champion Abbi Pulling.

Away from the F1 Academy scene, Pin has competed in a variety of different motorsport championships including the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA).

She will join up for her second season of F1 Academy with Prema, for her second consecutive season with the team. After finishing runner up in 2024, she will be hoping to go one further by winning the title in 2025.

78. Tina Hausmann - Prema Racing (SUI)

Credit: Joe Portlock

Completing the trio at Prema Racing is returning Swiss driver Tina Hausmann, who is backed by the Aramco Aston Martin Formula 1 Team for the 2025 campaign, just like she was in 2024.

Hausmann had a bit more of a difficult 2024 than her teammates Pin and Weug, who both finished in the top five in the championship, while Hausmann languished down in 10th with 31 points. In contrast, Weug picked up 177 and Pin picked up 2017.

The 18-year old secured a highest finishing position of fourth across 2024, which came in the final race of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Hausmann's second best result was sixth in the season opener at Jeddah back in February.

She will complete the Prema lineup and will be hoping to make improvements on her season in 2024, where she was learning her trade but now she will look to build and use the powerful Prema team system to her advantage.

5. Emma Felbermayr - Rodin Motorsport (AUT)

Credit: Hugo Hu

Over at Rodin Motorsport, Austrian driver Emma Felbermayr, will be entering the championship for the very first time as she takes up the backing of Kick Sauber for the 2025 season.

Felbermayr is from a family that is evolved around motorsport with her being a third generation racer - this comes after her grandfather and father having both competed in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 18-year old is yet to race in open-wheel feeder series championships for the first time after having competed in karting up until the 2025 year, which is set to see her start her journey as she learns the challenge of the open-wheel racing machinery.

Felbermayr will be one of three drivers racing in 2025 and will be hoping to make her mark on the Feeder Series championships and take a big step in her career as she will no doubt have her sights set on making it to the very top of world motorsport.

20. Ella Lloyd - Rodin Motorsport (GBR)

Credit: Joe Portlock

Next up at the Rodin Motorsport team is Welsh racing driver Ella Lloyd, who backed by McLaren, will be entering the championship for her first full season in the F1 Academy championship.

Lloyd participated as a Wildcard member of the Singapore round of the 2024 season. Lloyd impressed in her only weekend in the championship by scoring eight points in total. A great achievement as she finished ninth and seventh in race 1 and race 2 respectively.

Outside of F1 Academy life, Lloyd competed in the British F4 Championship in 2024, where she finished overall after scoring four podiums across the season's events. This included three second place finishes as she finished 11th overall.

Lloyd will be backed by the McLaren F1 Team for 2025 as she is part of their Driver Development Programme. She will be part of the Rodin Motorsport trio and one of two rookies that will form their lineup.

27. Chloe Chong (GBR)

To complete the Rodin Motorsport lineup for the 2025 F1 Academy season is returning driver Chloe Chong, who will be backed by Charlotte Tilbury for the season.

Chong is making a return to the F1 Academy championship after her first season came in the 2023 championship, which was the inaugural season of the championship's history. She would finish 14th overall and took one fastest lap.

As for 2024, Chong competed in the British F4 Championship with JHR Developments. At the end of the season, she would finish 16th in the overall final standings whilst scoring a total of 29 points.

This will be a big year for Chong with her returning to the championship, with a bit of extra experience compared to what she had when she started her first season in 2023.
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14. Chloe Chambers - Campos Racing (USA)

Credit: Pauline Ballet

At Campos Racing, continuing with the team for the second season in a row and her second season in F1 Academy is American Chloe Chambers, who is backed by Red Bull Ford.

Chambers will continue at Campos after competing in her rookie season of F1 Academy, with the team in the 2024 campaign, as she was backed by the Haas F1 Team. It was a rookie season of positives for Chambers as she was one of only four drivers to taste victory that campaign.

The American racing driver ended up sixth in the standings with 122 points to her name and three further podiums along with her victory. Chambers also has a history of competing in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship (FROC) and the W Series, which concluded in 2022 due to a lack of funding.

Chambers will be hoping to build on her victory and podiums in 2024 by pushing herself towards the title of F1 Academy Champion in 2025, with the support of Red Bull Ford for the upcoming campaign.

18. Rafaela Ferreira - Campos Racing (BRA)

Credit: Meg Oliphant

Entering the F1 Academy series for the very first time is Brazilian talent Rafaela Ferreira, who will be racing for Campos while being backed by the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula 1 Team.

Ferreira will be entering the F1 Academy championship for the very first time, with no previous wildcard entries that she can use to her advantage. It will be a tough season for Ferriera at Campos, with the spotlight of the Formula One world on her.

The 19-year old joins the world of F1 Academy following a good season in the 2024 Brazilian F4 Championship where she picked up an array of trophies on her way to fourth in the standings. Three victories, with seven further podiums would go alongside the two pole positions and two fastest laps she picked up.

Ferreira will be alongside Chambers at Campos Racing, in a team that has taken on three members of the Red Bull family in 2025 and Brazilian Ferreira will be one of two rookies in this coming season's lineup.

21. Alisha Palmowski - Campos Racing (GBR)

Credit: Hugo Hu

Completing the lineup at Campos Racing and being backed by Red Bull Racing is British talent Alisha Palmowski who will be competing in her first full season of the F1 Academy Championship.

Palmowski will be enduring her first full season but will not be making her F1 Academy debut as that came in her wildcard entry appearance at Qatar back in November 2024. It was a positive impression that was left by Palmowski as she finished fifth in her only race in Qatar due to Race 2 being cancelled.

Outside of her one and only appearance in the championship, Palmowki competed in the GB4 Championship throughout the 2024 season, where she finished runner up behind eventual champion Linus Granfors. 

She will complete the Campos Racing lineup for the 2025 F1 Academy season in a very competitive lineup and will be hoping to show the speed she showed in her wildcard entry round at Qatar, being backed by Red Bull Racing.

12. Alba Larsen - MP Motorsport (DNK)

Credit: Joe Portlock

At MP Motorsport, entering the F1 Academy Championship for the very first time will be Danish racing driver Alba Larsen, who will receive the backing from clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger.

Larsen will be participating in her first season of the F1 Academy championship and will also be making her debut in the series at the season opener in Shanghai, with her keen to make an impression on this championship that has the eyes of the world watching.

The 16-year old is mentored by Danish Formula One podium finisher Kevin Magnussen and in the early stages of her career so far she has made a two-round appearance in the 2024 Indian F4 Championship, where she finished eighth in her second race and claimed a podium as the best rookie.

Larsen will take to a new feeder series championship to get herself learning open-wheel feeder series racing. She will endure her first season backed by Tommy Hilfiger, like Nerea Marti in 2024, as well as driving for the well recognised Dutch team in MP Motorsport.

25. Joanne Ciconte - MP Motorsport (AUS)

Credit: Erick W. Rasco

Up next as the second of two rookies at MP Motorsport, in the 2025 F1 Academy Championship, is Australian racer Joanne Ciconte who will be backed by F1 Academy for the upcoming season.

Ciconte is also just 16 years old like Larsen but is also the youngest driver in the permanent field of F1 Academy stars in 2025. Ciconte will be making her debut in Shanghai as she has no prior appearance in the series, and therefore will also be enduring her first full season of the championship.

The Australian driver has had very minimal experience in open-wheel feeder series racing before as she has had experience in Australian F4, Spanish F4, the Central European Zone F4 Championship and the Formula Winter Series.

Ciconte will further her experience of different championship machinery in feeder series categories, as she enters F1 Academy. She will join Alba Larsen in being a rookie at the MP Motorsport for the 2025 campaign.

53. Maya Weug - MP Motorsport (NLD)

Credit: Pauline Ballet

To complete the 2025 F1 Academy lineup for Dutch team MP Motorsport is Dutch driver Maya Weug, who is backed by Scuderia Ferrari as she is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy as she returns for a second campaign.

Weug makes the move to MP Motorsport to form an all-Dutch partnership in 2025, after spending the 2024 F1 Academy season at Prema Racing, where she shared a team with Tina Hausmann and Doriane Pin. During her rookie season, she would finish third overall following one win, one fastest lap and seven further podiums with a points total of 177 points.

The 20-year old has experience in Feeder series racing with her having had time competing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) and the Italian F4 Championship.

Weug will be hoping to go better than third in 2024, by potentially taking the F1 Academy title in 2025 at MP Motorsport, as she continues to receive the support from Scuderia Ferrari. She will be one of the favourites alongside former teammate Pin.

7. Courtney Crone - ART Grand Prix (USA)

Credit: Simon Galloway

After a wildcard entry appearance in Miami back in May 2024, American Courtney Crone will be taking on her first full season of F1 Academy in 2025, with the ART Grand Prix team as she receives the backing of Haas.

Crone appeared in Miami back in May becoming just the second wildcard entry of the 2024 F1 Academy season, with the driver making her F1 Academy debut on home soil and in front of her home crowd. She had a highest finishing position of 11th narrowly missing out on a points-scoring finish.

The 24-year old has transitioned from growing up with racing two-wheel machines to now racing with four wheels. Previous experience for Crone has come in the United States F4 Championship in 2019.

Crone will take one of the three seats at ART Grand Prix and will be looking to try and grow her skills and her racing record in the F1 Academy Championship as she receives the backing of American Formula One Team - Haas.

22. Aurelia Nobels - ART Grand Prix (BRA)

Credit: Hugo Hu

One of two returning drivers at ART for 2025 is Brazilian racing driver Aurelia Nobels, who will continue to receive the support and backing of Puma just like she did in the 2024 campaign.

In her first season of F1 Academy, where she was the youngest driver on the grid, Nobels would improve her racecraft throughout the 2024 campaign as she would end the championship 12th overall with 29 points. Throughout the season, she would take six points finishes, with a highest finish of fifth.

Also in 2024, Nobels completed in various championships including the Saudi Arabian F4, UAE F4 and the British F4 Championships, with her sole focus in 2024 being around F1 Academy.

Nobels will enter her second season of F1 Academy in 2025 with ART Grand Prix and she will be hoping to improve her results and be a more consistent appearance-maker at the front of the field, with Puma continuing to support her racing.

57. Lia Block - ART Grand Prix (USA)

Credit: Joe Portlock

To complete the ART Grand Prix driver lineup is returning American racing driver Lia Block, who is backed by Williams Racing for the second successive season.

Block entered the championship for her first full season in 2024 and in 2025 she will endure her second successive F1 Academy season with the ART Grand Prix team. She finished eighth overall with a total of 44 points, and a highest finishing position of fourth.

The 18-year old, who is the daughter of legendary rally driver Ken Block, has competed in a variety of championships in open-wheel feeder series racing including participating in the 2025 Eurocup-4 Spanish Winter Championship.

Lia will be hoping to step onto the F1 Academy podium in 2025, which is something she could not quite do in 2024. This will be her second season with ART and she will hope to make it count.

2. Nicole Havrda - Hitech TGR (CAN)

Credit: Hugo Hu

One of the two full time Hitech TGR drivers for the 2025 F1 Academy championship is Canadian racing driver Nicole Havrda, who has received the backing of American Express for the upcoming campaign.

Havrda is to make her F1 Academy debut in Shanghai, ahead of her first full season in the championship with the brand new team on the grid Hitech TGR. The team Hitech, will be competing in the F1 Academy championship in 2025 for the very first time, and will make it six teams now on the grid.

Previous racing experience for Havrda includes two campaigns where she was involved in Formula Regional Americas. In the most recent campaign of 2024, Havrda picked up four podiums in 19 races to finish sixth in the overall standings.

Havrda will be one of just two drivers at Hitech TGR in a full-time drive in 2025 as the third space is designated to a wildcard entry for each of the seven rounds to come in 2025.

11. Aiva Anagnostiadis - Hitech TGR (AUS)

Credit: Joe Portlock

Last but not least, to complete the 2025 F1 Academy Championship full-time lineup is Aiva Anagnostiadis, who will be participating with Hitech TGR for 2025, as she is backed by Tag Heur.

Anagnostiadis will make her debut in Shanghai, like Hitech teammate Nicole Havrda, and will also be enduring her first full season in the championship, which is under the watchful eye of the Formula One world.

The Australian racing driver, who was born in Melbourne, has limited open-wheel feeder series racing experience with only a full season of the Indian F4 Championship and a few races in the Formula Winter Series so far in 2025.

Anagnostiadis completes the full time drivers of the 2025 F1 Academy Championship, with her partnering Havrda in 2025 and a different wildcard entry at each and every round of the 2025 championship.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer - F1 Journal