The 3rd season of F1 Academy resumes this weekend in China

The F1 Academy prepares to experience an even more competitive and thrilling 2025 season! With the grid expanded to 18 cars compared to 15 in previous seasons, more young female talents will have the opportunity to shine. The age limit for participation is 16 to 25 years at the first race of the season.

The lineup is supported by a mix of prestigious partners: each F1 team has its own designated driver, while other drivers are backed by companies such as American Express, Charlotte Tilbury, PUMA, Tommy Hilfiger, and the new official partner, TAG Heuer. The 17 full-time drivers are confirmed for the season.

Let’s get back to basics

The 2025 calendar is composed of seven rounds, each held as a prelude to a Formula 1 Grand Prix, in six different countries. Each round includes two races, bringing the total to 14 races for the entire season.

The kickoff will take place at the Shanghai International Circuit (China) from March 21 to 23, marking the F1 Academy’s first visit to this country.

A F1 Academy weekend spans three days, following a format similar to F1. However, a few changes have been made for the 2025 season.

Free Practice: up to two 40-minute free practice sessions will allow drivers and teams to optimize settings and assess track conditions.

Qualifications: A 30-minute qualifying session, taking place on Friday or Saturday, will determine the starting grid for race 2.

Race 1 (reverse grid): the big novelty of 2025! The starting grid for race 1 will be reversed for the top 8 qualifying drivers. Drivers ranked from 9th to 18th place will start from their qualifying position. Only the top 8 drivers will score points in race 1, with a bonus point for the fastest lap in the race among these 8 drivers.

Race 2: The starting grid for Race 2 will be based on the times set during the qualifying sessions, as in previous years. Points will be awarded according to a standard scale, from the winner (25 points) to the 10th place (1 point). Two bonus points will be awarded to the pole position driver, and an additional bonus point for the fastest lap (provided they finish in the top 10).

A driver can thus score a maximum of 39 points per weekend, allowing teams to aim for a total of 86 points. No points will be awarded if the leader has completed less than two laps, or if he has completed at least two laps under the safety car conditions.

Expectations for this season

End of vacation for the 15 drivers. For the first time, the series starts in China, with the Shanghai International Circuit hosting the first race of what promises to be a memorable year.

An impressive lineup of seven newcomers is preparing to make their debut in F1 ACADEMY in Shanghai. The 2025 season features a total of ten rookies, including four wild cards from 2024 who are participating full-time for the first time.

American driver Courtney Crone has secured an opportunity with Haas and takes the third seat at ART Grand Prix after cutting her teeth as a Wild Card in Miami last year. Building on her impactful debut in Zandvoort, where she became the first wild card to score points, Nina Gademan (Alpine) joins the reigning champion team PREMA Racing.

Meanwhile, Ella Lloyd (McLaren) joins Rodin Motorsport alongside Emma Felbermayr (Kick Sauber) and Chloe Chong, returning after her 2023 season, to form a trio aiming to replicate the success of Abbi Pulling, who won the title last year with the same team.

Campos Racing welcomes Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull Racing) and Rafaela Ferreira (RB), thus forming a 100% Red Bull Academy team. Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford) is also back for her second year with the Spanish team.

Tommy Hilfiger supports Alba Larsen (Denmark) at MP Motorsport this season. Joanne Ciconte (Australia) will sport the F1 ACADEMY colors during the first round. Among the six drivers returning from the previous season, only Maya Weug (Ferrari) has changed teams, leaving PREMA to complete MP’s trio for her second season.

Finally, the F1 ACADEMY welcomes Hitech TGR, the sixth team on the grid, with two new recruits: Nicole Havrda (American Express) and Aiva Anagnostiadis (TAG Heuer). Local supporters are counting on Shi Wei, the first wild card of the season and the third member of the Hitech trio.

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It’s the return of reverse grids

The drivers will have to prove that they are not only fast in qualifying but also experts in overtaking because the reverse grid races have been reintroduced during the F1 Academy weekend. Introduced for the last time in 2023, this format will see the top eight drivers from qualifying reversed on the grid for Race 1.

Pre-season test

Although Shanghai may be a new weekend racing venue, the 2025 participants have already had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the circuit during pre-season testing earlier this month.

Here is a reformulation of the text, emphasizing the performances and challenges:

Doriane Pin demonstrated an impressive pace, achieving the best time in practice (2’03”046 during the second session). Although she was the fastest, Maya Weug was the most consistent, recording the best time three times over the five sessions.

Nine different drivers featured in the top 5, with Emma Felbermayr standing out particularly among the newcomers with three appearances. The Hitech TGR team, seeking to maximize its track time, accumulated the highest number of laps (575), with Havrda being the driver who covered the most kilometers (203 laps).

If these tests allowed all participants to get a first impression of the season, the weather conditions (alternating between cold and temperatures exceeding 20°C) were not ideal for precise evaluation. Furthermore, the intensive use of the circuit by F1 complicates predictions regarding the track’s evolution. Although second-year drivers may gain an initial advantage from their experience, nothing will be certain before the start of the first sessions on Friday.

The weekend program

This is a novelty this year, Canal+ will also broadcast the F1 Academy.