The all-female racing series F1 Academy is set to return to screens next weekend during the Chinese Grand Prix.
F1 Academy has made some key structural changes to the series ahead of its third season running, including the expansion of the grid.
This season is set to be one of the most exciting yet, with fresh faces joining the grid alongside established talents.
Changes to the 2025 F1 Academy calendar
2025 will see F1 Academy run for seven rounds across six countries and three different continents.
The series will kick off in China at the Shanghai International Circuit this weekend before returning to Saudi Arabia in April.
F1 Academy will also return to Miami for Round 3 before racing in Canada for the very first time alongside F1.
The drivers will then return to Zandvoort and Singapore for Rounds 5 and 6, and will wrap up the championship in Las Vegas in November.
The revamped structure of an F1 Academy race weekend
In its third season running, F1 Academy has revamped its race weekend format to include a reverse grid format.
The three-day weekend will begin with two Free Practice sessions on a Friday, lasting up to 40 minutes each.
Qualifying will take place on either Friday or Saturday, with only 30 minutes for drivers to set their fastest times.
F1 Academy has made Race 1 a reverse grid race, set by reversing the top eight drivers’ qualifying times.
Drivers who qualified ninth place and under will start Race 1 in the position they secured during qualifying.
Race 1 will take place on a Saturday, awarding only the top eight drivers with points, and an extra point for the fastest lap.
Race 2 on Sunday will take the traditional race format of drivers starting where they qualified, fighting for the full 25 points on offer.
F1 Academy points allocations
| RACE 1 | RACE 2 | ||
| 1st | 10 | 1st | 25 |
| 2nd | 8 | 2nd | 18 |
| 3rd | 6 | 3rd | 15 |
| 4th | 5 | 4th | 12 |
| 5th | 4 | 5th | 10 |
| 6th | 3 | 6th | 8 |
| 7th | 2 | 7th | 6 |
| 8th | 1 | 8th | 4 |
| 9th | 2 | ||
| 10th | 1 |
How Formula 1 supports F1 Academy
F1 Academy is a Formula 1 feeder series featured on the ‘support series’ programme, which means they compete during F1 weekends.
Building on the partnership established last season with F1, all ten F1 teams are required to ‘nominate’ a driver to the grid.
This often takes the form of F1 teams adopting these young female drivers into their academies, while some teams may nominate the driver for just one campaign.
Drivers who do not have the backing of F1 teams can be supported by other F1 Academy partners including American Express, Tommy Hilfiger, and Charlotte Tilbury.
What is an F1 Academy Wild Card driver?
F1 Academy introduced Wild Card drivers last season in an effort to showcase local female talent from the regions they race in.
These one-off entries gave drivers like Courtney Crone and Nina Gademan a chance to show their skills on a global scale.
Since its introduction last season, Wild Card entries have been incredibly useful for spotting and signing talent.
Wild Card entrants like Crone and Gademan put in strong debut performances and have been nominated by F1 teams for full-time seats this season.
The first confirmed Wild Card entrant is Chinese driver Wei Shi, who will make her F1 Academy debut in the opening round in Shanghai.
What teams and drivers are competing in 2025?
The expansion of the F1 Academy grid to 18 drivers has added the team of Hitech TGR to the field.
Hitech TGR will host the Wild Card seat alongside two full-time drivers, F1 Academy rookies Nicole Havrda and Aiva Anagnostiadis.
Championship winners, PREMA Racing retain 2024 runner-up Doriane Pin and Aston Martin’s Tina Hausmann while adopting former wild card driver Nina Gademan.
Rodin Motorsport replaced title-winner Abbi Pulling with three new faces; McLaren’s Ella Lloyd, American driver Chloe Chong, and rookie Emma Felbermayr.
Spanish team Campos Racing employ three Red Bull-nominated drivers in Chloe Chambers, Rafaela Ferreira, and Alisha Palmowski.
MP Motorsport has also replaced their line-up with third-place finisher Maya Weug and 16-year-old rookies Joanne Ciconte and Alba Larsen.
Retaining two 2024 drivers in Aurelia Nobels and Lia Block, ART Grand Prix enhanced its line-up with Wild Card driver Courtney Crone.
| Driver | Team | Support |
| Doriane Pin | PREMA Racing | Mercedes |
| Tina Hausmann | PREMA Racing | Aston Martin |
| Nina Gademan | PREMA Racing | Alpine |
| Ella Lloyd | Rodin Motorsport | McLaren |
| Chloe Chong | Rodin Motorsport | Charlotte Tilbury |
| Emma Felbermayr | Rodin Motorsport | Kick Sauber |
| Chloe Chambers | Campos Racing | Red Bull Ford |
| Rafaela Ferreira | Campos Racing | Racing Bulls |
| Alisha Palmowski | Campos Racing | Red Bull Racing |
| Alba Larsen | MP Motorsport | Tommy Hilfiger |
| Joanna Ciconte | MP Motorsport | F1 Academy |
| Maya Weug | MP Motorsport | Scuderia Ferrari |
| Courtney Crone | ART Grand Prix | Haas |
| Aurelia Nobels | ART Grand Prix | PUMA |
| Lia Block | ART Grand Prix | Williams |
| Nicole Havrda | Hitech TGR | American Express |
| Aiva Anagnostiadis | Hitech TGR | TAG Heuer |
| Wei Shi (Wild Card) | Hitech TGR | Juss Sports |
Where to watch F1 Academy 2025: F1 Academy will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports during Formula 1 race weekends.
31ydxr