F1 Academy expands grid to 18 cars from 2025
Today, F1 Academy announced that Hitech Grand Prix will join the grid and operate three cars from the 2025 season, expanding the grid to 18 cars.
The expansion of the grid in the third season of F1 Academy reflects the series' rapid growth since it was founded in 2022 and the increasing talent pool of young female drivers. The increase will create additional opportunities for progression for emerging talents who are ready to make the next step into F1 Academy.
The British team, which also currently compete in the GB3 Championship, British Formula 4 and Formula Winter Series, will operate two cars with full time drivers, and a third car which will host the Wild Card entry. The Wild Card was introduced in the 2024 season as an initiative to strengthen the talent pool in F1 Academy race locations, allowing talented young drivers to gain competitive experience, and will run at all seven rounds in 2025.
Six Wild Card entries have featured on the F1 Academy grid in 2024, with three previous Wild Cards, Courtney Crone, Ella Lloyd and Nina Gademan having secured full-time seats for 2025 with Haas, McLaren and Alpine respectively.
Hitech Grand Prix joins the five existing F1 Academy teams, ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, Rodin Motorsport, MP Motorsport and PREMA Racing, with each team set to field three cars for the 2025 season. All six teams have an established history in junior racing including the FIA Formula 3 Championship and FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy said: "We are proud to be expanding the F1 Academy grid to 18 cars in just our third season of racing. It's clear to us that change is already in motion, and this expansion reflects not just the growing talent pool of drivers ready to make the step up but also the incredible growth of F1 Academy as a platform to develop female talent. Hitech Grand Prix has an impressive history in the junior formula, including FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 and we are pleased to welcome them to our grid from 2025."
Oliver Oakes, Owner of Hitech Grand Prix added: "I'm delighted to confirm Hitech’s participation in F1 Academy from the 2025 season. A platform that inspires and supports young girls and women to embark on their motorsportjourney is one that we have always fundamentally believed in and the opportunity to translate support into positive action by entering a team in F1 Academy is really important to us. We applaud the commitment and determination of Susie Wolff as the force behind the change that the series is driving."