With just two rounds of F1 Academy 2024 left to go, we've officially entered driver announcement season! After 2 seasons, many on the grid have now reached the maximum allowed in series and will either be moving up the formula racing ladder or into other categories.
Drivers we know are leaving:
Hamda Al Qubaisi
Amna Al Qubaisi
Emely De Heus
Abbi Pulling
Jess Edgar
Bianca Bustamante
Carrie Schreiner
Nerea Martí
As sad as we are to lose these drivers from the grid, it does mean there are plenty of seats opening up for the next wave talent. So, which drivers have been confirmed so far, and what rookies should we look out for in 2025?
Confirmed Drivers
Chloe Chambers
Photo Credit: Mark Urban/Red Bull Content Pool
The first driver to be announced for next season, Chambers will be returning to build on the success she's had so far in 2024. For the current season the American driver competes for Campos Racing in addition to being Haas F1's nominated driver. However, for 2025 Chambers has signed with Ford Performance and will join the Red Bull Ford Academy Programme.
Red Bull is a brand that is known for pushing the limits, making world record holder Chambers the perfect addition to their family. Not only that but Red Bull has a strong preference for drivers who can be dominant on track, and after a strong first season Chambers has shown the potential to be a Championship contender for 2025.
Ella Lloyd
Photo Credit: F1 Academy
It's no surprise that after two points finishes as the Wild Card Entrant in Singapore , Welsh driver Lloyd has been snapped up by McLaren to join their driver development programme. The 18-year-old will represent the papaya team while competing with Rodin Motorsport next season off the back of this season's success in British F4.
Despite this being her rookie seasons in F4, Lloyd achieved three P2 finishes, one P1 finish and multiple points finishes, securing P11 in the overall standings. Earlier this year Lloyd also had plenty of success in the Formula Winter Series, earning the Female Driver Trophy on numerous occasions.
Rafaela Ferreira
Photo Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Another newcomer to the Red Bull Family, Ferreira will be representing Visa Cash App RB in the 2025 season.
In 2022, the Brazilian driver was the first woman to score a pole position in the Copa Brasil de Kart and finished P4 in the Championship. She then stepped up to single seaters and has competed in the F4 Brazilian Championship for the past two seasons. Last season she achieved a podium finish during the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend and finished P13 in the overall standings, and this season has gone even better! The 19-year-old made history as the series' first female winner, with not one but two wins, and a further five podiums to her name, currently landing her P4 in the Championship.
Potential Rookies
Nina Gademan
Photo Credit: F1 Academy
Much like her fellow British F4 rookie Lloyd, Gademan gave a stellar performance as a series wild card. Competing at her home round in the Netherlands, she scored points in both races, with a highest finish of P4.
So far in her career the 20-year-old has taken the Karting Slam Gold Medal at the 2019 FIA Motorsport Games, completed two FIA training camps, finished as the leading Rookie in the PTC cup and finished second in her class in the 24 Hours of Zolder race. This season she completed British F4 in P18 with 28 points and a highest finish of P11.
Off-track, Gademan is a social media sensation, with over 88k YouTube subscribers and 113k TikTok followers, she pots both real world and e-racing content, as well as being a content creator for the official F1 Esports social media pages.
Joanne Ciconte
Photo Credit: F4 Spain
15-year-old Ciconte is an Australian racing driver who began karting at the age of 9. In 2023 she competed in state level championships in the highly competitive KA3 Junior Light division, securing an array of podium finishes, and also won the 2023 Australian Ladies Karting Champion Pink Plate.
Alongside this Ciconte was also a 2023 FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars program finalist and got her first taste of Formula 4 driving. In January 2024, she had her Formula 4 race debut at the Shannon's Aust Formula Open Series, finishing p2, competed in Round 1 of Australian F4 , and Rounds 6 and 7 of Spanish F4.
The Australian Sports Foundation are currently raising funds to help Ciconte secure an F1 Academy seat for next season.
Alba Hurup Larsen
Winner of the 2023 FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars program, the Danish racer has spent 2024 building up her Formula 4 experience. Competing in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Indian F4 Championship , with a highest finish of P6 in Chennai.
Larsen has also been periodically testing in an F4 car at Maranello under the supervision of Ferrari, and is a likely candidate to be the third ever female member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, joining current F1 Academy starts Maya Weug and Aurelia Nobels.
The young driver only participated in her first karting race in 2021 but quickly progressed in her craft with mentoring from the likes of F1 star and fellow Dane, Kevin Magnussen.
Alexia Danielsson
Danielsson is a 15-year-old Swedish racing driver currently competing in both the Swedish series Aquila Formula 1000 and the Danish Nordic 4 series. At age 12 in 2021, she became the youngest ever Swede to be awarded a Formula racing license, a major milestone in what is shaping up to be an excellent career.
A significant influence in her passion for racing, Danielsson's father, Alexander 'Alx' Danielsson, is an experienced racing driver having competed in the likes of Formula Ford and the Formula Renault 3.5 series, where he won the 2006 Championship. He has also participated in F1 testing for Renault, and now serves as a racing instructor for his daughter.
In 2023, she had the opportunity to test drive Nico Rosberg's 2007 FW29 Williams F1 Car, as well as receive tips from the legend himself. Speaking on her experience, Danielsson shared, "I remember when I was about to step inside the car I could barely sit still. I was shaking so much because it was an F1 car, so cool, but I was also a bit scared to crash it." "I was very shocked when he (her dad) told me. I honestly thought it was a prank at first because it is an F1 car."
The penultimate round of the 2024 F1 Academy Season kicks off on the 29th of November in Qatar where Abbi Pulling will have the chance to secure victory in the Championship, and the 3-way battle between Prema, Rodin Motorsport and Campos Racing continues.
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