Yahoo Autos Lia Block Will Run F1 Academy With Williams
Lia Block, the 17-year-old racer and daughter of the late Ken Block, is headed to the all-female F1 Academy series. Williams Racing announced Tuesday that it signed Block to represent the team in the 2024 F1 Academy series. Block will drive for the ART Grand Prix team.
The F1 Academy series is open to 15 woman drivers, and for 2024, each of the 10 teams on the Formula 1 grid will support one driver, whose car will wear the supporting team's livery. Block was the second F1-team-supported driver to be announced after McLaren-backed Bianca Bustamante, who will also race for ART Grand Prix.
Racer reports that Block has tested a number of open-wheel cars over the last few years, and that along with Williams, there was another F1 team monitoring her progress. Most recently, she became the youngest person to win an American Rally Association championship, taking the open two-wheel drive title last month days before her 17th birthday.
James Vowels, Williams Team Principal said "[w]e are excited to welcome Lia to Williams Racing as our F1 Academy driver for 2024. Lia has already achieved a tremendous amount in motorsport, has incredible natural talent, and the champion mindset and dedication to make a success of her journey into open-wheel racing. We cannot wait to get started on this journey together."
For 2024, the F1 Academy will hold races across seven F1 grand prix weekends. The goal of the series is to increase female representation in open-wheel racing, with the ultimate aim to get a woman into Formula 1. It's a spec series, with each of the 15 drivers behind the wheel of a Forumla 4 car, and each team fielding three entries. F1 subsidizes the costs of entry, with drivers expected to put up €100,000 for the 2024 season.
"I am so excited to be joining the Williams Driver Academy and competing in F1 Academy in 2024!" Block said in a statement. "This is something I never could have dreamed of. I can’t wait to embrace this new experience and learn as much as possible."
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