17-Year-Old American Lia Block Signs With Williams Racing For F1 Academy Season
Rally racing champion Lia Block has signed with the Williams Racing Driving Academy to drive for the ART Grand Prix team in the all-female F1 Academy next year.
The open-wheel series was launched this season as a new step on the Formula One development ladder dedicated to creating more opportunities for women in motorsport.
Block, 17, is the daughter of the late rally and stunt driver Ken Block, who was killed in a snowmobile accident near their Utah home in Utah this January.
“I am so excited to be joining the Williams Driver Academy and competing in F1 Academy in 2024! This is something I never could have dreamed of. I can’t wait to embrace this new experience and learn as much as possible,” Block said in a press release on the announcement.
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Block and co-driver Rhiannon Gelsomino won the open two-wheel class championship of the American Rally Association (ARA), claiming the title when Block was just 16, making her the youngest champion in ARA history.
Block also competed this year for Carl Cox Motorsport in the Extreme E electric off-road racing series and has multiple podium finishes in the Nitrocross series.
The F1 Academy will be her first shot at formula car racing, although she has a background in karting, which is where many open-wheel racing drivers get their start.
The 12-event F1 Academy season kicks off alongside the Formula One race in Saudi Arabia on March 9 and includes a round in Miami on May 5.
The 2023 F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia was signed by Prema to move up to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine series next year.
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