Lia Block returns to F1 Academy for sophomore campaign with ART GP and Williams

After a highly positive debut season marked by great progress, Lia Block will return to F1 Academy for a second season, as the 18 year old announced that she will continue with ART Grand Prix, again representing Williams F1 team in 2025.

Photo credits: Williams Racing

Williams Academy Lia Block is about to complete her first ever full season in single seaters and has certainly impressed in her rookie campaign, making strides across the season, from pre-season testing to the doorsteps of the podium on several occasions.

Block will now return to F1 Academy for a second season, as the 18 year old announced that she will continue with ART Grand Prix, again representing Williams F1 team in 2025.

“I’m excited to be racing with Williams Racing and ART Grand Prix for the 2025 season, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone in the Driver Academy for another year”, commented Block, who will also remain as member of the Williams development program.

“We’ve made so much progress, and I can’t wait to hit the track again in Shanghai. This time we fight for wins!”

Block started her motorsport career in rallying in the American Rally Association, then became the youngest champion in the series’ history in 2023, securing the title in the O2WD class.

At the same time, she also made her debut in Extreme E as part of the Carl Kox Motorsport team, while also competing in rallycross.

In 2024, she announced a transition to open wheel racing and started a testing program that would see her being announced as part of the Williams Academy for her F1 Academy debut.

Her preparation included three rounds in the Formula Winter Series in Spain, before making her first start in the all female championship in Saudi at Jeddah.

Block impressed with great progression over the whole season and her single lap pace has been a particular highlight, with notable qualifying performances.

She scored her first points at her home race in Miami in the second round, which kicked off a four-race streak of consecutive point scoring results, including a sixth place in Barcelona.

She enjoyed her best weekend to date at Singapore, where she finished twice fourth, and qualified again on the second row in Qatar, consistently fighting in the top five throughout the second half of the season.

Her return to F1 Academy signals her potential to fight at the top end of the field as she will aim to capitalize on the continuity with the same team, ART Grand Prix, which also run the young American in one off round in Italian F4.

She is currently eighth in the drivers standings, the highest placed driver without a podium to her name yet, with three races in Abu Dhabi still to be contested.

“We’re thrilled to have Lia racing with us in F1 Academy for 2025”, said Sven Smeets, sporting director at Williams Racing. “Lia has shown impressive improvement throughout her first season of open-wheel racing, progressing race after race to end the year in a great position. We’ll be closely watching her continued growth in the coming year.”

She is the seventh driver to be confirmed for the 2025 season, and the second American at ART Grand Prix, as she will share the garage with compatriot Courtney Crone.