2025 F1 Academy Gets Underway in Shanghai
The 2025 F1 Academy season officially kicked off under clear skies at the Shanghai International Circuit, marking an exciting start to the 2025 campaign. Among the 18 drivers participating in Free Practice was Canada’s Nicole Havrda.
Although all teams had completed three days of pre-season testing, Free Practice in Shanghai offered the first real opportunity for the drivers to measure their performance under actual race weekend conditions. With the Shanghai circuit being a new addition to the F1 Academy calendar, maximizing track time was essential.
The Free Practice session was anything but straightforward, with a series of incidents disrupting the flow. With 19 minutes remaining, the session was red flagged after Racing Bulls’ Rafaela Ferreira collided with Williams driver Lia Block as Block attempted to overtake down the back straight. Block’s car suffered heavy damage after crashing into the barrier.
The only practice session of the weekend resumed with eight minutes left on the clock, giving drivers limited time to make their mark. Another brief interruption occurred when Shanghai Wild Card driver Shi Wei spun at the entry of Turn 1, prompting a yellow flag.
At the close of the session, Nicole Havrda finished 14th overall, ahead of her two teammates at Hightech TGR. The team and Nicole continue to adjust to the unfamiliar F4 car, a challenge that they squad are taking in stride as they work toward their goal of improved performance in the coming sessions.
Free Practice (FP) Results
- Doriane Pin
- Tina Hausmann
- Chloe Chambers
- Maya Weug
- Nina Gademan
- Ella Lloyd
- Joanne Ciconte
- Emma Felbermayr
- Alisha Palmowski
- Chloe Chong
- Alba Hurup Larsen
- Aurelia Nobels
- Aiva Anagnostiadis
- Nicole Havrda
- Courtney Crone
- Wei Shi (WCD)
- Lia Block
- Rafaela Ferreira
