Courtney Crone will join the F1 Academy grid as a Wild Card entry for this weekend’s round in Miami. Crone will drive for reigning team champions PREMA with support from QVC.
The Wild Card initiative, introduced to help strengthen the talent pool in the regions where F1 Academy races, sees Wild Card entries presented by partners at select rounds of the calendar.
“It’s a huge opportunity that F1 Academy is giving drivers through Wild Card entries, especially in America,” said Crone. “It can be difficult for young girls from outside Europe to know how to get into international series like this, and the support that I’ve been given by F1 Academy, and the PREMA Racing team, has been hugely positive for me. I’d also like to say thank you to QVC for their support of the Wild Card initiative here in Miami. I think this is an amazing opportunity to grow both this series and the sport.”
The 23-year-old Californian drove an F1 Academy car for the first time during a two-day test at Zandvoort a fortnight ago. She currently competes in Lamborghini Super Trofeo NA, and has previously achieved success in disciplines including LMP3, Sprint Cars and speedway motorcycles. Crone was also the winner of IMSA’s Diverse Driver Development Scholarship in 2023.
“The Wild Card entries are designed to promote regional talent and show young women in all our race locations that there is a clear pathway into our sport for anyone who is committed and talented,” said Susie Wolff, F1 Academy managing director.
“We’ve had a huge amount of interest in the Wild Card since it was introduced in Jeddah, and I’d like to thank QVC for supporting our vision and joining us to present our Wild Card entry, Courtney Crone, for the second round of our season alongside Formula 1 at the Miami Grand Prix.”