Courtney Crone announced as Wild Card entry for F1 ACADEMY Round 2 in Miami

F1 ACADEMY™ has today announced that American racer Courtney Crone will join the grid as the Wild Card entry for Round 2 of the F1 ACADEMY season in Miami, in a deal that will see her team up with reigning Teams' Champions PREMA Racing and shoppable entertainment retailer 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.

Crone will take to the track at the Miami International Autodrome in a QVC-branded livery and race suit as the series takes its place alongside Formula 1 at the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2024 following a successful season opener in Jeddah in March.

The 23 year-old driver’s preparation for the entry began two weeks ago in Zandvoort as she got behind the wheel of an F1 ACADEMY car for the first time as part of a two-day Official Test event. Hailing from California, Crone started racing karts at 3 years old and has achieved success in multiple racing disciplines including Sprint Cars, LMP3 prototypes, speedway motorcycles, and most recently Lamborghini Super Trofeo.

PREMA Racing will operate the Wild Card entry presented by QVC alongside their three full-time entries and has provided training and support to Crone in the lead-up to her F1 ACADEMY debut.

Susie Wolff, MBE, F1 Academy Managing Director, added: “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. 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.”

Speaking about being the F1 ACADEMY Wild Card entry in Miami, Courtney Crone, said: “It’s a huge opportunity that F1 ACADEMY is giving drivers through Wild Card entries, especially in America. 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.”

Annette Dunleavey, VP, Brand Marketing from QVC said: “QVC is a leader in live shoppable entertainment, bringing our customers -- largely women over the age of 50 -- to unexpected places to discover new finds and experiences. Our new Age of Possibility campaign is all about supporting our customers to live their best and most empowered lives. F1 has been innovating and influencing live sports for more than 70 years. The launch of the all-female driver category, F1 ACADEMY, is a testament to their commitment of elevating women in the sport and we are proud to support this vision and Courtney Crone in the race.”