Interview

‘Get back to where we actually belong’ – Nobels filled with renewed confidence on return to Miami

1 May 2025

Aurelia Nobels has endured a testing start to her sophomore F1 ACADEMY season, but the PUMA driver is determined to put those difficulties behind her in Miami.

Across the first two rounds, Nobels has suffered back-to-back retirements in Shanghai following contact from teammate Lia Block in Race 1 and being left with nowhere to go after Joanne Ciconte was sent spinning in Race 2.

While the Brazilian took the chequered flag in both Jeddah races, Nobels admits she was frustrated that she had no points to show for her efforts.

“It was definitely a tough start to the season,” Nobels began. “I wasn’t expecting at all to not score points in both first rounds. I was quite unlucky in China (after) not doing any laps in the races.

“Then in Jeddah, in the second race I did a very good start and I was already in the points in the first lap, but I had to avoid Emma who spun in front of me and I ended up losing four to five positions. It's very frustrating because I thought I did a good job, I had a good start.

Nobels is yet to score a point after two challenging opening rounds

“I was aggressive on the first laps, I did the job and (then) having to avoid someone in front of me and losing all of this was really hard. But the pace is still not there, it’s still not where we want to be. With the team we're working really hard to get back to where we actually belong.”

Crucially, Nobels isn’t putting her point-less outings down to one factor, with her lack of Qualifying pace putting her outside the top-10 and leaving her at the mercy of the scramble for positions at the back of the pack.

“It’s more a combination of things,” she explained. “In the races, it’s more about luck. In China and Jeddah, I didn’t have any luck (either) having to avoid or someone crashing into me. Qualifying it’s more about missing pace.

“In China, we weren’t really set with the set-up, so I wasn’t feeling comfortable with the car. Jeddah was already much better, but I was missing some pace (as) I didn’t adapt well to the grip. Now for Miami, I worked really hard in the sim and I’m pretty confident, I had a lot of pace there last year and a lot of potential.”

The PUMA driver is confident that she can return to form in Miami

Fortunately for Nobels, Miami proved to be a happier hunting ground for ART Grand Prix last season, with Bianca Bustamante scoring their only podium of the campaign. Although points eluded the Ferrari junior on her last visit to the American circuit, she believes there’s untapped potential she can unlock.

She concluded: “For all the girls who are in their second year, it’s kind of an advantage because we all know the track and we have only two Free Practices. For the rookies, it’s not going to be easy. In Jeddah and China, we had three days of testing so (we had) a lot of time to learn the track, so I do think we have an advantage.

“I’m pretty confident because I had the pace last year and now with the team we’re set with the set-up. I’ve worked on myself so I think we have a good chance to score good points.”