Lia Block, daughter of the late rally driver and stuntman Ken Block, has joined the Williams driver academy. The 17-year-old will drive for ART in the 2024 F1 Academy season.
Block has had an impressive career so far, having competed in rallying, rallycross, and Extreme E. She became the youngest American Rally Association champion in history when she won the Open Two-Wheel Drive class this year.
Moving to Williams for her first full season of open-wheel racing, Lia Block will partner with McLaren junior Bianca Bustamente. Taking after her late father, Lia Block has an immense amount of talent on track.
Williams Racing 🤝 Lia Block
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) November 14, 2023
We can't wait to see what the future will bring!🤩 pic.twitter.com/BKzlm4fS7y
“I am so excited to be joining the Williams Driver Academy and competing in F1 Academy in 2024!” said Block. “This is something I never could have dreamed of. I can’t wait to embrace this new experience and learn as much as possible.”
The American driver is one of the ten drivers on the F1 Academy grid to be selected by a Formula 1 team. Each current Formula 1 team will select a driver and have their livery on the F1 Academy car from 2024 to encourage more involvement from Formula 1 and their fans.
BREAKING: Lia Block signs with Williams Racing to join the F1 Academy grid in 2024!
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) November 14, 2023
As part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy, Block will run the team’s livery while racing for ART Grand Prix.#F1Academy pic.twitter.com/IlJp7OU49R
F1 Academy has had an incredibly successful inaugural season, with their first-ever champion Marta Garcia going on to earn a fully funded Freca seat for the 2024 Formula Renault Eurocup. Since Susie Wolff was announced as managing director of F1 Academy, the series has enhanced its structure and operation.
Wolff has gone on to take the academy to new levels by creating a clearer link between the academy and Formula 1. F1 Academy is a feeder series, it’s not a direct pathway to Formula 1 but it offers young female drivers a greater chance of making it to Formula 1.
F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “Susie, the teams, and everyone involved are working tirelessly to ensure we go from strength to strength and continue to deliver on the important objective we have set out together.”
“In 2024 the F1 Academy will join our race calendar, raising the awareness and profile of the series globally, and to have the F1 liveries on the grid will be something very special.”
From 2024, we will see Lia Block racing for ART in a superb calendar accompanying Formula 1 weekends. Let’s hope that Block has a fantastic season that shows her talent on the track.
