17 year-old Australian driver Joanne Ciconte may have been the youngest driver on the 2025 F1 Academy grid, yet her talent and potential quickly marked her as one to watch. Driving for MP Motorsport, she went on to finish 14th in the Drivers’ Standings with 8 points. In 2025, Ciconte raced the first three rounds of the season in the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive livery, before switching to a Wella-sponsored design from Montreal onwards.
Before her F1 Academy campaign, she competed in the Formula Winter Championship and raced in multiple F4 Championships, including Australian, Spanish and CEZ. However, despite her limited experience in single-seaters, the 17 year-old embraced the challenge and stepped to race on a global stage. Speaking exclusively to Pit Debrief, Ciconte reflected on her 2025 F1 Academy campaign.
Points in Jeddah remain a standout moment
Ciconte’s 2025 F1 Academy campaign had its ups and downs, but she highlighted her first points finish as a moment she’ll never forget. At the second round of the season in Jeddah, the 17 year-old held on to 9th to score her first ever points in the series. However, looking back on a missed but “thrilling” opportunity, the Australian admitted that after qualifying 6th on debut, she was unable to convert her strong starting position in the reverse-grid race into a podium finish.
“I first gained points in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. So that was my first race points, I think that was quite a stand out because it’s one of my favourite tracks, it’s the world’s fastest street circuit, so that was awesome.”
“And then to kind of backtrack to my debut race in F1 Academy in Shanghai, sixth, so that meant that I started the first race in third place. So that was a bit thrilling at the time and unfortunately things didn’t go the way I’d like to go.”
Racing in Singapore provided the chance to race closest to home. She noted that she “really enjoyed” the track and felt a strong support by Australians who were in attendance that weekend.
“But from then, I think Singapore as well, which was the second last race of the season, that was an incredible race. I really enjoyed that track and to have an Australian audience as well, there was a few Aussies that came down to watch the race, that was awesome as well.”
Managing expectations and defining what makes a successful weekend
The Australian driver reflected that every race brought a unique set of challenges that required her to constantly adapt. Noting motorsport’s unpredictable nature, she explained how results can wildly vary, with things often not going as planned despite a driver and team’s best efforts.
Ciconte said: “Every race was completely different, so that was probably one of the challenging parts, being able to adapt to different races. And not every race was kind of consistent with positions because you know, I’d have an awesome race in Saudi or in Shanghai, but things might not be going the way that I’d like it to go and that’s just kind of how racing is. Motorsport, it’s very up and down and things can lead the wrong way without you wanting it to.”
With many factors out of a driver’s control, she explained that she had learned to manage her expectations. While Ciconte’s limited experience in single-seaters made this challenging, the Australian focused on the bigger picture, reminding herself that—despite the setbacks—at the heart of it all, racing is driven by her passion for the sport.
“It can be out of your control, whether it’s a team’s car having problems or strategy, just that’s how you have to kind of manage it. Yes, it’s hard to manage it. But yeah, I think that just because I had such little experience, I had to kind of take, you know another two steps forward to really try and just change.”
“I had to do a lot of training before that, mentally as well, because motorsport it is a passion and things might not go the way I’d like it to go. But of course, that’s just kind of racing.”
Ciconte credits 2025 F1 Academy season for strengthening her resilience
Since its inaugural season in 2023, F1 Academy has created a pathway for women in single-seater racing, giving them a platform to showcase their talent and gain recognition. But, alongside this opportunity comes the pressure of global audiences, offering plenty of lessons for young drivers like Ciconte. Reflecting on her growth and time in F1 Academy, she credited the championship for strengthening her mental resilience.
Ciconte said: “I think mentally that I’ve grown a lot as a driver, because I used to quite get hurt about the bad results. But I’ve learned over time and still learning that a lot of things can happen in motorsport and just how can you overcome them and how can you look forward.”
“So I think that’s the strongest part about being the driver, how you can look forward and how you can be better for the future and just having discipline and dedication every day. You know, I have the same routine every day, I wake up doing the same thing every day. But somehow in a year’s time, things are completely different for me.”
“So I just think F1 Academy has helped me learn discipline and continue having that dedication and I think that racing in the Kyojo Cup is a true step up to my journey. And, I’m really excited to see where things go from there.”
In 2026, Ciconte embarks on a new chapter after her season in F1 Academy as the 17 year-old is set to compete in Japan’s Kyojo Cup with KCMG. Equipped with valuable lessons from her time in the series, she will be eager to make her mark as Ciconte brings her experience to Japan.
