The 2025 F1 Academy season, marks the second, and final season for America’s Lia Block. Supported by Williams in both seasons, and run by ART Grand Prix, F1 Academy sought out a new challenge for the driver. At the mid-point of her final F1 Academy season, Block sits in P10, with only 15 points. She finished the 2024 season in P8, with 44 points, thus creating the goal of beating her previous standings position.
A rocky season start in Shanghai
The opening round of the 2025 F1 Academy season, saw Block struggling in Shanghai. A collision in Qualifying saw her starting from the rear of grid, unable to set a time. Race 1 saw her misfortune continuing. Starting from last, an unfortunate collision between herself, and her teammate, Aurelia Nobels, saw her required to fight back harder.
After a recovery drive, Block finished Race 1 in P9. Another chaos filled race during Race 2, allowed Block to secure her second P9 finish of the weekend.
The contrast of Jeddah and Miami
Round 2 in Jeddah brought yet another tricky weekend for Block, with an incident in Qualifying not allowing her to set a time. Despite a rather clean Race 1 for the American, a spin during her climb to the front, saw her finishing P12. Race 2 was a steady climb for Block, with a P14 finish being all she was capable of.
Although Round 3 in Miami is where Block’s luck began to turn around. A small run off in the early stages of Qualifying did not faze Block, turning around to secure the 5th fastest time. Race 1 could be considered bittersweet. An early incident saw Block affected, although she managed to cross the line P10, taking the final points position. With an upwards trajectory, Race 2 being postponed was a disappointment for the American on home soil.
Montreal
Montreal was a new addition to the F1 Academy calendar in 2025, so while the circuit is already tricky, the lack of experience and data added to the struggles. Despite this, Block showed early promise in Qualifying, although only securing P9. With three races across the weekend, Race 1 took the starting grid from Miami, reinstating the postponed Race 2.
Starting Race 1 from P4, session interruptions saw a P5 finish as the most she was capable of. Race 2, the first regularly scheduled race from the Montreal Qualifying results, saw Block promoted to a P9 start, after penalties for drivers ahead of her. With a chaos filled Race 2, Block was able to gain a single position to finish P8.
Race 3 brought home a detrimental result for the American. After misjudging her braking, colliding with Ferreira, and ending her race with a DNF.
The Championship battle ahead
It is looking unlikely that Lia Block will have an outstanding end to her final season in F1 Academy. The top four in the Championship battle are super close, with P4 accumulating 67 points, a vast 52 points ahead of the American.
Despite this, Block will continue to push, striving for the best results possible. Hopefully, she will succeed in this push.
