Courtney Crone is currently in the depths of her rookie F1 Academy campaign as a driver for ART Grand Prix. With the support of Haas, the talented driver is aiming for an experienced rookie year. The American driver made her debut in 2024 when she was granted a Wild Cart entry in Miami. While the Haas development driver remains without points this season, she will be looking to change that in Zandvoort for Round 5.
Crone has had a love for racing from a young age as a result of traveling with her father’s racing team at a young age. At the age of three, the American already got her first taste of go-karting and found herself hungry for more. Crone has dabbled in various disciplines of racing, including motorcycle, open-wheel, and closed-wheel racing. Her varied experience and talent makes her a powerhouse of a driver with a bright future ahead.
Earliest racing memories
The Haas development driver recently opened up about her motorsport journey and revealed how she became the driver she is today. It is clear that the ART Grand Prix driver’s father, Jack Crone, had a massive impact on her love for racing. The 24-year-old expressed the importance her early memories with her dad for her racing journey, stating:
“Every day, my dad would have me on a motorcycle outside of our house, and I would say those are my earliest memories of my life in general. It was something I looked forward to doing every single day.“
The Californian continued on to explain that while she grew up switching between two and four wheel racing, she eventually outgrew the two-wheels and fully focused on four-wheel racing.
“I dabbled back and forth between two and four wheels quite a bit up until I was about 12 years old. That was when I stopped racing Speedway motorcycles and completely focused on, at that time, Sprint Car racing. At that point, the bikes were going to kind of outgrow me because I was quite small and they were starting to get really heavy and I was racing a 250cc Speedway motorcycle. I made the decision early to get off the bikes and just focus fully on car racing.
“My favourite part about actually racing and what drove me to love is just the competition aspect of it. I love racing against other people and not only in racing, but in life in general I’m pretty competitive in every sport I do.”
Crone’s competitive spirit can only fuel her desire for racing in F1 Academy and it is without doubt that she will do everything to secure her first points in Zandvoort.
The Speedway helped boost confidence
Moreover, the American dove into more detail about her two-wheel journey. Crone raced Junior Speedway when she was only 11 years old, and winning championships at such a young age could only help boost her confidence. Dabbling in both two-wheel and four-wheel racing has undoubtably aided Crone, not only in her passion for racing, but also in becoming a well-rounded driver.
“In North America, they had created a huge invitational race (the Monster Energy World Invitational) where they brought a lot of professional Speedway riders over from Europe. I was racing Junior Speedway at the time and I won the junior race that they had.
“There were thousands and thousands of fans and it was the first time I had won a race in front of a huge crowd of people. Being 11 years old, that was a huge moment for me and I thought it was the coolest thing in the whole world
“(The race) was really fun because it was a two-day event — generally a Speedway event is kind of like a one night show. Just having people come from all over the country for a Speedway motorcycle race was unheard of because Speedway is such a small sport in America, not like it is over in Europe. It was just special because I didn’t realise that many people were that interested in Speedway in America.
“I was always very confident on a motorcycle, especially when racing Speedway, I won a lot of championships and races when I was on the bikes, that definitely boosted my confidence a little bit. I always enjoyed my time on bikes.”
Racing dirt cars
As stated, the American dipped her toes into various forms of racing, including USAC Midgets, which became one of her favorite memories. The ART driver revealed that racing on the Calistoga Speedway was the biggest race she has led in her career thus far, stating:
“My third moment would probably be when I was racing a USAC Midget at Calistoga Speedway in California for two reasons. One, because I still to this day think that Calistoga Speedway is the coolest race track in the world even though it’s not a road race course. For racing Midget dirt cars on a half-mile track, it’s quite awesome.
“That was a big one because a lot of the national drivers came out and raced that race. There were some big names and I led a few laps. Ultimately, unfortunately the car broke but I would say it was definitely the biggest race I have ever led in my career for sure.“
The tight racing and fun of USAC Midget race cars
Notably, the Haas development driver begun her racing journey on dirt ovals at 14 before she went on to midget racing. The driver’s talent and potential even helped her become a three-time winner of the Women’s Sports Foundation \ Podium Project.
The 24-year-old continued on to further explain why she loves driving Midget race cars, expressing:
“They’re hard to explain, but Midget race cars run on dirt and pavement ovals — this race in particular was on dirt. They’re a lightweight chassis of about 1000lbs with a four cylinder super-fast engine. I don’t like to describe them this way, but a lot of people would describe them as kind of looking like a dune buggy, but they don’t really. You just have to look it up! They’re really fun to drive.
“The racing is very, very tight, very close. No mirrors or anything on those cars so you have to learn to really be precise with your moves. I would say the actual driving technique is absolutely nothing like you do in formula cars, but as for racecraft and precision, it was a great learning tool for me.”
Experience of the night before the Indy500
The Indy500 is known as one of the most famous races in the motorsport world and has been held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1973. It comes with immense demands from its drivers, consisting of 200 rounds and 500 miles as the name suggests. While Crone herself has not participated in the event, she remains thrilled about the opportunity to race Midget cars close to the track. The American detailed that while it might not be the journey to IndyCar now, Midget and Sprint cars used to be the way to get to IndyCar back in the day, stating:
“When I raced the night before the 500 in a pavement Midget. Before the Indy500, they have a race at a track a couple of miles away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where they do Midget and Sprint cars. Generally, back in the older days, the way you got to IndyCar was through Midgets and Sprint cars. It’s not quite that way anymore but that’s what it used to be. This was a very big nostalgic race that they brought back in 2020.
“I went and did it in 2020 and we ran really good. We were top three in all practices and we qualified third. In the race, I had the second fastest lap but unfortunately did not win it. It was my first national pavement Midget race and we did really good against some really good guys. The whole experience of that was one of the most fun moments I’ve ever had in a race car. So it was really a fun couple of months we got to prepare and do that race.“
The feeling of being on track
The American driver enthusiastically expressed the excitement that comes with racing, stating that the feeling is unique. This drives her to chase her motorsport dreams, despite the potential for feeling anxious on arrival to the track.
“There’s no other feeling like it. I think that’s why we generally all chase this lifestyle. Sometimes you can find yourself coming to the racetrack and maybe getting a little anxious, maybe you’re a little excited. Depends on the kind of person you are. Generally, once you strap in that car, the feeling you get when you’re driving, there’s nothing else like it. I think most drivers and mechanics and engineers would agree that some of the best memories are made off the track in your career and lifetime. Just having a good group of people around you is really important.”
F1 Academy
F1 Academy currently consists of seven rounds across six different countries. With the next round taking place in Zandvoort from August 29th to 31st, Crone appears ready to fight for her maiden points. The American driver has been on the threshold of points several times in her rookie campaign. Notably, she finished just outside the points in P11 last round in Montreal.
Additionally, the American exclaimed her joy of having not just one, but two home races in the States. She also expressed enthusiasm when it comes to racing around the world, stating:
“Having a home race in Miami was quite cool — we haven’t quite got to Vegas yet! I would say so far this season, it would be in China. First race of the year, I finished P8, crossed the line P8. Unfortunately, I got a bit of a penalty.
“Just getting that first race out of the way, those kind of first race of the season jitters. Being able to capitalise on the race and being able to say I’ve raced in China is awesome. I never ever thought I’d get to say that in my career. That was a big starting point for me, probably for the rest of my career, that first race in China.
A difficult rookie campaign
There is no doubt that the ART Grand Prix driver retains plenty of talent, however with a season of missed chances and bad luck, the points have not been secured as of yet. The season has not been one the rookie hoped for. Yet, she still has three more rounds to go in which she has the opportunity to grab points before the season finishes. The Haas development driver expressed that with hardships also comes opportunity to grow, stating:
“Not every race has been super easy for us, but I think we’re finally starting to find our stride here for myself and ART Grand Prix. I’m just really trying to focus on making this year as fun as possible, taking advantage of all of the opportunities that are given to me, and just learning as much as I possibly can to bring on for the future.
“Obviously F1 racing is globally probably at its biggest right now, just through media and all the fans and all that. To be able to drive in front of sellout crowds at a Formula 1 weekend, you’ll never get that experience. There’s only a very few amount of people that get to do that in their lifetime. So I just feel super fortunate. I guess I take advantage of it and enjoy every moment.”
As she heads into Round 5 in three weeks, Crone will continue to strive for points and take advantage of the experience. Hopefully, the talented driver will secure points before the season comes to an end.
