19 year-old Lia Block entered the 2025 F1 Academy season determined to improve on her rookie campaign, with Williams Racing backing her for the second consecutive year. The American, widely known as the daughter of legendary rally driver Ken Block, followed in her father’s footsteps before making the switch to single-seaters — her rookie season marking her first experience in that area of discipline.
After finishing 8th in her rookie season, Block was unable to improve on that result and slipped down to 9th in the Drivers’ Standings with 37 points. Despite the drop, the 2025 F1 Academy campaign saw her achieve several key milestones, including her maiden podium and win.
A rocky start to her second campaign
The opening round in Shanghai marked a disappointing start to Block’s season. A crash in practice with Rafaela Ferreira created a major setback for both her and ART ahead of qualifying. The incident left her car heavily damaged, and as the clock ticked down, the team worked frantically to repair it in time. However, the damage to her chassis proved too severe. Block could only watch from the sidelines as she was barred from taking part in the first qualifying session of the season.
Although she recovered well in Race 1, penalties denied Block the chance to score her first points of the season. In Race 2, she matched that 9th-place finish after fighting her way through the field, earning a hard-fought result following a difficult start to her campaign.
The subsequent rounds in Jeddah and Miami also proved challenging, as Block struggled to put the pieces together and endured two more non-scoring weekends. In Jeddah, she finished 12th in Race 1 and 14th in Race 2. She then came home 10th in the sole race held in Miami.
Block was in search of a breakthrough weekend that finally came her way in Montreal, where she showcased more of her talent and potential as her fortunes finally turned.
Block’s breakthrough podium and win
The 19 year-old ‘s weekend in Montreal marked the start of the momentum she somewhat carried into the second half of the season. She scored her first points of the year in Race 1, where she came close to a podium and finished 4th. Block further added more points to her tally in Race 2 with an 8th-place finish. Unfortunately, in Race 3, a collision with her teammate Aurelia Nobels ended in too much damage to her car, forcing her to retire from the race.
Block’s 2025 F1 Academy season showed that she thrived, particularly when benefitting from the reverse grid. In the fifth round at Zandvoort, she claimed her long-awaited maiden F1 Academy podium in Zandvoort Race 1, finishing 2nd, but was unable to score points in Race 2. It wasn’t long before Block reached the top step of the podium.
At the next round in Singapore, she claimed a well-deserved victory in Race 1 following a brilliantly executed race. As in Zandvoort, the 19 year-old was unable to score points in the second race. Despite that, Block’s performance and weekend in Singapore stood out as one of her best of the season.
A bittersweet end to the 2025 season
The Las Vegas GP brought Block’s F1 Academy run to a bittersweet close, marking an end to her two-year stint in the championship. At the season finale, she qualified 12th during the series’ first visit to the Sin City. And, once again, she delivered and pushed for a strong result in Race 1, finishing 5th. In Race 2, she only managed to improve one-place up and crossed the line in 11th.
For 2026, Block returns to rally driving, where she had already built an impressive record before moving to single-seaters. Following a path she knows well, Block is set to achieve strong results and continue making her mark in that area of motorsport.
