Joanne Ciconte joins MP Motorsport for F1 Academy debut

Australian racer Joanne Ciconte, 16, is set to take on her first F1 Academy campaign, joining MP Motorsport for the 2025 season of the all-female championship.

Photo credits: Daniel Buergin

Australian racer Joanne Ciconte is set to take on her first F1 Academy campaign, joining MP Motorsport for the 2025 season of the all-female championship.

Ciconte, 16, enters her first full-time racing season in F4 machinery, having so far raced in part time programs in Australian F4, F4 CEZ, Spanish F4 and Formula Winter Series.

The second Australian to be confirmed on the grid, she now joins Maya Weug and Alba Hurup Larsen at MP Motorsport, as the F1 Academy grid takes shape ahead of its third season.

“I’m proud to be moving up into the F1 Academy series with MP Motorsport,” Joanne commented. “To be able to race in front of large crowds and the Formula 1 stars during Grand Prix weekends is a dream come true, and to be able to do that with such an experienced team like MP Motorsport is all I could ask for."

One of the finalists in the last edition of the FIA Girls On Track - Rising Stars selection, Ciconte made her single seater debut in 2024 in the Australian Formula Open round at Sandown International Raceway, where she finished second in all three races, before advancing to the newly-relaunched Australian F4 Championship. At The Bend, Ciconte achieved three top-ten finishes, including two seventh-place results as her best performances.

She then continued her development season in the Tatuus T421 car by moving to Europe, where she joined the FIA F4 CEZ (Central European Zone) round at Brno. In a remarkable debut, Joanne finished fourth overall and top rookie in her first race, before adding another top-five result in race 3.

At the end of the year, Ciconte took on a new challenge and joined the highly competitive Spanish F4 field for the final two rounds at Jerez and Barcelona. The Australian quickly closed the gaps and made steady improvements, eventually securing her first top-20 with a promising season finale.

In 2025, Joanne started her preparation for her main racing program with the participation in the Formula Winter Series, joining AKM Motorsport. After the first two rounds, the Australian teenager made remarkable progress, fighting her way up the order in all races and ultimately securing a 16th-place finish in Valencia as her personal best, particularly shocasing improved qualifying pace.

Now ready to make her next steps in her career, Joanne Ciconte will make her F1 Academy debut at the season opener at Shanghai International Circuit, in support of the F1 Chinese Grand Prix - with the first test scheduled at the same track this week.

“I’m very much looking forward to get going with the first test to further hone the car and our cooperation and can’t wait to start my first race in Shanghai.”

The 2025 F1 Academy season will feature seven double-header rounds, starting from 22-23 March for the series' first ever visit to China, before heading to Miami, and Montreal. Zandvoort will host the only European leg of the season in August, while Singapore and Las Vegas will round out the championship after the summer break.