Formula Regional Americas podium finisher Nicole Havrda is set to take on her next challenge - the all-female series F1 Academy, as the Canadian joins Hitech GP for the 2025 campaign, with support from American Express.
Canadian Nicole Havrda has been announced for her first international F4 campaign, as she becomes the first full time driver to join the ranks of Hitech Grand Prix for the 2025 F1 Academy championship. Havrda will have support from American Express.
The 19 year old finished sixth in the championship standings of the 2024 Formula Regional Americas, and is set to effectively make her F4 debut in the all-female series promoted by F1 in 2025, having previously stepped from karting to Formula Regional machinery.
“I’m honored to partner with American Express for my F1 Academy debut this upcoming season, especially at the F1 Montreal Grand Prix in June," said Havrda. "Their support fuels my drive to compete at the highest level and I’m thrilled to represent a brand that champions performance, resilience, and ambition, both on and off the track.”
Nicole began karting in 2018 and was named Rookie of the Year at the West Coast Karting Club in 2019. She stepped up to formula cars in 2021, and completed a testing program in 3 and F4 machinery, before being part of the W Series selections in Arizona in 2022. Later in the year, she contested her first GT4 race, as well as F3 races in the US.
She was one of the finalists for the Heart of Racing GT4 shootout at the end of 2022, before focusing on a triple program in 2023 which included Indian Racing League aboard the Wolf GB08 prototype, Formula Pro US and select rounds of Formula Regional Americas.
In the Formula Pro US series - an open wheel championship in Western US, as she collected a stellar 11 podiums and 9 wins to secure the title - and was the only female driver in 2023 to win a title in Formula Regional machinery. At the same time she made her debut in two rounds of Formula Regional Americas, where she was three-times in the top-five and four times in the points in just six starts.
The progression continued in 2024, as she tackled the full-season in Formula Regional Americas, with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport: the young Canadian took significant strides forward and secured her first podium in the series at Road America, were she was twice on the rostrum alongside a top-five.
Havrda continued the strong run with another podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and then scored top-10 finishes with consistency in ten out of the eleven races to the end of the season - concluding on a high, with her fourth top-three at the COTA finale.
With 139.5 points to her name, Havrda was sixth in the drivers' championship.
One of the few female drivers competing in Formula Regional machinery in 2024, Nicole is now aiming to take on another challenge - the third season of the all-female F1 Academy championship, in one of the two full-time seats for Hitech Grand Prix.
Havrda's entry will be supported by American Express, thus succeeding Jessica Edgar in the AMEX-sponsored car, as part of the Shop Small initiative, which celebrates local businesses. The American Express initiative will continue in 2025, with Havrda's car featuring American Express and Shop Small branding alongside the logo of a local small business.
Havrda is the 13th driver announced for the 2025 F1 Academy season, with three more missing from the entry list.
With the first collective test getting underway this week in Jerez, the 2025 racing season is scheduled to start for the first time at Shanghai International Circuit, China, on 22-23 March for the first of seven double headers. Jeddah will host the second round, while the series will return to Miami in May. Havrda will have the opportunity to contest her home race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, in June, before heading to Zandvoort for the only European leg of the season. Singapore and Las Vegas will host the final rounds after the summer break.
Commenti