F1 Academy Kicks-off Third Thrilling Season in Shanghai

F1 Academy is finally back! It returns this weekend and for the first time ever it’s kicking off its season in China at the Shanghai International Circuit. 

There are some familiar faces making their return in search of F1 Academy glory. 10 rookies will be joining the grid, four of which already featured last season as Wild Card entries. You can read out who is who on the 2025 grid here.

This year, there have been a few changes to the format and we’ll get to see more cars go head to head during races. So let’s have a look at the changes made and at what we can expect from Shanghai.

F1 Academy kicks off its season at the Shanghai International Circuit. Credit: F1 Academy Limited

What’s new for this year?

From this year, there will be 18 cars racing rather than 15 like in the previous seasons. Hitech TGR is the new team joining the grid. 

There have been some changes made to the weekend format, which is split into three days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. First up, we’ll have up to two practice sessions which last up to 40 minutes.

Then there is a 30-minute qualifying session on either Friday or Saturday, this depends on how many practice sessions there are during the weekend. On Saturday, there will be Race 1 and after a reform of the Sporting Regulations for this season, this will be a reverse grid race.

That means the top eight drivers from qualifying will be reversed on the grid while the drivers that finish between P9 and P18, will start from the position that they qualify in. In this race, only the first eight drivers will earn points and the driver who records the fastest lap and finishes in the top eight, will score an extra point.

For Race 1, this is the points allocation:

• P1 - 10 points

• P2 - 8 points

• P3 - 6 points

• P4 - 5 points

• P5 - 4 points

• P6 - 3 points

• P7 - 2 points

• P8 - 1 point

There’s been no changes made to Race 2, which means that the drivers will start from the position that they qualify in. The first 10 drivers to cross the chequered flag will earn points which are awarded on a sliding scale from 25 points to the winner, and down to one point to the driver finishing in P10. The driver who earns Pole Position for Race 2 will earn two extra points and whoever sets the fastest lap will earn an extra point, as long as they finish the race within the top 10.

For Race 2, points are allocated as follows:

• P1 - 25 points

• P2 - 18 points

• P3 - 15 points

• P4 - 12 points

• P5 - 10 points

• P6 - 8 points

• P7 - 6 points

• P8 - 4 points

• P9 - 2 points

• P10 - 1 point

What’s the schedule for the first race weekend?

Free Practice Session 1 will be at 1am on Friday 21st. On the same day, there’s a qualifying Session at 6am.

On Saturday, at 5:45am, there’s Race 1. 

Race 2 is on Sunday morning at 2:40am.

All times are in GMT.

Who’s on the grid this year?

There are six teams competing in F1 Academy and they have three drivers each. The teams entering this season are ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, PREMA Racing, Rodin Motorsport and newcomers Hitech TGR. 

The drivers are either supported by Formula 1 teams or by sponsors such as Charlotte Tilbury and Tommy Hilfiger. Each race will feature a Wild Card driver from the region where the race is being held, to help increase the talent pool. All drivers are aged between 16 and 25 when entering their first race weekend of the season.

For this season, Hitech will be having a Wild Card driver for each race. The driver chosen is eligible to score points for both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships unlike in 2024. 

The grid this year will feature four rookies who were wild cards entries last season. Courtney Crone stepped in for the Miami race, Nina Gademan raced in Zandvoort, Ella Lloyd featured in Singapore while Alisha Palmowski entered the Lusail race.

The other six rookies are Nicole Havrda, Aiva Anagnostiadis, Emma Felbermeyr, Alba Larsen, Joanne Ciconte and Rafaela Ferreira. 

Fellow writer Anny Wooldrige wrote a detailed article which includes all driver profiles, so make sure to give it a read to get to know this year’s grid better.

Shi Wei confirmed as Wild Card entry

Shi Wei, also known as ‘Tie Dou’, will be the first Wild Card entry of the season. She competed in various racing series in China. In 2023, she won the Best Rookie Award in the F4 China Championship, in which she finished fifth. In 2024, she won the Challenge Cup at the FIA F4 Chinese Championship, which was held in Shanghai. In the CFGP category, she finished third.

Shi is the first Chinese driver to race in F1 Academy and she feels honoured to be given such an opportunity. 

Shi Wei told the series: “It’s an incredible honour to receive the Wild Card for F1 ACADEMY, giving me the opportunity to compete and learn alongside top drivers on a larger stage, making a dream that once seemed out of reach come true. Hopefully, I can inspire the young generation and raise greater attention to motorsport and the development of the automotive industry.”

Shi Wei is the first wild card entry of the season. Credit: F1 Academy Limited

Getting to know the Shanghai International Circuit

This is the first time that F1 Academy will be racing at the Shanghai International Circuit. Both races will have 13 laps which cover a total distance of just over 70km. One lap is 5.451km long.

This circuit was built in April 2003 and hosted its first-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix a year later. Ferrari’s Ruben Barrichello won that race but his teammate at the time, Michael Schumacher, set the fastest lap ever recorded at this circuit, at 1:32.238.

The circuit shape is designed to look like the Chinese symbol ‘shang’, which means upwards. Turns 7 and 8 are known for the super-high g force that the drivers experience while it also has one of the longest straights on the F1 calendar. It stretches 1.2km from Turn 13 to 14.

The Shanghai International Circuit

All Qualifying sessions and Races throughout the season can be streamed on F1 Academy's YouTube and X channels, as well as on F1TV.

Image Credits: F1 Academy Limited