Courtney Crone announced as F1 ACADEMY Wild Card entry for Round 2 in Miami

American racer Courtney Crone will join the F1 ACADEMY grid as the Wild Card entry for the second round of the season in Miami. The deal will see her team up with reigning team champions PREMA Racing and shoppable entertainment retailer QVC.

The Wild Card initiative, introduced to help strengthen the talent pool in the regions where F1 ACADEMY races, sees Wild Card entries presented by partners at select rounds of the calendar.

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Crone will take to the track at the Miami International Autodrome in a QVC-branded livery and race suit, as the series takes its place alongside Formula 1 at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix weekend, following a successful season opener in Jeddah in March.

The 23-year-old driver’s preparation for the entry began two weeks ago in Zandvoort as she got behind the wheel of an F1 ACADEMY car for the first time as part of a two-day Official Test event.

Hailing from California, Crone started racing karts at the age of three and has achieved success in multiple racing disciplines including Sprint Cars, LMP3 prototypes, speedway motorcycles, and most recently Lamborghini Super Trofeo.

PREMA Racing will operate the Wild Card entry, presented by QVC, alongside their three full-time entries and has provided training and support to Crone in the lead-up to her F1 ACADEMY debut.

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"It’s a huge opportunity that F1 ACADEMY is giving drivers through Wild Card entries, especially in America," said Crone on her opportunity. "It can be difficult for young girls from outside Europe to know how to get into international series like this, and the support that I’ve been given by F1 ACADEMY, and the PREMA Racing team, has been hugely positive for me.

"I’d also like to say thank you to QVC for their support of the Wild Card initiative here in Miami. I think this is an amazing opportunity to grow both this series and the sport."

Susie Wolff, F1 ACADEMY Managing Director, added: "The Wild Card entries are designed to promote regional talent and show young women in all our race locations that there is a clear pathway into our sport for anyone who is committed and talented.

"We’ve had a huge amount of interest in the Wild Card since it was introduced in Jeddah and I’d like to thank QVC for supporting our vision and joining us to present our Wild Card entry, Courtney Crone, for the second round of our season alongside Formula 1 at the Miami Grand Prix."

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Annette Dunleavey, VP, Brand Marketing from QVC, said: "QVC is a leader in live shoppable entertainment, bringing our customers – largely women over the age of 50 – to unexpected places to discover new finds and experiences. Our new Age of Possibility campaign is all about supporting our customers to live their best and most empowered lives.

"F1 has been innovating and influencing live sports for more than 70 years. The launch of the all-female driver category, F1 ACADEMY, is a testament to their commitment of elevating women in the sport and we are proud to support this vision and Courtney Crone in the race."