Courtney Crone joins Haas for a Full-Time F1 Academy Debut in 2025.
Courtney Crone will step up to a full-time seat in the F1 Academy next season, with Haas selecting the 23-year-old American driver to represent the team on the 2025 grid. This was announced at the Las Vegas Grand Prix paying homage to their joint roots.
She also becomes the second Wild Card entrant to secure a spot for the seven-round campaign after impressing during her debut at Round 2 in Miami. McLaren’s Ella Lloyd is the second with a rumoured third driver to follow. Alisha Palmowski will join the 2024 grid in Qatar as a Wild Card entrant. It is expected that the Briton will join the 2025 grid also.
🚨 BREAKING: American racing driver and former F1 Academy Wild Card entry Courtney Crone becomes the latest driver to join the grid for 2025 after signing with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.
Courtney will compete for ART Grand Prix whilst representing the American F1 Team.… pic.twitter.com/pv15KN9gvc
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) November 22, 2024
Crone joins Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford), Ella Lloyd (McLaren), and Rafaela Ferreira (RB) as the fourth confirmed entrant for the 2025 season. She will replace outgoing American Chambers and compete for the ART Grand Prix team.
Career So Far
She is no stranger to the circuit. Her accolades include winning the 2023/2024 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship and the 2021 Gorsline Company Scholarship.
She has also earned recognition as a three-time recipient of both the Women’s Sports Foundation/Project Podium with Lyn St. James award (2016, 2017, 2018) and the VMB Driver Development Scholarship (2017, 2018, 2020).
In 2016 she won 3 Formula Mazda races in her 3 starts. After achieving the VMB Driver Development Scholarship in 2017, she raced in the Formula Car Challenge. She finished 3rd in the FormulaSPEED class with 13 podiums after 14 starts. She continued in the series in 2018, winning the championship.
In 2019 she raced in the Formula Ford season through Brad Hayes Racing. She won 2 races and earned a podium finish in all four of her starts. This led her to the Formula Pro USA F4 Championship where she achieved 3 podiums, 1 fastest lap, and 1 win.
Crone switched to prototypes in 2021. She raced in the IMSA Prototype Challenge, where she finished P8 with 3 top-10 finishes. She moved to JR III Racing for the 2022 season and finished sixth with a best race finish of P5.
2023 saw her finish 4th in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge with 6 podiums to her name. She also competed in the Prototype Cup Germany where she succeeded with two top-10 finishes in even starts alongside Gabriela Jílková – the first women to compete in the series.
Crone currently competes in the Lamborgini Super Trofeo North American Championship. Her experience spans speedway motorcycles, dirt and pavement USAC Midget and Sprint Cars, LMP3 prototypes, and various junior Formula categories.
Future
It is expected that F1 Academy will provide her with further visibility.
Ready to go racing next season! 🙌🏁
Welcome to the family Courtney Crone 🫶🇺🇸#HaasF1 #F1 #LasVegasGP | @f1academy @ARTGP pic.twitter.com/pMWYQiEaEw
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) November 22, 2024
Crone expressed her excitement about joining Haas, saying:
“I’m incredibly honoured to be joining the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for the 2025 F1 Academy season. Representing America’s F1 team is a dream come true, and I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity.
“Ever since I competed with the F1 Academy at the Miami Grand Prix as a Wild Card entrant, it’s been a goal of mine to race full-time in the series.
“That experience gave me a taste of the challenge and devotion it will take to become a championship contender. Making the most of this incredible opportunity is my number one priority and together with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, I feel I have the best chance for success.”
Meanwhile, Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, praised Crone’s potential and dedication;
“I’m delighted to welcome Courtney to the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team family. As F1 Academy approaches the crescendo of its first season racing on the Formula 1 calendar, it’s been astonishing to see the increased interest and popularity of the category. That’s testament to the hard work put in by Susie Wolff and the F1 Academy team to provide greater opportunities for female racers.
“Courtney is an ambitious and dedicated racer, something that when looking for an ambassador for our team was crucial. We’ll provide access, support, and opportunities to learn within a Formula 1 organisation, and in turn, we look forward to seeing another F1 Academy recruit thrive on the world stage.”
