Courtney Crone invited to the F1 Academy in Miami

American driver Courtney Crone is invited to take part in the F1 Academy round which will take place in support of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix this weekend.

The second Wild Card of the F1 Academy is known. After Reema Juffali in Saudi Arabia, Courtney Crone will be the guest of the women's single-seater championship in Miami this weekend. She will ride with Prema.

Say hello to your Miami Wildcard entry! 🇺🇸

American racing driver Courtney Crone will be joining the grid for the second round of the F1 Academy season this weekend. Courtney will be teaming up with shopping channel @QVC, driving their branded livery.

We can't wait to have… pic.twitter.com/xh23FlGeDM

— F1 Academy (@f1academy) April 30, 2024

Crone will take to the track in a livery and suit in the colors of the QVC brand, as the series takes place alongside Formula 1 at this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, following the opening of the season in Jeddah in March.

The 23-year-old's preparation for entry began two weeks ago in Zandvoort (Netherlands) when she took the wheel of an F1 Academy car for the first time as part of an official two-day test.

Who is Courtney Crone?

Originally from California, Crone began racing karts at the age of three. She has experienced several categories in her career. After cutting her teeth in USAC Midget racing on dirt tracks, she transitioned to SCCA Formula Cars and road racing in her mid-teens. She has also driven in LM P3 and is currently entered in Lamborghini Super Trofeo America.

« It was thanks to my father that I started getting involved in car racing, explains Crone on the Italian manufacturer's website. He raced in the '60s and eventually became a mechanic before starting his own racing team, which led him to what he does now, preparing vintage and historic cars to win his life.

Basically when I was born he wanted me to be part of his life, which was racing and he got me on a motorcycle when I was two. It kind of took off from there. I've always loved the environment of racing, that competitive nature that surrounds you in racing and I've never looked back. Being born into the sport it can definitely be a natural hobby, whether you are a fan or a competitor or even a mechanic, there are so many paths into motorsport that you can take.

It could be PR or engineering, but I chose the actual driving part because that's the part I enjoy the most. I did various forms of running when I was younger. Motorcycling, dirt racing, car and now GT, so basically every weekend was a race weekend growing up. »

Crone notably won the scholarship IMSA Diverse Driver Development at the end of 2022. This opened the doors toIMSA VP SportsCar Challenge in the LM P3 category.

After the victories of Dorian Pin (Prema / Mercedes Benz) and Abbi Pulling (Rodin / Alpine) in Jeddah, the British driver arrives in Miami at the top of the championship with 12 points ahead of the Frenchwoman, who occupies third place behind Maya Weug (Prema / Classic Ferrari for sale).

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