In Conversation with Joanne Ciconte - Part II: F1 Academy & Pro Racing Motorsport
Go behind the scenes with Joanne Ciconte about her year in F1 Academy and how she got there.
“I’m not here to be a girl and I’m good. I’m here to be good, but as equal as the other boys… I don’t want to be spotlighted on the fact that I’m a girl. I want to be spotlighted on the fact that I’m a driver.” - Joanne Ciconte
Joanne Ciconte was one of the newcomers to the 2025 F1 Academy grid last year. Finishing in P14 overall with multiple points finishes across the season, she was a natural standout, especially with how little experience in single-seaters she’d had prior to joining the series. In part one of our conversation, we looked back at her motorsport origins.
In this second part of our three part conversation with 2026 Kyojo Cup driver Joanne Ciconte, we take a look back at how the Australian-Italian came to be on the F1 Academy grid last season, what support from the likes of Giancarlo Fisichella and Marco Cioci means to her as well as what it looks like and how it felt to be racing alongside Formula 1 for the first time as one of the youngest ever drivers to ever compete in the all female series.
Thiemo: How did the opportunity to compete in F1 Academy come about?
Joanne: So that opportunity came to me because I progressed and I experienced driving in Formula 4. So that was an awesome opportunity. I drove for the Ferrari Driver Academy in the Girls on Track programme. That was my first time in a Formula 4 car. And then I have a management team, which is held by Giancarlo Fisichella and Marco Cioci, former Formula One driver and GT World Champion.
So I’m really grateful to have them on my team because they’ve helped me develop as a driver, but also came across the opportunity of F1 Academy. I did around five races and the F1 Academy kind of came to me. And I was really fortunate because it’s a bit of a shock to realise that someone like me with such little experience was able to achieve and participate in the F1 Academy grid in 2025.
And like, as I said, in 2024, like it was a dream to be in the Formula One Academy. And I had been aspiring and driving in these races to gain a seat. And it came to me quicker than I expected, but it was just, you know, awesome because I think F1 Academy, it’s a great series, really embracing female talent and giving us that spotlight.
As I said before, I think the biggest struggle for being a female in a male-dominated field is just finding that belief and that support and just, you know, finding that spotlight to showcase that, like, I’m not here to be a girl and I’m good. I’m here to be good, but as equal as the other boys, you know. I don’t want to be spotlighted on the fact that I’m a girl. I want to be spotlighted on the fact that I’m a driver.
Thiemo: I’m going to ask about Fisichella and Cioci because that’s quite a good combo to have behind you. When did Pro Racing Motorsport come into the picture? And how have they helped develop you behind the scenes and your racing journey in ways that might not be as obvious to others when you’re looking at your story so far?
Joanne: Yeah, so when I was in go-karts, I was never with any big teams, never had a manager, never had a driver coach. It was always just Dad and I. So my Dad was my mechanic, my Dad was my coach, and that’s just kind of how I grew up in racing. Anyways, I got introduced to a Girls on Track programme held by Ferrari and basically you put in an application about your achievements in karting and 150 girls worldwide put an application in for this programme. See, 150 sounds like a big number, but it’s not for worldwide considering how many karters you have around the world. So out of those 150 girls, the programme chose eight. Those eight girls had to fly to Italy. I was one of those girls and I flew to Italy and that was when I had my first Formula 4 experience.
We drove for the team Prema and little did I know we were actually driving a Formula 4 car and we were tested on physical fitness, mental capability, cognitive tests, reaction time stuff, just all these tests that Formula One drivers are tested on. And I had no idea about it! But I was fortunate enough to top the time sheets for the few days that we had. And that put me through to being one of the top four that they chose for the next camp.
So that was also held at Maranello, the Ferrari track at Fiorano. And after that, I did a little bit of training for some simulator work and my simulator coach said to me, I think you, how do I say this humbly, he said, “I think that you should, you know, give this management a try because I think you have potential and I’d love to see you race out there.”
And straight away, we got in contact with this management team and they were really happy to have me on board and they’ve helped me, just guide me throughout my racing journey in Formula. They’ve helped put me in different races, different teams. I’m really fortunate to have them as mentors because in motorsport, it is really important to have great connections as well.
Thiemo: What was that feeling like when you got the news confirmed that they were going to be your kind of your management team, as it were, and you went from, you went really from 0 to 60 in no time at all of going, oh, I’m going to Italy for this thing. And then it’s wildly different to what you may be expecting. And then off the back of that, you get this. Did you, did you take a little while for it to sink in or were you just kind of like, this is brilliant? I’m just really up for it.
Joanne: Yeah, I think it all took a lot to sink in, to be fair, like it was just a huge jump, like from going to karts to cars, as simple as I’m saying it, it was just kind of a big jump because I was racing, I was driving for the biggest Formula team out there in the world and driving at the significant Ferrari track. Like these are all phenomenal moments, part of my journey that I could never forget about. And then being picked up by, yeah, it just, it just happened in such a short period of time and being picked up by my management team.
That was just an incredible feeling because of course, like I’m a Formula One fan. My family are Formula One fans and we’re also half Italian. So having these two very, you know, they’re champions and they’re both Italian and you can’t even comprehend how much they know about the sport and how many connections they have. And it’s just incredible to have that backing. And what’s important about it is also that they feel like family. They really, you know, welcome me into the sport and I feel like I’m in great hands.
Thiemo: What does a typical working session, as it were, look like with those two? And what was it like meeting them for the first time?
Joanne: Oh, it was great. Like they, as I said, I think Italians to Italians, you have that connection straight away. And I think just their culture, just you could see it from a mile away, like they’re, they’re really loving, they’re really caring. They’re really, you know, passionate to help you. I think that the management itself, they’re just like this big family that’s really trying to find a Formula One champion for themselves as well. So I think that obviously they believe in my potential and they believe in my capability.
So it was, it was amazing to meet them. And I’m just so lucky to be in their hands.
“Having these two [Fisichella and Cioci], you know, they’re champions and they’re both Italian and you can’t even comprehend how much they know about the sport and how many connections they have. And it’s just incredible to have that backing. And what’s important about it is also that they feel like family.” - Joanne Ciconte
Thiemo: Then, you know, so, so working with them, do you, I’m guessing because of simply where you’re based more than anything else that’s done a lot online, what does that kind of look like? Do you have sort of weekly sessions, monthly sessions, that sort of thing? Or what does the support look like from those two? Or is it just kind of just the whole team as a whole and you just kind of go in and out of personnel in the team? And what does that sort of look like in terms of how much contact you have with them on a monthly basis?
Joanne: Yeah, so obviously we’re, we’re in touch with them every week. Like we’re getting opportunities thrown at us. There’s been a lot that we’ve turned down, a lot that we’ve said, yep, we’ll go and do, we’ll fly over there. Being in Australia has kind of put me at a disadvantage. I’m ahead of time. So I don’t really get to see everything in real time as they do. But I think that I love being an Australian and I love living here as well. So it gives me a good time to be 17 years old. But yeah, of course the distance is a bit hard. But I’m fortunate to have like catch up sessions with them every week, staying in contact with them until I’ve got a race to do.
Actually, I lived in Italy for about five months because they just wanted me around. I was doing training camps and different races at the time. So yeah, of course, I have to also be overseas in Italy doing a bunch of training and races for like a long period of time. But I think they do a really great job of like managing that I’m living in Australia.
Thiemo: I just want to go back to F1 Academy briefly. It was your rookie season last year and I think for a lot of people, it was, you were one of the drivers that was a good reason for watching F1 Academy because you were someone who a lot of people might not have known beforehand and you want that in F1 Academy. You want to see the new talent coming in to see what they’re capable of. What was that rookie season then like from your perspective? Because, like you say, you’re kind of over here in Australia for one minute, and then in what feels like five minutes, you get thrust into this manic world and you’re on the world stage in places like Shanghai and Canada racing on the same weekend as F1. Tell me about that because that’s got to be a bit nuts.
Joanne: Yeah, it definitely was nuts because it was just, it just all happened so quickly. Like, I wasn’t even able to do a full season in Formula 4 yet and I was fortunate enough to be noticed by Susie Wolff, who had spoken with my management team, and then the opportunity came to me and it was just, you know, so exciting to find out because I was aspiring to participate in the series. But little did I know it was going to happen that quick and again, like having that belief, it really motivated me.
And I think that like looking back to the series, I, you know, I enjoyed every single bit of it. And it’s just incredible because I was the youngest participant on the grid as well. I was just 16 years old. So by the time I knew I had an entry for it, I was 15 years old. So I was the youngest participant last year and I was competing at some of the biggest Grand Prix around the world. I mean, it was like a dream come true to be fair. It was just such an amazing experience travelling around the world, experiencing different atmospheres, the fans, the food, the tracks.
It was just, it all came in this package in such a short period of time. And I honestly can’t believe that we’re in 2026 now. It just flew by. But that’s how, you know, I really enjoyed the moment.
But I think there was just a huge different kind of level. I was racing previously. I did two races in the Spanish F4 and that was probably at the time, the most competitive Formula 4 series in the world. I had some good results, positive results, which allowed me to have an entry in F1 Academy. But the level in F1 Academy was quite different because I was racing against some of the biggest female talents.
Whether they had more experience than me or they were older, it was still such an opportunity to race against these girls because at the end of the day, we all had the same dream and it’s to be a female on that Formula 1 grid. But yeah, it was just cool with the pressure and the adrenaline constantly. It was an awesome experience.
“I was the youngest participant last year, and I was competing at some of the biggest Grand Prix around the world. I mean, it was like a dream come true to be fair. It was just such an amazing experience travelling around the world, experiencing different atmospheres, the fans, the food, the tracks.” - Joanne Ciconte
Thiemo: With something like Spanish F4, you know, you’re more likely with the regional Championships, you’ll get drivers from other countries, but you’re more likely to get, you know, competitors from that specific country. Whereas with F1 Academy, it’s the first thing, a bit like F3 and F2, where it’s predominantly mixed from all over the place. So instead of just focussing on talent from one region or one country, you suddenly have to go up against arguably the best of everywhere and you have that dynamic to be thrown into that as well.
So that must have been a bit of an interesting feeling as well because I imagine that was the first time you had that properly. And when you got back from Vegas at the end of last year, again, how long did it take for that whole year then to sink in? And was there a particular moment that stood out to you as a favourite, be it something big or something small that other people might not know about?
Joanne: Yeah, I think the season itself was quite tough. I think it was just hard to really show my potential. I thought, obviously, when I’m out there and I’m driving, I gave it all. I gave it my best. But looking back on it, it was just hard for me to do more than I could have, whether that was restrictions with the team or having incidents. Again, it’s just racing. And I think that I can look back on it and I could say, oh, I wish or I could have. But as I said, I’ve learnt to develop mentally because when you’re in the moment, it’s so hard to think about all these things and the pressure is high and I’m racing in some of the biggest Grands Prix around the world against the best female drivers out there. And I could say that every race was my favourite. I can’t pick a favourite race because each track was just so cool itself.
But my biggest highlights where I performed well was probably on my debut, I qualified P6, which put me in P3 for race one. Unfortunately, I got a few penalties from my team that kind of resulted in me going basically to last. And then in Saudi Arabia, the fastest street circuit in the world, I got my first points there, which was awesome. Another one was Montreal. That was also cool. But that was a chaotic weekend. But that was a great track to race at.
And then we had also Singapore, which is probably hands down one of my favourite tracks on the calendar because I feel that it’s a real racers track. It’s important to get a good qualifying there. It’s quite a tight track, but very twisty, slow, fast. It’s got a mix of it all. And then we had a mix of weather conditions. So that just really made the race so exciting. And I was lucky enough to score points in the races. And in Vegas, yeah, I was in fifth, actually, in one of the races, and then I got a penalty. So the whole year was quite unlucky, I’d say, but I’m happy to have enjoyed every moment of it.
“I’ve learnt to develop mentally because when you’re in the moment, it’s so hard to think about all these things and the pressure is high and I’m racing in some of the biggest Grands Prix around the world against the best female drivers out there.” - Joanne Ciconte
Come back for the third and final part of It’s Race Week!’s in-depth conversation with Joanna Ciconte, where we talk about why she stepped away from F1 Academy, her 2026 plans with the Kyojo Cup and much more.