{"id":306976,"date":"2025-11-25T04:26:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T04:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/306976\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T04:26:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T04:26:16","slug":"f1-news-williams-racing-splits-with-f1-academy-junior-lia-block","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/306976\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 news: Williams Racing splits with F1 Academy junior Lia Block"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Lia
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFormer Williams Racing Academy junior drive Lia Block. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n

Block joined Williams in 2024, racing in the all-female single-seater series on the Formula 1 undercard.<\/p>\n

Across a total of 28 races, Block claimed one win and a second place finish. She finished eighth in the 2024 drivers\u2019 championship and ninth in 2025.<\/p>\n

F1 Academy drivers are only allowed two seasons in the Formula 4-based category.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter two years as a Williams Racing Academy driver, we can confirm that Lia Block will leave the team at the end of 2025 and return to rally,\u201d Williams said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a pleasure joining her on the journey and we wish her all the best as she embarks on a new chapter in her career.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a team, we remain committed to the F1 Academy project and look forward to sharing our 2026 entrant in due course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Block, who is the daughter of the late Ken Block, has a fledgling rally CV.<\/p>\n

Speaking with rally outlet DirtFish, the 18-year-old revealed her desire to reach the FIA World Rally Championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese past few years, obviously I took a break from rally and off-road and went to the big boy world of F1,\u201d Block explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly been an experience and I\u2019ve learned so much. But ultimately, it\u2019s not the world I necessarily feel like I belong in.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd rally has always been home. It\u2019s where I\u2019ve had the most success and the most fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy decision for coming back, it\u2019s been a hard one and it\u2019s something I\u2019ve contemplated for a while.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it all comes down to, what do I love the most? And what will I enjoy doing for the rest of my career? My answer is rally. And I think it\u2019s kind of always been that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

While competing in F1 Academy, Block revisited her rally roots where she realised her true passion remains.<\/p>\n

Driving a Rally3-spec Ford Fiesta, a platform used in the Junior WRC, she claimed a class win in the Boone Forest Rally.<\/p>\n

Now Block is hoping to follow in her father\u2019s footsteps and reach the world stage of rallying.<\/p>\n

That, she said, begins with the Junior WRC or a similar path.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing back to rally, I want to go as far as I can and that means pursuing the WRC championship and pursuing a world championship,\u201d said Block.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve set my sights on that, but obviously it\u2019s now about setting those small goals to eventually get to that big one.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n


\"\"
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