Aston Martin announce F1 Academy '24 driver: 17-year-old Swiss junior

A week ago, Williams released the news that the team had found a driver for the '24 F1 Academy in Lia Block. In addition to James Vowles' team, Aston Martin now also have a driver for the women's racing class. The team has chosen a Swiss junior to fill the Academy seat.

Tina Hausmann is the name. The 17-year-old Swiss driver has already raced in Formula 4, and will thus be co-racing in the F1 Academy next season. During this process, she will get help from Jessica Hawkins, who will act as a mentor, providing support. Hawkins may look familiar. After all, the woman in question tested in an F1 car at the Hungaroring in late September.

Hausmann explains that she does like it at Aston Martin. "Everybody's smiling and it's just a happy place. People are so welcoming and friendly, and it already really feels like a family to me, even though it's my first day. I had a tour of the facility, which is amazing. After that, we went to the sim. I did some laps around Monza, which went well."

Pretty soon, the Swiss driver knew she wanted to race competitively, she explained. "I started karting when I was seven, just as a hobby and for fun, but when I was 13, something switched and I was like, 'OK, I want to do this competitively. I want to go in this direction.' And when I turned 16, it was my first time in F4. It was a huge step, but I enjoyed it."