Crossing The Line: Lia Block
- therookiereporters
- Dec 14, 2025
- 3 min read
As Lia Block’s chapter in F1 Academy closes, she finds herself going back to her roots in Rally racing. The 19-year-old driver spent the past 2 years making her mark in F1 Academy, finishing P8 in her first season in 2024 and P9 in her final season this year.
Who is Lia Block?
Lia Block is a 19-year-old American driver. She was born on October 1st, 2006, in Utah to her parents racing legend Ken Block and Lucy Block. Her late father was a Rally driver and her mother is the founder of 43 Institute, an establishment in memory of Ken Block. Lia Block follows in the footsteps of her father, returning to Rally racing after her departure from F1 Academy this year.
Lia Block’s motorsport career
Lia Block started her career in motorsports at the age of 11 with karting, alongside watching her father race. She mostly raced at a regional level and was one of the few females in the sport. After karting, she moved to drift cars and drag racing where she drove the famous 1,400HP Mustang "Hoonicorn."
Inspired and mentored by her father Ken, at the age of 16, Lia Block was the first woman and youngest driver ever to win the O2WD Drivers Championship in 2023. That same year, she started competing in Extreme E for Carl Cox Motorsport. Along with her Formula E commitment, Block also raced in the 2023-2024 Nitrocross Championship where she won her second race but was later disqualified due to an unsafe rejoin. She was the first female driver to compete in this category, finishing 6th.
Lia Block in F1 Academy
On the 14th of November 2023, Williams Drivers Academy announced Lia Block for the 2024 F1 Academy season. The 2024 season marked her debut in open-wheel racing, a task that was very different from her previous Rally experience. Lia was William’s first representative in F1 Academy. She raced with the team ART Grand Prix alongside Aurelia Nobels and Bianca Bustamante in her first year. Under the American flag and Williams livery, she sported the number 57.
In her first Qualifying in F1 Academy, she ended a stellar P7, although her first points would come in Miami after she secured P8 in the race. Her best finish of the season was P4, achieved in both Race 1 and Race 2 in Singapore. That season, Lia Block ended up P8 with 44 points marking the end of her rookie year in F1 Academy.
Her last season in F1 Academy started off badly in Shanghai; she was unable to qualify due to an incident that occurred during their practice session earlier in the day, meaning she would start at the back of the grid for both races. She pushed and secured an overall position of P9 in both races. The next race in Jeddah saw her out in qualifying and starting at the back of the grid again. She ended up P12 in Race 1 and P14 in Race 2.
In Zandvoort, Lia started a promising P3 in Race 1 and ended up securing her first podium in both F1 Academy and open-wheel racing. Her first win was not so far away. In Singapore, Lia secured P1 in Race 1 after starting first on the grid. This marked her very first visit to the top step in F1 Academy and in an open-wheel race car.
In her last race in F1 Academy, Lia managed to secure P5 and P11, securing her P9 in the standings. Las Vegas marked her final race in F1 Academy.
What comes next?
After F1 Academy, Lia’s next goal is to go back to Rally Racing, stating in an interview, “It’s certainly been an experience, and I’ve learned so much. But ultimately, it is not the world I necessarily feel like I belong in. And Rally has always been home. It is where I’ve had the most success and the most fun. My decision for coming back has been a hard one and it’s something I’ve contemplated for a while. But 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’s kind of always been that way.”
From everyone in the TRR team, we wish her the best of luck in her journey in motorsports.
Article written by Nicole M © Nicole Muchuchuti 2025
