The American racer has been selected to join the F1 Academy grid as the Wild Card entry for the second round of the season in Miami.
The deal will see her team up with the reigning team champions PREMA Racing and retailer QVC.
The Wild Card initiative was created to strengthen the talent pool in areas where the series will race, allowing young women the opportunity to gain track experience.
Crone will race at the Miami International Autodrome in QVC-branded livery and race suit, as the series takes place alongside Formula 1 at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix weekend.
From California, Crone started racing karts aged three and since has achieved success in multiple racing disciplines: Sprint Cars, LMP3 prototypes, speedway motorcycles, and most recently Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
Say hello to your Miami Wildcard entry! 🇺🇸
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) April 30, 2024
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
‘It’s a huge opportunity’
The F1 Academy Miami Wild Card entry has discussed how ‘It can be difficult for young girls from outside Europe to know how to get into international series like this, and the support that I’ve been given by F1 ACADEMY, and the PREMA Racing team, has been hugely positive for me.’
She has also thanked ‘QVC for their support of the Wild Card initiative here in Miami.’
She believes ‘this is an amazing opportunity to grow both this series and the sport.’
‘Designed to promote regional talent’
Susie Wolff, F1 ACADEMY Managing Director wants the Wild Card entries to ‘show young women in all our race locations that there is a clear pathway into our sport for anyone who is committed and talented.’
She continued, ‘We’ve had a huge amount of interest in the Wild Card since it was introduced in Jeddah and I’d like to thank QVC for supporting our vision and joining us to present our Wild Card entry, Courtney Crone, for the second round of our season alongside Formula 1 at the Miami Grand Prix.’
QVC Support
Annette Dunleavey, VP, Brand Marketing from QVC, said:
‘QVC is a leader in live shoppable entertainment, bringing our customers – largely women over the age of 50 – to unexpected places to discover new finds and experiences. Our new Age of Possibility campaign is all about supporting our customers to live their best and most empowered lives.’
‘F1 has been innovating and influencing live sports for more than 70 years. The launch of the all-female driver category, F1 ACADEMY, is a testament to their commitment of elevating women in the sport and we are proud to support this vision and Courtney Crone in the race.’
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Image by www.courtneycroneracing.com