Saudi driver Farah Al-Yousef to compete as wild card in F1 Academy Jeddah round
JEDDAH: Saudi racing talent Farah Al-Yousef will make her debut in the 2025 F1 Academy series as a wild-card entry during Round 2 of the championship in Jeddah this weekend, it was confirmed on Tuesday.
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The announcement was made by the Saudi Motorsport Company, main promoter of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which will host the F1 Academy race as part of its race weekend from April 18 to 20 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Al-Yousef's participation follows in the footsteps of fellow Saudi driver Reema Juffali, who made an appearance in the series at the same venue last year.
'Racing as a wild-card entry in the F1 Academy on home soil here in Jeddah is truly a dream come true,' Al-Yousef said.
'I hope my participation inspires young girls across Saudi Arabia to believe in themselves and chase their dreams.'
The 21-year-old has already made a name for herself in karting, winning the Saudi Women's Karting Championship in 2022 and competing at the Karting World Finals, where she finished 26th.
She will also represent Saudi Arabia at the FW Nations Cup Finals in Dubai in May.
The F1 Academy, launched in 2023, is an all-female racing series aimed at developing young female drivers aged 16 to 25.
The 2025 season spans seven rounds, each held as part of the F1 World Championship calendar, with races scheduled in Asia, Europe and North America.
After the opener in Shanghai, the series will move to Jeddah before heading to Miami, Montreal, Zandvoort and Singapore, concluding with the finale in Las Vegas in November.
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