At just 16 years old, Joanne Ciconte has already lived more of the motorsport dream than most aspiring racers ever will. The young Australian has raced across four continents, signed with a management team led by a former Formula One driver, and established herself as the youngest, and one of the most exciting talents in the 2025 F1 Academy Championship – a series designed to uncover and develop a future female F1 superstar.
In just a handful of years, she has gone from racing go-karts in Victoria to piloting open-wheel, Formula 4 racing machines at 250km/h on some of the great F1 circuits of the world. She has raced at Ferrari’s iconic track at Maranello; at circuits in Saudi Arabia, China, the U.S. and Singapore; and has scored impressive results in European series races against both male and female competition. Everywhere she has gone she has impressed, and while she may be young – she does not yet even have her regular driver’s licence! – she possesses a professionalism and single-mindedness that, paired with her outrageous talent, could very well see her one day claim a coveted spot in F1.
THE STARTING GRID
Joanne’s entry into the world of motorsport was sparked not by a strategic career plan but by a child’s curiosity. Her father, a keen racer himself in his youth, had begun to take Joanne’s younger brother go-kart racing, and it was while at one of these outings that a seemingly insignificant moment would prove to be the spark that began Joanne’s own racing journey.
“I remember seeing my brother driving then taking his helmet off with a huge smile and, for me, that was so intriguing. It looked like so much fun,” says Joanne. “I had to convince my dad to allow me to have a drive . . . and I did a few laps and fell in love with it completely.”
She was just nine years old at the time, but the speed and the adrenaline she would experience when racing that go-kart would prove addictive, and any hesitation on her father’s part as to whether racing was something Joanne would enjoy were dissolved instantly. What followed was a family-run operation that would shape Joanne’s approach to racing.
“In karting, it was always a daughter-and-dad team,” she explains. “I raced against people who would have teams with huge trucks and mechanics, and for me it was quite the opposite. We would have a van, and it would just be dad and I working on the car, working on the data, together.”
Those long days working with her dad gave Joanne more than race craft—they gave her the resilience and adaptability that helped create the driver she is today.
THE OPENING LAP & THE BREAKTHROUGH
Joanne would spend the next few years rising through the Australian karting ranks, progressing from club to state to national competitions. And she learned early on that she would be one of very few girls striving to make an impact. However, battling the boys on the track was a motivation and, gradually, it became the norm.
“Growing up in motorsport, it has always been purely more male dominated . . .” says Joanne. “In my karting days, I only raced against boys. There would be a field of 50 boys and I’d be the only girl and growing up that was quite normal.
“To me, it was an accomplishment to beat the boys, and it satisfied me when they would get salty about it!”
From 2018, Joanne began showing her potential in karts – steadily collecting state-level podiums and national championship appearances and delivering standout performances in elite junior categories. These caught the eye of many, and her big break arrived in 2023 in the form of the Ferrari Driver Academy Girls On Track Rising Stars program – a globally recognised talent identification program created by the FIA and the Ferrari Driver Academy. Its goal is to discover promising young female drivers from around the world and provide them with a pathway into professional motorsport.
Chosen as one of eight of the best from around the world, Joanne flew to Italy and the storied Ferrari circuit at Maranello, for a shootout that would introduce her to the world of Formula racing. It would be another truly significant step in her journey.
“That was the first time I was put in Formula 4 car, and that was the moment where I knew this is what I wanted to do,” she says.
Not only did her performance in reaching the final round of the shootout confirm to Joanne that motorsport was where she wanted to be, her performance also put her on the radar of a couple of motorsport’s heavy hitters who would change her career path entirely. Her standout performances caught the eye of Giancarlo Fisichella, three-time Formula One Grand Prix winner, and Marco Cioci, renowned GT champion. The duo would become Joanne’s racing managers. Not a bad pair to be guiding your fledgling career!
“To have them as my biggest mentors in my motorsport career is outrageous,” says Joanne. “And they’ve helped me so much developing as a driver.”
The partnership provided immediate credibility – as well as access to European racing opportunities. Joanne’s Formula 4 debut in Europe came soon after, in the Czech Republic, where she finished as the top female driver and achieved a standout P4 finish against male an female competition. She then moved into the ultra-competitive Spanish Formula 4 Championship, earning top-20 results despite having only three races under her belt. These results built the platform for her entry into the F1 Academy.
THE FAST LANE
It’s hard to convey the importance of the F1 Academy. An international all-female junior racing series created to provide young women with a clear and well-supported pathway into elite motorsport, it was launched in 2023 by Formula One Management – the commercial arm of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The series was founded with the goal of increasing female participation in the racing ladder, helping talented drivers progress from karting and Formula 4 toward Formula 3, Formula 2 and ultimately Formula 1.
The championship is directed by Susie Wolff, a former F1 test driver and prominent advocate for women in motorsport. With backing from Formula 1 teams, manufacturers and global sponsors, the F1 Academy is an awesome example of a sport working to remove the barriers that have historically limited opportunities for women.
To be part of such an initiative is a truly tremendous opportunity and Joanne was the youngest participant in the 2025 program – racing for the MP Motorsport team, sponsored by Wella Professionals – which saw F1 Academy races support the main Formula One championship events at Jeddah, Shanghai, Miami, Zandvoort, Montreal, Singapore and Las Vegas. Some strong showings highlighted Joanne’s growing potential.
“. . . My first season, as a 16-year-old, I think has been pretty positive,” says Joanne. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs that I’ve had to cope with, but some really strong races. In Shanghai, I had a pretty good qualifying – my debut qualifying with sixth. And then I’ve had some points along the way – finishing in the top 10, crossing the line in P5 in Vegas. I think they’re quite strong milestones throughout my career in Formula 4 considering my experience, and that gives me high hopes for our 2026 plans. We have a lot of options on the table. Really exciting options.”
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
Success at this level requires intense preparation and Joanne’s 2025 calendar included over 50 flights, countless test days, and a schedule that left little to no room for life outside racing.
“This season has been super chaotic,” she says. “I’ve actually transitioned my racing life over to Europe, meaning this year I’ve spent at least six months overseas . . .
“Every day looks like a training day. Whether it’s physically in the gym, mentally preparing, doing computerised simulation, even track time. Every single weekend is a training weekend or a race weekend. And it has been like that since the karting days . . . I put in so much dedication and sacrifice – missing out on birthdays and events – but it’s for what I love.”
That dedication has helped to craft a mental discipline that is crucial. During the race, it manifests as a hyper-focus on the track and her performance.
“At times, there’s a moment before the lights go out where all the noise around me goes quiet. I’m able to focus and really dedicate what I’m going to do in that first turn. Just putting myself in the right position,” says Joanne. “. . . When I’m in that car, it’s just me and the car . . . I’m at one with the car.”
Having said that, Joanne adds that racing is far from the solo endeavour it may appear to be to the outsider. Yes, the driver is the one pushing the car to its limits on the track, but those limits are reached thanks to a team – a team with whom she works closely and who trust her to put everything into her own performance.
“As a driver, not only is the driving very important, but so is being mechanically intelligent. Knowing what you want with the car is so, so important,” she explains.
“A huge misconception is that it’s a solo sport. It’s actually more of a team sport. It’s yourself, the car, and the team that you have around you like your teammates, engineers, mechanics. They all play a huge role in your performance, so it’s important to have qualities like being open minded, taking risks . . . and being ambitious. It’s important to throw yourself out there and take every opportunity that you can get.”
Despite her youth and the speed with which she is rising through motorsport’s ranks – or perhaps because of them – Joanne is aware of her influence on young fans, especially young girls, and she gets thousands of messages expressing how inspirational her journey has become. She has some words of advice for those keen to see if motorsport might be for them.
“I say to everyone, just give yourself a go,” says Joanne. “You might not enjoy it, but you might. You probably will. And it will be an experience that you’ll never forget. It’s an unimaginable experience and I think it’s so valuable to say that you’ve thrown yourself out there. Not many people can do that, but it’s a skill that is so rewarding.”
This attitude that has been invaluable for Joanne as she continues her pursuit of her Formula One dream.
“When I picture my ideal racing career, I think my future to F1 will take its time,” she says. “I have such a long road ahead of me. There’s no rush . . . I think that we will see possibly a female in Formula One in the next 7 or 8 years and I’m hoping to be that female in Formula One – if not, the first Australian female in Formula One.”
Joanne may be young, but the maturity and passion with which she speaks of her sport, and the outrageous talent for speed which she clearly has, would indicate that she has as good a chance as anyone to reach that pinnacle of motor racing.
“It’s hard to state one thing that I love about motorsport – about racing in general,” she says. “As a driver, I love setting myself challenges. I love building that motivation and dedication to winning something and achieving something. That rewarding feeling afterwards is almost addictive and I’m in love with the speed and the adrenaline that it gives me . . . I think that’s what I love the most about motorsport – the dedication and just feeling great afterwards.”
DRIVING AMBITION
Joanne Ciconte spends her life thinking about driving at ludicrous speeds and then going out and doing just that, and it is slightly bizarre to think that this talented young woman has yet to obtain her road-going driver’s licence. That will change in the near future, no doubt and, given her chosen career, perhaps it is no surprise to discover that her dream car is one that is all about performance.
“I can’t drive on the roads yet, but if money was no object, I think my dream car – that I’ve fantasized about since I was a little girl – is a Ferrari F40,” she says with a big grin. “It’s such beautiful machinery and to be sitting in that driver’s seat, just driving that around, would be such a privilege. It is truly my dream to own a car like that and have that sit in my garage one day.”
We wouldn’t bet against her.
