Shi Wei confirmed as Wild Card entry for 2025 F1 ACADEMY season opener in Shanghai

Jan 24, 2025 9:09am UTC

The first F1 ACADEMY Wild Card entry for the 2025 campaign has been announced with Chinese driver Shi Wei, also known as ‘Tie Dou’, joining the grid for the season opener at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Shi Wei has achieved impressive results in various racing series in China. In 2024 she won the Challenge Cup at the FIA F4 Chinese Championship in Shanghai and finishing third in the CFGP category.

Shi will be the first Chinese driver to feature on an F1 ACADEMY grid when she takes to the stage during Round 1 of the F1 ACADEMY season, as a support series to the Chinese Grand Prix from 21–23 March.

Introduced for the 2024 season, the Wild Card initiative was created to help strengthen the talent pool in the regions where F1 ACADEMY races and prioritises talented young drivers from each race region. The Wild Card entry will feature at all seven rounds of the F1 ACADEMY season and will be operated by Hitech Grand Prix, who join as a sixth team from 2025.

Speaking about being the F1 ACADEMY Wild Card entry for China, Shi Wei commented: “It’s an incredible honour to receive the Wild Card for F1 ACADEMY, giving me the opportunity to compete and learn alongside top drivers on a larger stage, making a dream that once seemed out of reach come true.

"Hopefully, I can inspire the young generation and raise greater attention to motorsport and the development of the automotive industry."

Huang Ming, General Manager of Shanghai Juss Sports Development (Group) Co., Ltd added: “Shi Wei’s Wild Card entry into F1 ACADEMY represents not only a historic breakthrough for Chinese motorsport but also a powerful reflection of the power that defines Chinese women.

"We look forward to seeing her shine on the global stage and to the exciting opportunities this will create for future generations of female drivers.”