FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars program, F1 Academy target, Spanish Formula 4 Championship, Central European Zone Championship

Joanne Ciconte isn’t old enough to hold her drivers licence but is clocking speeds of up to 240km/h around some of the world’s most famous racing circuits with one aim: to become Australia’s first female Formula One driver.

It’s been a whirlwind 12-month rise for the Melbourne teen, from driving go-karts to racing Ferrari’s and Formula 4s in some of Europe’s top tier championships.

“I mean for now, I’ve been going 240km/h. That adrenaline is something different and I love it, it’s such a great feeling. For me it’s (240km/h) kind of normal but if you think about it I’m not even on my learners yet in Australia,” Joanne told Fox Sports News.

Joanne, 15, started racing go-karts when she was just nine years old, after her brother Cos took up the sport and she wanted to give it a go too. After a string of successes and accolades, including a 2023 Australian Karting Championship Pink Plate win, she was one of 16 women worldwide selected for the FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars program held at the Ferrari Drivers Academy in Italy.

When she arrived at the famous Fiorano track in Italy, she got an exciting surprise.

“I originally thought it was go-karting but I was driving a Formula 4 car with Ferrari, which was amazing. I mean, I was pretty confident for go-karting but then I see a massive Formula 4 car and I’m like, ‘Oh my god’,” Joanne said.

“Definitely a Formula 4 car is quite different because of the speed and how it works and the whole set-up of the car is quite different, but again, anything that goes fast I love it.”

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Despite never driving any vehicle before, Joanne clocked the fastest lap times in both the first and second rounds and progressed all the way to the final four of the program. But it was who was watching on at the time that really took her driving career to the next level, with Joanne impressing former Ferrari F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella and former Ferrari GT Driver Marco Cioci, who invited her to be a part of their management team, Pro Racing Motorsport.

“They’re pretty iconic in motorsport and they invited me to be a part of their management team. I’ve learnt so much and it’s all for the future and I’m excited to see what it brings,” she said.

It was a big step in Joanne’s motorsport journey and saw her gain entry into the Spanish Formula 4 Championship, as well as the Central European Zone (CEZ) Championship.

Making the most of the opportunity, Joanne finished first in both the female and rookie divisions, as well as a best place of fourth overall at Brno. While in the highly competitive Spanish Championship held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Joanne was the only female in a field of 36 vehicles and finished 20th.

“The Spanish champs and the Italian champs are the best championships in the world and it really gives the drivers the chance to showcase their skills there. It’s important for her to keep racing in the CEZ, Spanish and Italian champs, all the very high-level stuff … purely because tomorrow’s F1 drivers are all in these paddocks,” her dad Rob Ciconte said.

As Joanne’s career took off in Europe, it meant big sacrifices, including leaving her school in Melbourne to be home-schooled on the road in Europe. Her parents also took it in turns travelling with Jo overseas while the other stayed at home to look after her brother.

As for what’s next for Joanne: she hopes to gain more experience competing in Europe again in 2025 and also has the prestigious F1 Academy in her sights.

Launched in 2023 by Formula One, the academy is a female-only racing series designed to develop and equip young drivers with the skills and experience needed to progress to the higher ranks of the sport. Run by former Formula One driver Susie Wolff, who is also the wife of Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, the academy aims to address the gender disparity of Formula One racing, which has only ever seen five females compete in the competition and none since 1992.

“Ideally I’d love to participate in the Formula 1 Academy but whatever I do, I’d just love to keep progressing and see where that takes me and hopefully closer to my Formula One dream,” Joanne said.

“I think Susie has a really smart idea on how she can push us female drivers to Formula One and I think being under her guidance would give me a lot of confidence to get there.”

For now, Joanne is back home in Melbourne for Christmas as she takes time out and rests from what’s been an incredible past 12 months, and prepares for another massive 2025 and hopefully more big strides towards her ultimate dream of Formula One.