Williams Racing just announced that Lia Block, daughter of the late Ken Block, will represent the team in the 2024 F1 Academy season.
“We are excited to welcome Lia to Williams Racing as our F1 Academy driver for 2024,” Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles commented, adding: “Lia has already achieved a tremendous amount in motorsport, has incredible natural talent, …
Proof that if you live in the lower 48 and want the consideration to become a potential F1 driver, that 2WD rally is your best path.
In reply to Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
But would this have happened if her dad wasn't Ken Block? (All else being equal)
In reply to triumph7 :
That didn't hurt- mostly because he had extensive motorsports connections and a predeliction for the stuff. Hard to deny her ability though.
In reply to triumph7 :
Lia is the real deal- not only did she win the 2wd national championship this year, she hopped in Ken's Cosworth with zero previous 4wd stage rally experience and was putting down top-5 overall times until it blew the engine at LSPR.
triumph7 said:In reply to Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
But would this have happened if her dad wasn't Ken Block? (All else being equal)
Hard to imagine. She has zero time in single seaters that I know of. That's pretty unusual for someone entering the F1 ladder. I'm pulling for her, though!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:In reply to triumph7 :
Lia is the real deal- not only did she win the 2wd national championship this year, she hopped in Ken's Cosworth with zero previous 4wd stage rally experience and was putting down top-5 overall times until it blew the engine at LSPR.
I try to limit myself talking about these topics because people don't seem to like it but I'll just say this: We will see if she is the real deal when she starts racing in single seaters in a class with more competition. Right now, she's in the F1 academy because it's for women and she is Ken Block's daughter. Branding goes a long way.
Sure. I'm just pointing out that she hasn't exactly been just buying and marketing her way through her current motorsports endeavors, she has proven to be consistently fast in them.
Regardless of how she landed the opportunity, I'll be cheering for her to kick a$$.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
She's had some solid formula E showings
I am glad she got picked , It will be interesting to see how quickly she picks it up.....
Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
She's had some solid formula E showings
Formula E? I thought/remember she did Extreme E.
My point was that there are a LOT of kids that are super talented that will never get a chance at anything beyond karting or some SCCA stuff. And, yeah, I'd like to see her do well.
triumph7 said:My point was that there are a LOT of kids that are super talented that will never get a chance at anything beyond karting or some SCCA stuff. And, yeah, I'd like to see her do well.
As it's always been in racing. This isn't the kind of sport where all you need is a ball, or one you can play in school and get noticed. It's expensive, it takes money, time and commitment to climb the ladder in racing. And having a name doesn't hurt, either. Racing probably has more nepo babies than any other major sport, but you know what, some of them have been legends in their own right. Richard Petty, Al Unser Jr., Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill, etc.
IOW, having a name can open doors for you on the way up, but once you walk through them, you still have to prove yourself, or you won't stay.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:triumph7 said:In reply to Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
But would this have happened if her dad wasn't Ken Block? (All else being equal)
Hard to imagine. She has zero time in single seaters that I know of. That's pretty unusual for someone entering the F1 ladder. I'm pulling for her, though!
she is active in karting and has been
triumph7 said:My point was that there are a LOT of kids that are super talented that will never get a chance at anything beyond karting or some SCCA stuff. And, yeah, I'd like to see her do well.
If Max's dad wasn't Jos, he would not be in F1. So....
Mike would have not gotten an opporunity at McLaren w/o Mario.
If she was our kid, no chance that she gets to Williams.
Good luck to her.
fidelity101 said:Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:triumph7 said:In reply to Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
But would this have happened if her dad wasn't Ken Block? (All else being equal)
Hard to imagine. She has zero time in single seaters that I know of. That's pretty unusual for someone entering the F1 ladder. I'm pulling for her, though!
she is active in karting and has been
Which has been the only requirement to get a superlicense in the past.
Very cool.
alfadriver said:Mike would have not gotten an opporunity at McLaren w/o Mario.
Agreed with the general sentiment, but not this particular example. By the time Micheal got his F1 opportunity, he was an Indycar champion. He earned that shot, IMO.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:alfadriver said:Mike would have not gotten an opporunity at McLaren w/o Mario.
Agreed with the general sentiment, but not this particular example. By the time Micheal got his F1 opportunity, he was an Indycar champion. He earned that shot, IMO.
And how did he get his Indycar opportunity? If not for Mario, there's no CART ride, no CART championship, so no F1 chance.
Not that it's bad, it's that car racing does not have the same kid of opportunity that other sports have to find talent all over the place. Like Michigan has a tight end from Idaho, who should have an opportunity to play in the NFL based on his general play. Or even look at NFL rosters that have DI-AA or DII players. Or super start Connor McDavid in the NHL- who's parents played hockey, but not professionally. I'm sure the same is for futbol and other sports. But its more rare for auto racing.
It is what it is. And while I wished there was a better system to find talent, at least talented racer kids get a chance.
alfadriver said:Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:alfadriver said:Mike would have not gotten an opporunity at McLaren w/o Mario.
Agreed with the general sentiment, but not this particular example. By the time Micheal got his F1 opportunity, he was an Indycar champion. He earned that shot, IMO.
And how did he get his Indycar opportunity? If not for Mario, there's no CART ride, no CART championship, so no F1 chance.
Fair. I'd include Micheal in my earlier list of "nepo babies" who went on to have pretty significant acheivements in their own rights.
Not that it's bad, it's that car racing does not have the same kid of opportunity that other sports have to find talent all over the place. Like Michigan has a tight end from Idaho, who should have an opportunity to play in the NFL based on his general play. Or even look at NFL rosters that have DI-AA or DII players. Or super start Connor McDavid in the NHL- who's parents played hockey, but not professionally. I'm sure the same is for futbol and other sports. But its more rare for auto racing.
It is what it is. And while I wished there was a better system to find talent, at least talented racer kids get a chance.
Yep, essentially what I was saying. If you don't have money or a name, it's pretty hard to break into professional racing. And really, it's always been that way.
Connections / ability to bring in sponsors in racing is every bit as important as talent.
Many years ago I had a long conversation with Roberto Guerrero; one of the things we discussed was lease ride drivers and Roberto freely admitted to being one earlier in his career. Many teams need a name driver in order to land sponsorship...............it's a business.
I wish the young lady all the possible success.
Lots of weird energy in this thread.
One of the greatest F1 drivers of all time borrowed money from Bernie to secure his seat.
z31maniac said:Lots of weird energy in this thread.
One of the greatest F1 drivers of all time borrowed money from Bernie to secure his seat.
People get all hung up on ride buyers or people they think got the ride becuase they checked a box or Daddy's money got them there.
Note to folks; Lance Stroll is hugely talented regarldless of his Father's money.
Tom1200 said:z31maniac said:Lots of weird energy in this thread.
One of the greatest F1 drivers of all time borrowed money from Bernie to secure his seat.
People get all hung up on ride buyers or people they think got the ride becuase they checked a box or Daddy's money got them there.
Note to folks; Lance Stroll is hugely talented regarldless of his Father's money.
Agreed. People don't like it but in the end he fought his way up the single seater ladder to get there. Albeit he wasn't the best performing F1 driver but being an F1 driver in itself is a high bar.
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