F1 Academy news: Five things you need to know about Chinese F1 Academy Wild Card driver Shi Wei ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix
The inaugural race weekend of the 2025 F1 Academy season starts at the Shanghai International Circuit from March 21 to 23.
Chinese F1 Academy Wild Card driver Shi Wei will be joining the grid - for the Chinese GP only - to represent her racing talent in her homeland.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Ayla Vaughan will explain the top five things you need to know about Shi Wei, the first Chinese F1 Academy driver.
Her unique background
Shi Wei was born in Baotou, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a city of two million people, and later graduated from the Journalism Department of Ocean University of China (a public university in Qingdao, northeast of China) according to 51gt3.
She also holds several professional licenses, including a National Automobile Racing License B, a Helicopter License, a Motorboat License and a PADI Rescue certification.
After graduating from university Shi worked for Qingdao Customs News and Publicity Section before resigning in 20181 to start her own business - short video platform Yunshi Media Culture Co.
Her video platform’s main focus was extreme outdoor sports, which gradually accumulated rich experience in racing as a high-adrenaline sport.
This intriguing opening into motorsport makes her stand out as often racing drivers start with karting between the ages of 3-8.
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Shi’s racing career so far
Shi has achieved outstanding results in various racing series in China, showing that starting out young isn’t always the expected career path to produce success in motorsports.
According to Racers Behind the Helmet, she became the second woman to compete in the series alongside Vivian Siu and went on to win the Best Rookie Award in Chinese F4 in 2023.
Her momentum continued in 2024 when she won the Challenge Cup at the FIA F4 Chinese Championship in Shanghai and secured a third-place finish in the CFGP category, as reported by F1 Academy.
Alongside this, she has also competed in the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR86 Cup and the China Endurance Championship.
Her experience in sportscars/endurance shows her versatility in driving different styles of cars.
Despite only having started racing in 2023, by participating in Formula 4, Shi has six podiums - two wins, three P2 finishes and one P3 - out of 25 total races so far.
The first Chinese F1 Academy driver
As aforementioned, Shi is set to make history as the first Chinese driver to feature on an F1 Academy grid, following in the footsteps of former Chinese F1 driver and current Ferrari reserve driver Zhou Guanyu.
Shi chose 24 as her racing car number explaining to SHINE:
"This [24] is the number of China's first F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu…I hope this brings me strength and luck in the race"
This comradery shows how much she values representing her country on a global stage, hoping to make them proud.
Despite being one of the most populous countries in the world, China has had limited representation at the highest levels of motorsport.
In 2024, Zhou became the first Chinese F1 driver to drive in his home country as the sport returned to Shanghai after a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to F1 Academy 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.”
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The Wild Card
Introduced for the 2024 season, the Wild Card initiative was designed to strengthen the talent pool in the regions where F1 Academy races, prioritising young drivers from each host country.
Shi is an ideal representative for China, embodying the nation’s expanding presence in business, media, and sports as it continues to establish itself as an international hub in Asia.
This will also be a learning experience for the young female driver as she will be competing with a much larger audience than she is used to, with F1 Academy running as a support series for F1 - meaning a strong presence of home fans.
Beyond the competition itself, Shi will be able to learn how European teams operate compared to Chinese teams.
Speaking to SHINE, she stated; "In Japan, women's-only cars and events exist. There are all-female teams and female technicians in Europe …[and females have] greater sponsorship support in Japan and several European nations with more developed motorsport cultures.”
Member of a new F1 Academy team
As the first Wild Card entry for the 2025 season, Shi will race for Hitech Grand Prix during the season opener at the Shanghai International Circuit in China.
The British team, originally founded in 2002 and relaunched in 2015 by current Alpine F1 team principal Oliver Oakes, will join F1 Academy as the sixth team on the grid in 2025.
Hitech GP joins five established junior teams with strong records across various racing categories.
In preparation for this opportunity, Shi spent the last two months in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province undergoing intensive training in endurance, vehicle operation, simulator work, racing theory and psychological stress resistance.
With the support of Hitech GP and F1 Academy, Shi will have the platform to compete against top talent, proving herself to junior teams that may be evaluating her potential for future opportunities in European motorsport - or further into Asia and beyond.
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