Ciconte hails ‘well deserved’ maiden points in Jeddah at ‘one of the hardest tracks’

Rookie driver Joanne Ciconte netted her first points of the season in Race 2 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, giving her a valuable boost of confidence as she continues to adapt to the series’ unfamiliar circuits.

As the youngest driver on the grid at 16, the Australian is only in her second year of single-seater racing – she gained experience at a range of European circuits throughout various regional Formula 4 series, but many of the tracks on the 2025 calendar are new to her.

Helped by the three days of in-season testing in Jeddah before Round 2, Ciconte quickly settled into the circuit’s high-speed nature, crossing the line in P11 and P9 in Race 1 and 2 respectively.

“I’m super happy to get my first F1 ACADEMY points this weekend,” she said delightedly. “I think it’s well deserved after not proving (my pace) in Shanghai and in Race 1 so I’m really happy that I got to finish both races this weekend which is a huge positive.

“It’s definitely a step forward. Unfortunately I stalled at the start, but to gain many positions back was a really good feeling.”

After she was forced to retire from Race 2 in Shanghai following contact with Chloe Chong, Ciconte was eager to bounce back in Jeddah and qualified just outside of the top-10. She was one of several drivers who stalled at lights out, but her recovery drive secured her two points to put her level with Williams’ Lia Block in the Standings.

“I think with my experience especially, which is quite little compared to the other girls in the field, every time I drive, every test day, every race start, it all counts for me,” she explained. “I think I’ve learned a huge amount this weekend driving at this circuit especially, because it’s one of the hardest tracks and fastest street circuits and definitely the hardest I’ve driven on.”

The focus now shifts to carrying this momentum forward to Miami, which will be another brand-new track for the 16-year-old to get her head around in just two weeks’ time. With no test days on offer to learn the circuit, preparation will be key for Ciconte.

“I think it’s going to be a challenge for all of us rookies, and even the ones that have driven there," she concluded. "I think that I’m going to have to train a lot harder, definitely (spend) more time on the simulator. Hopefully I can get used to the track and learn a lot quicker than usual.”