Lia Block Ends F1 Academy Run and Sets Sights on World Rally Championship Return

Lia Block’s done with F1 Academy after this season, calling it quits on her two-year gig with Williams Racing to dive headfirst back into rallying, the world where she first made waves. At just 19, she spilled the news right after wrapping up in Vegas, a clear signal she’s ditching the tarmac for the dirt tracks that shaped her rep as America’s youngest national champ.

This past year in the F1 feeder series wasn’t bad, not at all. She clawed her way to a debut podium in Zandvoort, then smashed it with a win in Singapore. But hey, the buzz of circuits couldn’t drown out the siren call of rally stages. That detour to Kentucky’s Boone Forest Rally mid-season? Game changer. Squeezed into her packed calendar, she hopped into a Ford Fiesta Rally3, bagged her class, and snagged third overall. Suddenly, the speed, the chaos, the pure adrenaline—it all came flooding back.

Turns out, messing with pace notes and recce runs lit a fire under her. The grind, the thrill of nailing results, it all clicked. So yeah, no surprises here—2025’s about rally or bust.

Now, with rally guru Derek Dauncey in her corner (same guy who rode shotgun with her late dad Ken Block’s legendary career), she’s sizing up the next move. Dream’s obvious: World Rally Championship or bust. Europe’s on the table, maybe a JWRC stint, though she’s honest—timing’s tight, and seats aren’t exactly up for grabs last-minute.

Sure, open-wheel had its perks. F1 Academy toughened her up, no doubt, sharpening her for the climb back to rally’s big leagues. But her heart’s always been in the dust, the jumps, the sideways slides. And now? She’s going home.Source