Nicole Havrda: Finding Her Place in the Fast Lane through the F1 Academy

Before she’d ever set foot in a paddock, Nicole Havrda was chasing lanes, not apexes. A competitive swimmer growing up in British Columbia, she spent her days in the pool — two hours a day, seven days a week. It was a routine that demanded resilience. “Swimming is the best sport for training,” she says now. “It builds everything you need as a driver, your shoulders, your back, your core. But it also taught me discipline. If you want it, you have to show up every day.”

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The switch to motorsport wasn’t planned, but the moment she saw Formula 1 on TV, everything changed. “Just watching it gave me adrenaline,” she says. “I fell in love with it right there and then. I didn’t know how to get there. I just knew I wanted to do it.” She started karting, piecing together a path on her own. “At the time, I had no idea what to do. I just wanted to drive a Formula One car.”

In 2023, Havrda made history as the first female driver to win the Formula Pro USA F4 Championship. It was her first full season in cars, and it wasn’t without setbacks. “That year was rough,” she says. “I had a really big crash. But we kept working, and that comeback gave me confidence. Racing is so confidence driven, and I needed that going into this year.”

Now 18, Havrda is the first Canadian to race in F1 Academy, Formula 1’s all-female development series. Driving for Hitech GP in partnership with American Express, she’s spending 2024 travelling the world and competing on the same weekends and circuits as Formula 1. It’s the biggest opportunity of her career, and she’s acutely aware of what it means. “It’s honestly the best opportunity you can get as a female driver right now,” she says. “And it’s a bit surreal. Just sitting there in front of the F1 garages, I thought, wow, this is really happening.”

But this season hasn’t just been a step up in profile. It’s also been a technical leap. “I’d never raced a Formula 4 car before this year,” she admits. “And Hitech was also new to the championship, so we had no baseline, no data to compare to. We’re learning together.” It’s been a steep curve, but she’s approached it with humility and perspective. “I came in with an open mind. It’s all about learning and taking everything in.”

That mindset is something she’s worked hard to hold onto, especially when everything around her is moving fast. Between the pressure of performing and the pace of life on the road, staying grounded hasn’t always been easy. “I spent three weeks in China, came back to race in America, then straight to Jeddah,” she says. “It’s a lot. I miss my bed sometimes. And the flights, they’re brutal.” Ahead of the heat and humidity of Miami, she adjusted her training routine to include sauna sessions after cardio. “It’s those little things that help,” she says. “You’ve got to prepare for everything.”

She’s also competing in Formula Regional Americas, a series that uses heavier, more powerful machinery closer to Formula 3. It’s a double programme that would overwhelm most rookies, but Havrda has embraced the challenge. “The cars are so different, more power, more physical,” she says. “But I like that. It makes the Academy car feel easier when I jump back into it. It’s helping me grow a lot as a driver.”

That growth isn’t just happening behind the wheel. In a championship like F1 Academy, where you’re racing in front of Formula 1 teams, sponsors, and a global audience, self-belief matters just as much as pace. “The pressure’s different now,” she says. “There are so many eyes on you, and so many important eyes.” But once the helmet goes on, it’s about tuning it all out. “It’s just you in the car. I try to remind myself to have fun, and to enjoy it.”

That’s something she’s had to learn. Last year, she interviewed Lewis Hamilton, a moment that should have felt monumental. “I didn’t even enjoy it,” she admits. “I was in shock. Then I left and realised, that just happened. I missed it.” It’s a memory that changed the way she approaches her time in the sport. “This year, I’m really focusing on enjoying the moment that I’m in. I don’t want to look back and realise I wasn’t present for it.”

For Havrda, staying mentally strong is just as important as physical prep. “You can ruin yourself mentally in this sport,” she says. “You can overthink everything. So staying focused, staying grounded, that’s the biggest thing.” She tries to keep things simple, to be herself in interviews, to stay calm in high-pressure moments. But she’s honest about how demanding it all is. “At this age, I’d be in college. I’d be comfortable. Instead, I’m travelling the world. I’m never home. And while it’s incredible, it’s a lot.”

Still, it’s not lost on her how rare this opportunity is. “If I wasn’t racing, I wouldn’t be travelling to Jeddah or China,” she says. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And I’m doing it with my parents, which makes it even more special. These will be memories for all of us.”

She also knows she’s part of something bigger. “We’re carving a path now,” she says of her fellow F1 Academy drivers. “When I started karting, there were barely any girls on the grid. Now I go back and there are ten. That’s cool.” The messages she receives from young girls, some just starting, others dreaming of the same path, are reminders that visibility matters. “It’s important to have someone you can look up to who’s doing what you want to do,” she says. “I didn’t have that many growing up, so I hope I can be that for someone now.”

Her own list of role models is wide-reaching, Lewis Hamilton, Susie Wolff, Danica Patrick. But it’s Wolff, now the managing director of F1 Academy, who’s had the most direct impact. “We meet with Susie every race weekend. And the fact that she gets it, that she was a driver herself, makes a huge difference. She knows what it’s like to be in our position.”

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Havrda says she’s constantly inspired by Wolff’s decision to pour time and energy into developing the next generation of women in motorsport. “She’s already made it, and she still shows up, every day, to support us. That’s pretty incredible.”

Looking ahead, Havrda’s long-term goal remains clear. “Formula 1 is the dream,” she says. But she’s also learned not to rush it. “These two years in the Academy are everything. I want to know I lived it. Wherever I go after this, I want to carry that with me.”

Her advice to young women hoping to follow in her footsteps? “Believe in yourself. Work hard. And enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do well. That’s something I’ve really learned. It’s not just about the end goal, it’s about loving the process too.”