NICOLE HAVRDA Makes F1 Academy Debut as American Express Driver in Vegas

December 23, 2025

• Meet NICOLE HAVRDA, the 19-year-old Canadian who made her F1 Academy debut as an American Express driver at the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix. While this article is mostly a luxury travel diary about champagne and celebrity spotting, we actually got something meaningful – a young woman breaking into motorsport’s most visible pipeline.
• The piece highlights how F1 Academy, Formula 1’s all-female division, continues gaining visibility on the sport’s biggest stages. Having HAVRDA featured alongside the Paddock Club’s $27,000 tickets and celebrity appearances shows women’s racing is finally getting the platform it deserves, even if just for a moment.
• What’s encouraging is seeing corporate sponsors like American Express backing women drivers directly. When major brands put their money behind female talent in motorsport’s most expensive and visible series, it signals real change beyond just photo ops and diversity initiatives.

all-female f1 academy, american express, formula 1, las vegas grand prix