F1 Academy Driver Joanne Ciconte Reveals the ‘Secret’ Under Her Racing Helmet (Exclusive)

Joanne Ciconte is making waves both on and off the grid.

The Australian race car driver, 16, is paving a path of her own as the youngest female to compete in F1 Academy this season, which she recently wrapped at the F1A finale in Las Vegas — and she’s doing so in style.

That’s because Ciconte, who just completed her rookie season with MP Motorsport on Nov. 22, has teamed up with Wella Professionals to ensure she’s confidently herself when going for the win in the all-female, single-seater racing series.

“For me personally, if I look good, I feel good,” Ciconte tells PEOPLE exclusively, adding that Wella’s “really, really helped” her in her confidence journey.

The 2025 F1 Academy season is a seven-round campaign that visits three continents, beginning in March in Shanghai and ending in November in Las Vegas. The races are held on the same weekends as the Formula 1 World Championships. 

In the fourth round of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal, F1 Academy announced its partnership with Wella Professionals. Despite having to wear a helmet during her races, the hair care brand is a total go-to for Ciconte.

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“Having Wella on board, I always put some secret products [on my hair] to avoid helmet hair, which is a huge thing,” she explains. “We’re always on the media somehow, so Wella has made me feel so much more confident by looking good.”

Ciconte — who found her love for racing through karting at age nine — pinpointed some of her favorite Wella products that help her look and feel her best, even under a helmet.

“One of my favorite products is the Ultimate Smooth Miracle Oil Serum or the Ultimate Smooth Mask,” she shares. “The mask I leave in for about five to 10 minutes and that prepares my hair for the whole weekend, always looking smooth and shiny… It’s one of my huge tips.”

Ciconte even has a few hair hacks to primp herself after a race, even if the weather conditions are extreme or she’s sweating from giving it her all in competition.

“I always like to touch my hair up underneath the helmet. It’s a bit hard because obviously with sweating and experiencing different weather conditions,” she explains. “In Singapore, the humidity was outrageous, so everyone’s hair was super, super frizzy.”

“But lucky for me, I had so many amazing Wella products!” the athlete shares. “One that really saved me that weekend was the oil serum. Everyone was coming to me to use these products!”

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Ciconte finished her first F1 Academy season with a top 10 finish in the first race in Las Vegas.

“We are still making huge steps to resemble that women can be in Formula one day and I think F1 Academy is doing an amazing job of that,” she tells PEOPLE. “Talent has no gender.”