The 17-year-old Victorian will compete in the all-female Kyojo Cup for Hong Kong outfit KCMG across a season held at the iconic Fuji Speedway.
After spending 2025 alongside Aiva Anagnostiadis as Australia’s first two drivers in the F1 Academy series, Ciconte said she had opted to pivot her path abroad, prioritising driving experience and long-term development.
“I loved F1 Academy. So it was a tough decision,” she told Speedcafe.
“Of course racing there it built me as a driver and as a person as well and a character.
“I’ve grown a huge following from it, which has helped. I think it’s definitely important in this day and age.
“But I’m here to race, and I’m here to develop as a driver, and I need the laps, and with a certain budget and a certain goal we feel that racing in Japan is a better option.”
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The Kyojo Cup’s format is unusual, with all five rounds taking place at the former F1 venue Fuji Speedway, which hosted the Japanese Grand Prix in 1976 and 1977 and again in 2007 and 2008.
Each round features a sprint and a feature race, held alongside other racing series including the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, the Fuji Champion Race Series, the Inter Proto Series, and Super Formula, between May and November.
In her first taste of the machinery during pre-season testing, Ciconte impressed, finishing in the top five by the end of the two-day session and describing the iconic circuit as “unbelievable” and “fun.”
The teenager said she hopes the move can be used as a stepping stone toward Japan’s Super Formula, widely regarded as the second-fastest open-wheel series outside F1.
“We feel that staying in the F1 Academy is restricting that a little bit, because it’s amazing for exposure and publicity, but for the driving side, it was quite challenging to drive as much as I need and to build that confidence and that experience was quite difficult,” she added.
“We’re looking at a Super Formula seat in the next couple of years as well, which is awesome.”
In addition to her Japanese campaign, Ciconte will also race in two rounds of the Australian AU4 championship at Winton Raceway in May and The Bend in August with Tim Macrow Racing.
“I really obviously wanted to race here [in Australia], but the opportunities came to me finally,” she said.
Ciconte will be joined on the Kyojo Cup grid by fellow Australian Paige Raddatz, with the 21-year-old from Sydney also confirmed to race with Fujisan Shizuoka Racing.
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