Dutch Maya Weug will drive in the F1 Academy on behalf of Ferrari

Will there ever be a successor to Amati, Wilson, Galica, Lombardi and De Filippis? In other words, will a female driver ever participate in an F1 race again? If it is up to Maya Weug, yes. The Spanish/Belgian/Dutch karting talent will drive a Ferrari next season. Or yes, in the same color scheme as Leclerc and Sainz.

Weug will make her debut in the F1 Academy in 2024. This is the successor to the W-Series and is therefore a racing class in which only women are allowed to compete. The aim of the training class is to 'train and prepare young female drivers for the higher levels of motorsport'.

There are five teams participating, each nominating three drivers. The drivers race in Formula 4 cars from Tatuus that have just under 170 hp and are powered by an Autotecnica engine. This season, ten cars will be driving in the colors of F1 teams. For example, this year the Dutch Maya Weug will drive a Prema with the same color scheme as Ferrari's Formula 1 team.

Weug about her move to the F1 Academy

The Dutch driver says: 'I'm really looking forward to getting back on the track this year. I'm sure it will be a great season working with such a prestigious team like Prema in the second year of an interesting category like the F1 Academy. It's an honor to represent Ferrari again this season and I can't wait to continue the hard work with the Academy and Prema to prepare for the season as best as possible!'

Prema team boss René Rosin agrees with Weug: 'We have a lot of respect for Maya as a competitor and we have always been impressed by her potential and performance. We are thrilled to finally have her on board for the second season of the F1 Academy. We think we will do a good job together.'

Weug's motorsport career so far

Weug has a Belgian mother, Dutch father and was born in Spain. She started racing karts at the age of seven. Weug soon rose to the Spanish karting championship and later to the World Championship. In 2016 she even won the WSK Final Cup in the 60 Mini Champions class. Weug later also won the first season of the FIA ​​Girls on Track and in 2021 she became the first female driver of the training program of Ferrari's F1 branch.

As a Ferrari driver, Weug entered the German and Italian Formula 4 Championship with a best result of sixth place. Last year Weug drove in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine where she won one race and finished in the top ten several times. In 2024, Weug will move to the F1 Academy, with which she will also race in the support program of the Dutch GP.