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Female racers struggle for sponsors and track time after leaving F1's women-only series
Graduates face steep costs and scarce seats as no F1 Academy alum has reached Formula 2, officials and drivers said.
- Maya Weug, a 22-year-old former F1 Academy runner-up, has spent most of 2026 without consistent racing opportunities after exiting the two-year developmental series.
- F1 Academy subsidizes 82% of costs for drivers in modified Formula 4 cars, but graduates face spiraling expenses entering top-level racing, where a karting season costs $270,000 and F3 or F2 seasons require millions.
- With fewer seats available at each level, drivers and sponsors must bid against each other for spots. Weug said, "All the money we're finding is to actually be able to race and show yourself."
- Other F1 Academy graduates face similar hurdles; at least six of the 16 drivers from the inaugural 2023 season appear to have stopped racing competitively in 2026.
- Susie Wolff, F1 Academy managing director, said the series is challenging "perceptions and stereotypes" about women in motorsports, though she acknowledged it is "frustrating" that graduates have not yet reached Formula 2.
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Female racers struggle for sponsors and track time after leaving F1\0
Maya Weug poses for a photo at an F1 Academy race in Zandvoort, Netherlands, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post) CORRECTED: location "at an F1 Academy race in Zandvoort" instead of during the World Rowing Championships in Znadvoort", and the City field: Zandvoort instead of Amsterdam.
·Baltimore, United States
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Total News Sources18
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 28%
C 67%
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