F4 CEZ: Mathilda Paatz charges to two female trophy wins, Ella Hakkinen makes highly impressive F4 debut
- RACERS
- Apr 14
- 6 min read
The opening round of the 2026 F4 CEZ at the Red Bull Ring saw each of the six female drivers scoring points at least once, with all of them qualifying for the final, and three different drivers claimed Female Trophy victories - led by Mathilda Paatz with two wins, alongside Ginevra Panzeri and Ella Hakkinen with one each.
The opening round of the 2026 Formula 4 Central European Zone Championship at the Red Bull Ring proved to be an important weekend for female racers, with six women on the grid in a record-breaking 41-car field and all making a significant impact across an intense four-race format.
Racing at the Red Bull Ring, the championship adopted a split-group structure similar to Italian F4, with drivers divided into qualifying groups and competing in three preliminary races before the top 32 advanced to a fourth and final race. In one of the most competitive F4 grids in Europe, every female driver scored points at least once, all qualified for the final, and three different drivers claimed Female Trophy victories - led by Mathilda Paatz with two wins, alongside Ginevra Panzeri and Ella Hakkinen with one each.
The female contingent combined experience and promising debuts. Paatz returned for her second season in F4 CEZ after establishing herself as one of the category’s rising talents. The German driver had already made a strong impression in 2025, scoring her first podium in the series - also at the Red Bull Ring - and consistently running at the front. Paatz has now made her debut in F1 Academy representing Aston Martin, while continuing in CEZ to maximise seat time and further develop her racecraft in large, competitive fields.
Joining her at Mathilda Racing was Jade Jacquet, who also is balanced a dual programme between F1 Academy and selected F4 appearances. Jacquet arrived at Red Bull Ring having raced the previous weekend in Nogaro in FFSA French F4.
Ginevra Panzeri entered the weekend under particularly notable circumstances. The Italian had made her debut in the French F4 Championship just one week earlier but was forced to withdraw after sustaining a shoulder injury. After a rapid recovery, she returned to action in Austria and immediately demonstrated strong pace. With prior experience in the E4 Championship and Formula Winter Series, Panzeri returned to the Tatuus T421 car in F4 CEZ.
Her teammate at AS Motorsport, Michalina Sabaj, brought valuable experience as she entered her third CEZ season. Sabaj had already recorded top-five finishes in 2024 and added two top-ten results in 2025, particularly at the Salzburgring.
Two of the most anticipated storylines however came from rookie debuts. Ella Hakkinen, daughter of two-time Formula 1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen, stepped up from a highly competitive karting career that included participation in the Champions of the Future Academy Programme, where she claimed race wins. As part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, she joins dominant team Jenzer Motorsport for her first single-seater campaign and immediately impressed with her speed.
Swedish driver Alexia Danielsson continued her progression as part of the More Than Equal initiative. Danielsson had already claimed a victory in Formula Nordic and entered 2026 with growing single-seater experience. Her move to Step Motorsport in CEZ represented a significant step forward in competition level.
Drivers had a collective testing day, which proved positive for Alexia Danielsson, who was the top female driver inside the top 15. Ella Hakkinen then soon emerged as one of the most promising drivers for outright speed, setting P11 in official practice with a 1:34.231, less than a second off the top of the leaderboard. Mathilda Paatz was not far behind, while Ginevra Panzeri also secured a place inside the top 20.
Qualifying sessions were repeatedly interrupted by red flags, but the female drivers consistently featured at the front of the midfield. In Group A, Paatz (1:33.5), Panzeri (1:33.6), Danielsson (1:33.7) and Sabaj all ran inside the top ten before the final runs.
In the closing moments, Hakkinen delivered one of the highlights of the weekend, setting a 1:33.179 to secure fifth place in her very first qualifying session in single-seaters. Panzeri qualified ninth, ahead of Paatz in tenth, Danielsson 11th and Sabaj 12th.
In the second group, Jacquet produced a strong lap of 1:33.137 to secure fifth, ensuring another female presence near the front.
The opening race (Groups A+B) immediately reshuffled the order among the female drivers. Jacquet stalled at the start, dropping to the back, while Panzeri initially led the group of women in 12th place, ahead of Paatz and Sabaj.
On lap two, Paatz overtook Panzeri for P12, but the Italian responded later in the race. Meanwhile, Sabaj showed solid pace, overtaking Igor Polak and Frantisek Nemec to climb into the top 15 and closing the gap to the leading female trio.
Jacquet began an impressive recovery drive, passing multiple cars including Roubicek, Noelken and Pisanik to climb back into the top 25 and eventually up to P22.
In the closing stages, Panzeri reclaimed the lead among the female drivers, finishing P12 on track and promoted to P11, just three tenths behind the car ahead. She secured her first Female Trophy win ahead of Paatz (P12) and Sabaj (P13), who nearly joined the leading group by the finish.
Race 2 (Groups B+C) marked the race debut for Hakkinen, who started sixth but dropped to ninth at the start. She however quickly recovered to seventh and became embroiled in a tight midfield battle, setting competitive lap times including a 1:33.968, one of the fastest among the midfield runners.
Panzeri also made a strong start, climbing to tenth and battling for points, while Danielsson impressed by moving up to P12 and engaging in close fights with Erik Poulsen. Sabaj, after a difficult opening lap, dropped down the order but continued to fight back.
A heavy crash involving Nikolaj Dyrved brought out the safety car with seven minutes remaining. The race ultimately finished under neutralised conditions, with no final restart.
Hakkinen crossed the line ninth but was promoted to eighth after penalties, scoring points on her debut and claiming her first Female Trophy victory. Panzeri finished P12, Danielsson P17 after a solid debut race, and Sabaj P19.
Race 3 (Groups A+C) featured another strong starting position for Hakkinen (P6) and Jacquet (P7). At the start, Hakkinen again dropped positions to ninth, while Jacquet held seventh and led the female runners early on.
Jacquet initially showed strong pace, setting a 1:34.1 and closing on sixth place, but ran wide at Turn 1 and lost positions. Later in the race, she went off into the gravel, dropping to P12.
Meanwhile, Paatz delivered a superb drive: starting P13, she rapidly climbed through the field, overtaking Poulsen, Danielsson, and later both Hakkinen and Jacquet. Running consistently in the 1:33s, she continued her charge by passing Eske Nielsen and then moving into the top ten.
Paatz executed a decisive move for P6 and continued to battle at the front of a tightly packed train of cars. Although she lost one position late to a recovering Zasov, she secured P7 overall and her first Female Trophy win of the season.
Hakkinen finished ninth on track but dropped to P11 due to a track limits penalty, narrowly missing out on a back-to-back top ten. Danielsson delivered another strong and composed race to finish P13.
The final race featured all six female drivers. Starting positions saw Paatz in P13, Hakkinen P14, Panzeri P16, Jacquet P22, Danielsson P23, and Sabaj just behind in P24.
The race began with chaos, as multiple cars ran wide at Turn 1. Paatz quickly moved up to P12, while Danielsson gained positions to P19. However, both Jacquet and Panzeri encountered trouble early: Jacquet sustained damage and pitted, while Panzeri was eliminated following contact with Filippo Fiorentino, bringing out the safety car.
After the restart, Paatz capitalised on incidents ahead, climbing into the top ten. Hakkinen held P12, while Danielsson continued her steady progress into P17. Jacquet rejoined and began recovering positions, and Sabaj ran in the mid-20s.
Further incidents, including a collision involving the leaders and another red flag, repeatedly interrupted the race. At the final restart, Paatz was firmly in contention for points and executed a decisive move on Markas Silkunas to secure P9.
Another late red flag ended the race early, confirming Paatz’s ninth-place finish and her second Female Trophy victory of the weekend.
Hakkinen finished P12 after another competitive run, Danielsson was P15 with a strong and clean race, Sabaj P23, and Jacquet P25 after her earlier pit stop.
The Red Bull Ring weekend showed the growing strength of female drivers in European F4 championships, like recently also proved by French and Spanish F4. Paatz’s two female trophy victories and consistent top-ten performances showed the German can be a front-running contender, while Hakkinen’s debut featured points, strong pace, and a Female Trophy win, marking her as one of the most exciting newcomers.
The championship continues on 29–31 May at the Salzburgring, where the drivers will aim to build on an already highly encouraging start to the campaign.
