Maya Weug - Ferrari's first ever female racer in its Young Driver Academy program - will make her single seater debut in the Italian F4 championship, as she joins Iron Lynx.
16-year old Maya Weug won the first ever edition of the "Girls On Track: Rising Star" program, an initiative supported by the FIA Women In Motorsport commission and with the partnership of Ferrari Young Driver Academy targeting an increased female participation in the sport.
From the over 60 entries all around the world, 4 karting drivers had the opportunity to complete a one-week assessment at the Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, which handed the victory to Dutch-Belgian driver Weug. Maya was already part of the Richard Mille young talent program and had already impressed followers of international karting competitions.
Weug became the first ever female member of the world-renowned FDA program, which had brought talents like Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll, Jules Bianchi, Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher to Formula 1 since its foundation in 2010.
As part of the "Girls On Track" initiative, Maya Weug has been offered a two-year contract with the Italian team and will have the chance to make her single-seater debut in 2021 with FDA support.
Having driven the Mygale F4 cars in the assessment tests – and in a previous occasion with the Richard Mille Academy – Maya got behind the wheel of the Tatuus F4 car in the recent collective pre-season tests.
FDA now officially confirmed that Maya will be joining the Iron Lynx team, under the banner of its female program "Iron Dames".
The project, launched in 2019 by Ferrari ambassador Deborah Mayer, brought a fully-female crew at the last two Le Mans 24 Hours editions, as well as in the European Le Mans Series championship. With the inaugural "Iron Dames" trio making their switch to WEC, experienced racer Katherine Legge will join the outfit for the 2021 ELMS campaign.
Iron Lynx also ran Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi in the 2019 and 2020 Italian F4 championships, under the banner of Abu Dhabi Racing.
“We are honoured and incredibly proud to be working with Ferrari Driver Academy and the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission on this amazing project that will allow us to support the next generation of promising female racers,” said Deborah Mayer, project leader of Iron Dames.
“Iron Lynx is looking forward to the year ahead, not only by providing Maya with a competitive car in her debut season in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, but also a top notch technical support. What’s more we are also looking forward to getting to know many more young female talents through the partnership,” concluded Mayer.
Co-founded by Italian racing driver Andrea Piccini, Iron Lynx has quickly developed into one of the leading GT teams in Europe and expanded its cooperation with Ferrari and its factory drivers in 2021.
The Italian F4 championship is scheduled to start its 2021 season at Circuit Paul Ricard, France, on 14-16 May. This year's calendar includes 7 race meetings on some of the most iconic racing venues in Europe: Misano, Vallelunga, Imola, Red Bull Ring, Mugello and the home of the Italian F1 GP at Monza.
2021 Italian F4 calendar:
Round 1 - Le Castellet, France - 14/16 May
Round 2 - Misano, Italy - 4/6 June
Round 3 - Vallelunga, Italy - 18/20 June
Round 4 - Imola, Italy - 23/25 July
Round 5 - Red Bull Ring, Austria - 10/12 September
Round 6 - Mugello, Italy - 8/10 October
Round 7 - Monza, Italy - 29-31 October
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