Marta García returns to Ligier European Series for Spa-Francorchamps comeback, makes prototype debut

Former F1 Academy champion Marta García will make her return to racing this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, joining the Ligier European Series grid for the fourth round of the 2026 season with Petrogold, making her prototypes debut.

Photo credits: DPPI

Former F1 Academy champion Marta García will make her return to racing this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, joining the Ligier European Series grid for the fourth round of the 2026 season with Petrogold.

García will share the #33 Ligier JS P4 with Scott Marsh, making her competitive debut in the JS P4 category after previously competing in the championship with an Iron Dames by M Racing Ligier JS2 R. Her return comes as the Spanish driver looks to build further racing experience after an unfortunately quiet 2026 season.

The Spa-Francorchamps weekend will mark García's second competitive outing of the year. Her previous racing appearance came as a guest entrant in the Toyota GR Cup Spain at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, where she returned to her home circuit and secured a best finish of eighth despite having to adapt to the Toyota GR86 Cup car and changing weather conditions.

Her Ligier return, however, brings García back to a championship where she has already enjoyed considerable success. The Spaniard first entered the Ligier European Series at Spa in 2024, making her debut in GT racing with Iron Dames. Driving the team's #85 Ligier JS2 R, García immediately demonstrated great adaptability: after an unlucky opening race in which she nevertheless battled at the front, García converted her pace into victory in Race 2, securing her first GT racing win on her debut weekend.

She subsequently missed the Mugello round because of a clash with her Formula Regional European Championship commitments, but returned for the Portimão season finale, where she once again proved herself at the front of the field. García delivered another standout performance in Portugal, taking victory in Race 2 to complete a remarkable second weekend in GT racing. The result gave her two Ligier European Series victories from two weekends and highlighted her rapid rise in sports car machinery.

That success led to a more substantial sportscar programme in 2025, when García joined Iron Dames for the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Her debut season provided another opportunity to demonstrate her potential in endurance and GT racing, with the Spaniard consistently showing front-running pace despite several setbacks, including a major accident and missed races through circumstances outside her control.

García also secured a race victory alongside returning teammate Vanina Ickx, further strengthening her credentials as one of the emerging female talents in sportscar racing.

However, the demise of the Iron Dames racing programme ahead of the 2026 season left García without a seat. With limited opportunities to race this year, her return to the Ligier European Series therefore represents an important chance to get back into competitive machinery and add further experience to her racing background.

Her return at Spa-Francorchamps is particularly fitting given the significance of the circuit in her sportscar career: it was here that García made her GT racing debut in 2024, immediately winning a race, and she will now return to the Belgian circuit for her first competitive outing in a Ligier JS P4.

The timing also places García into a highly competitive JS P4 field, with 16 cars entered in the category for the Spa-Francorchamps Heat. With six races remaining in the season, the championship battle is intensifying, meaning García and Marsh will immediately face a strong test against established competitors.

The weekend will begin on Friday, August 21, with two free practice sessions, followed by two 15-minute qualifying sessions on Saturday morning. Race 1 will take place at 2:10 p.m. on Saturday, while Race 2 will be held on Sunday morning from 9:07 to 10:07 a.m., ahead of the European Le Mans Series race.

After spending much of 2026 sidelined from competitive racing for circumstances outside of her control, her return to Spa provides an important opportunity to reconnect with the sportscar environment in which she has already demonstrated significant potential — and hopefully reopen the door to a future in endurance racing.