NLS: Mathilda Paatz makes series debut, as Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes fights through setbacks, is crowned in Ladies Trophy
Mathilda Paatz made her NLS debut as she and Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes, who fought through issues and an injury to finish fourth in class, were the only two female drivers to reach the chequered flag in the season finale, with Pellegrino Fernandes already crowned in the Ladies Trophy.
Making her NLS debut, Mathilda Paatz was one of only two women to finish the NLS season finale.
The female drivers on the grid of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie finale, in fact, faced difficulties even before race day. The "Girls Only" team was unable to start because the bodywork of their Porsche Cup car had been damaged. The Junior Team also did not compete.
Furthermore, Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes—winner of this year's Ladies Trophy—had not fully recovered from an accident she had previously sustained as a passenger. Although the Brazilian driver was able to participate in the race, she drove a shorter stint as a result of her condition.
The unofficial test day on Friday also presented challenges. Persistent rain, combined with strong winds and cool temperatures, caused repeated issues during the session. Some teams decided not to risk their cars that day for safety reasons. Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky was among those who used Friday for practice. While the run in the Golf went well initially, she had an accident towards the end of the session. She was uninjured, but the Golf was beyond repair and could not start on Saturday.
Pellegrino Fernandes's Golf also suffered gearbox issues at this stage, as did Célia Martin's Porsche; consequently, they were unable to complete as many laps as hoped. Miki Koyama also failed to complete a single lap on the Nordschleife on Friday. NLS debutant Mathilda Paatz—known from the F1 Academy—did not take to the track on Friday afternoon in the Scirocco fielded by her family team, "Mathilda Racing," either.
Saturday proved equally difficult. The track was very wet again in the morning, making qualifying a correspondingly slippery affair. The good news, to begin with, was that—with the exception of Åhlin-Kottulinsky’s Golf and Célia Martin’s Porsche—all vehicles with female crews were able to participate in qualifying. In the case of the Cup 3 Porsche, the time was used to at least get the car ready for the race.
Miki Koyama finished qualifying in 60th place overall, while Siri Hökfelt placed 102nd. Célia Martin, driving the other Porsche, secured 45th place overall. The Paatz family team finished 109th overall. Pellegrino Fernandes managed 77th place, with Jünger finishing just behind in 79th. However, due to the fixed starting groups, these positions wouldn't directly reflect the actual starting grid.
When the race finally gets underway in dry conditions, the only car missing from the grid was Åhlin-Kottulinsky’s Golf. The start itself proceeded smoothly across all groups. However, the trouble-free run was short-lived; at the end of the very first lap, Célia Martin’s Cup 3 Porsche had to return to the pits and was ultimately retired due to a technical failure. Hökfelt was also forced to withdraw from the race for health reasons and took no further part.
After the first lap, Kotaka returned in the Toyota GT4 in 35th place overall and 6th in class. Car #878, driven by Tabea Jünger, also pitted after just one lap—having been in 81st place overall and 4th in class—but the team was able to continue the race. After the first lap, Schönfelt was in 65th place overall and 4th in class in the VT2 Golf, while Paatz, within that same class, ranked 97th overall.
Accidents during the opening phase triggered "Code 60" slow zones at the Kallenhardt and Ahremberg sections. The race thus followed the pattern of previous ones, which also consistently saw early retirements and "Code 60" zones. After just under 30 minutes, more incidents occurred in the Wippermann and Brünnchen sections. A few minutes later came another blow for the female drivers: Koyama’s Toyota GT4 ground to a halt between Kesselchen and Mutkurve, forcing a retirement.
The ensuing Code 60 phase lasted over an hour. To make matters worse, Pellegrino Fernandes’ Golf pitted after only 50 minutes; alongside the scheduled stop, the team had to work on transmission issues again. They were able to continue after this extended stop.
Unfortunately, anyone thinking the trouble was over was sorely mistaken; five minutes later, Tabea Jünger stopped at Brünnchen. After a prolonged stationary period, the GPS signal cut out, confirming her retirement. The Mathilda Racing Scirocco also pitted early, though in this case, the main reason was the series of long Code 60 phases in fast sections of the track.
After one hour, only Pellegrino Fernandes and Paatz's teams remained on track among the female drivers. Since both happen to be in the same class, this turned into a head-to-head battle. Schönfeldt, driving the Golf, led this duel, sitting 5th in class and 87th overall, while Paatz was 7th in class and 99th overall. In the Mathilda Racing team—the only one with the Scirocco - Mathilda was still building her pace during the team‘s debut.
The race settled into a rhythm but was repeatedly slowed by "Code 60" zones—notably from Bergwerk to Kesselchen following Koyama’s retirement. Additional Code 60 periods occurred at the 70-minute mark on the Döttinger Höhe and ten minutes later at Schwalbenschwanz. The Golf appeared to have overcome its earlier gearbox issues and was making up time on the leaders. After 90 minutes, Schönfeldt had closed the gap to fourth place to just one minute and continued to gain ground; during his stint, he managed to get within 30 seconds of Tillmann’s car (No. 492). At the 108-minute mark, the track was finally completely clear for the first time since the start.
By the halfway point, Schönfeldt had gained further positions overall, moving up to 77th place, though he had lost nine seconds in the battle for third. Meanwhile, Paatz continued to struggle to close the gap to the rest of the class; her lap times were consistent but not quite enough to close on her class rivals. The Mathilda Racing Team dropped to 103rd overall but retained seventh place in the class, trailing the class leaders by just under a lap.
After the halfway mark, Neuber took over the Golf and continued Schönfeldt’s work. Forty minutes later, a second major wave of retirements and accidents hit the circuit, starting with the section from the Karussell through to the Hohe Acht area. Apart from that, however, only minor incidents occurred, leaving the way clear for Neuber and Paatz to continue their charge.
Neuber brought the Golf back to within 30 seconds of their class rival, having also cleared the traffic from other classes that had been separating them. Paatz, too, was gradually finding her rhythm and managed to break back into the top 100 during the final hour.
Towards the end, issues both on the track and within the cars began to mount again. New "Code 60" zones were introduced in the Ahremberg and Hohe Acht sections. Meanwhile, Neuber managed to overtake his rival and briefly secure third place in the class. However, the transmission problems returned, and the team lost time in the pits.
For this final stop, Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes—who was still nursing an injury—got behind the wheel for a short final stint. She battled transmission issues throughout but managed to bring the Golf home to the finish line. Paatz continued to gain ground in the overall standings, moving further up the field.
Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes ultimately brought the Golf home in 70th place overall. Paatz managed to secure 87th place overall. In their class, the two teams finished 4th and 6th respectively after the other Golf (#495) was disqualified.
This marked the end of the 2026 NLS season. A race defined by retirements, it served as a fitting symbol for a season that was largely ill-fated for most of the women involved—ranging from the cancellation of the first race and various dramatic crashes and mechanical failures and, finally, this race with its high attrition rate. We keep our fingers crossed for all the female drivers that this run of bad luck won't repeat itself next season.
