F1 Academy graduates warn of ’dead end’

Former Ferrari-backed F1 Academy driver Maya Weug has become the latest female racer to question what happens after the heavily promoted all-women series.

Weug, who was fighting for the F1 Academy title just a year ago, says her planned 2026 program collapsed shortly before the season and she now has no racing scheduled at all.

"I’ve been trying to show you the positives all season, but the truth is this has been the toughest year of my career by far," she wrote on Instagram.

"One year ago I was fighting for a championship, taking wins and standing on the podium almost every weekend."

"I never thought that not even a year later I’d be in this position."

Weug managed three Belcar races, including a podium on her GT debut, but says even a planned appearance in the Zolder 24 Hours has now disappeared.

"So right now, I have no races coming up."

Weug said the fundamental problem remains money and the lack of opportunities once drivers leave the female-only category.

"Motorsport is a tough environment without a budget it is always going to be difficult to race but that hasn’t stopped me until now and I will keep pushing to find the way to get on track."

"I think I just expected that the results I put together over the past years would have counted for something."

Former F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling is raising the same basic concern, insisting that the category "doesn’t solve all the issues".

"At the end of the day, F1 Academy is brilliant in what they’re doing, but it’s after F1 Academy and the things that happen after that," she told Feeder Series.

Pulling says the real breakthrough will only come when women are progressing regularly into Formula 3, Formula 2 and eventually Formula 1 practice sessions.

"We’re always talking about racing it, but we don’t even have a woman in F2 yet, or in FIA F3."

"It’s going to take a lot of work from the powers above. It’s people that have an influence on this stuff - people higher up in F1 and in F1 teams that can give the girls opportunities in bigger cars, in cars with more downforce."

Pulling nevertheless believes a woman will eventually return to the Formula 1 grid.

"It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. We just can’t put a timestamp on it."