Less than a year ago, Maya Weug was fighting for an F1 Academy title in Ferrari colours, collecting wins and podiums with the momentum of a driver apparently heading upward.
Now she is confronting a far harsher reality: an empty calendar, collapsed plans and a growing fear that her career has stalled just as it was supposed to accelerate.
The former Ferrari Academy driver, who finished runner-up in F1 Academy last season, has delivered a deeply downbeat assessment of her situation, describing 2026 as the bleakest chapter of her racing life.
“I don’t really know how to write this one,” she posted on Instagram. “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.
“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.”
Her comments land awkwardly alongside the optimism that has recently surrounded F1 Academy.
Aston Martin ambassador Jessica Hawkins has praised the series as a powerful platform for female drivers and argued that a woman could reach Formula 1 within the “next few years.”
Weug’s experience suggests the pathway is far less secure than those hopeful projections imply.
When the launch pad fails to launch
According to Weug, the season began with a clear programme in place, only for it to disintegrate before the racing even started.
“There was a great plan going into this season. Shortly before it started it all fell apart, for reasons out of my control,” she said.
“By then it was very late to put something else together, and on my own it has been really difficult to get any racing at all.”
She did manage a limited return to competition in the Belgian Belcar series and made an immediate impression.
“I was lucky to get three races in Belcar, and I’m really grateful to ART Racing for giving me that opportunity,” she added.
“We finished on the podium on my debut in a GT car. But the 24h of Zolder I had coming up isn’t happening anymore either.
“So right now, I have no races coming up,” she added.
It’s a troubling situation for the young Italian. For a 22-year-old driver who was recently one of Ferrari’s brightest female prospects, having no races scheduled in mid-August feels less like a temporary setback and more like a warning light.
Cracks in the F1 Academy pathway
Weug’s predicament also raises uncomfortable questions about what F1 Academy can realistically deliver beyond the championship itself.
The series has undoubtedly provided female drivers with visibility, competitive opportunities and access to major F1 teams, but a strong season does not automatically translate into a secure career in the wider motorsport world.
Reigning champion Doriane Pin has moved into Mercedes’ F1 development programme while also building a portfolio across endurance and Formula E, while Abbi Pulling has continued her career in GB3 alongside her role with Nissan in Formula E.
But such cases remain relatively few, and the broader challenge facing female racers has hardly disappeared simply because F1 Academy has created a dedicated platform.
Weug's situation is therefore particularly sobering. A driver can finish second in the championship, race in Ferrari colours and demonstrate the kind of form that suggests a future at the highest level – yet still find herself without a racing programme less than a year later.
Read also: Hawkins predicts a woman will race in F1 ‘within a few years’
The F1 Academy series can open a door, but it cannot guarantee that there will be another one waiting on the other side.
Despite the uncertainty, Weug insists she is not ready to give up.
“I’ve learned a huge amount and I’ve grown a lot as a person this year. But I don’t want to watch. I want to race. I want to be back on track at the highest level and show what I’m actually capable of,” she said.
“That’s what I want to do for the rest of my life and I’m working every single day to get back in the car.”
The emotional core of her message came in her final reflection on a sport that can celebrate talent one season and leave it stranded the next.
“Motorsport is a tough environment. I think I just expected that the results I put together over the past years would have counted for something,” Weug concluded.
“Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me through the tough times. The people close to me keep telling me that when one door closes another one opens, and I’m choosing to believe them.”
For now, belief is all Weug has left. The podiums, the Ferrari colours and the championship fight belong to last year. The uncomfortable question hanging over her future is whether another door will open before the current one closes completely.
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