Champion announces Le Mans absence with health update

Former F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia has confirmed she will miss a race during the 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend, after an update was issued on her team-mate's health.

Garcia won the inaugural season of F1 Academy in 2023, and has since gone on to race in various other motorsport series, including the Formula Regional European Championship and the Le Mans Cup, racing GT3 cars.

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The iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most hotly-anticipated weekends on the motorsport calendar, and the 2025 event takes place this weekend at the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans.

Garcia was scheduled to be taking part in the Road to Le Mans race with the Iron Dames team, but she has now been sidelined by an unfortunate issue for her team-mate.

Vanina Ickx, a vastly experienced racer who is also the daughter of former F1 driver Jacky Ickx, has suffered health problems, as described by her team in an official statement.

"We regret to announce that the 2025 Iron Dames Michelin Le Mans Cup line-up of Vanina Ickx and Marta Garcia will not take part in next week's Road to Le Mans," the official statement read.

"This difficult decision, which saddens the entire team, follows a recent health issue for Vanina. On medical advice, she will not be competing at Le Mans.

"We’re pleased to share that she is doing well and is expected to return to racing very soon."

Garcia missing key event

The Road to Le Mans race is the flagship round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup, and is held as part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend.

Following the sad news, Garcia also released a statement to her followers on social media, which read: "We won’t be racing in Le Mans this weekend. Le Mans was meant to be one of the highlights of the season. Everything was ready. But due to my team-mate’s health, we won’t race.

"It’s not always about pushing. Sometimes, you have to know when to pause. We’ll be back."

The 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend takes place between June 14-15, and will see a number of former F1 stars taking part in the main event, which forms part of motorsport's illustrious triple crown.

We won’t be racing in Le Mans this weekend. 😞

Le Mans was meant to be one of the highlights of the season.
Everything was ready. But due to my teammate’s health, we won’t race.

It’s not always about pushing.
Sometimes, you have to know when to pause.

We’ll be back. 🖤#LeMans pic.twitter.com/4iMAziDOtF

— Marta García (@martaracing) June 8, 2025

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