F1 Academy: Ferrari racing star dejected and left without drive as brutal reality of motorsport revealed

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Ferrari racing star dejected and left without drive as brutal reality of motorsport revealed

Motorsport is a tough business

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Monday 10 August 2026 16:57

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Ferrari driver and former F1 Academy star Maya Weug has issued a dejected statement after being left without a drive for the rest of 2026.

Weug, who is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, competed in F1 Academy in 2024 and 2025, finishing third and second in the championship in those seasons.

However, she has not done very much racing in 2026, with just a few appearances in the Belcar Endurance Championship to her name after plans for the season fell through earlier this year.

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According to Weug, her next drive at the 24 Hours of Zolder has now also collapsed, leaving her without a drive confirmed for the remainder of the season.

Maya Weug issues dejected statement

In a heartfelt statement shared across her social media channels, Weug outlined the story of her year so far, describing it as the toughest of her career.

"I don't really know how to write this one. 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," Weug wrote on LinkedIn.

"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.

Maya Weug raced in F1 Academy backed by Ferrari

"There was a great plan set going into this season, but shortly before it started it all fell apart, for reasons out of my control. By then it was too late to put something else together, and on my own it has been really difficult to get any racing at all.

"I was lucky to get a few races in Belcar, and I am grateful to Art racing for giving me the opportunity. We finished on the podium on my debut in a GT car in the first two rounds. But the 24h of Zolder I had coming up isn't happening anymore either. So right now, I have no races coming up."

Weug: I don't want to watch, I want to race

Weug's statement continued, outlining just what a brutal industry motorsport and racing can be.

"I've kept working," Weug added. "Trackside coaching Alba and others, as well as spending time on the engineering side. 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. 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.

"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 more."

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