Former F1 Academy championship contender Maya Weug has described 2026 as the "toughest year" of her career, revealing her immense struggles to secure a racing seat just 12 months after fighting for the title in the all-female racing series.
In a poignant statement shared on social media, the driver opened up about the harsh realities of the motorsport industry. Her current difficulties follow a successful 2025 F1 Academy campaign that resulted in three victories and nine podium appearances.
"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 posted on social media.
"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 missed out on the 2025 title to Doriane Pin. While it is the champion of the series who is awarded a fully funded race seat in another single-seater championship, Weug was given the opportunity to test a Ferrari 296 GT3 with AF Corse, which was also funded by F1 Academy.
"There was a great plan going into this season," she continued. "Shortly before it started, it all fell apart, for reasons out of my control. 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.
"I was lucky to get three races in Belcar, and I’m really grateful to ART Racing for giving me that opportunity. 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."
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Refusing to step away from the paddock, Weug has kept a foot in the door. She has taken on coaching responsibilities for driver Alba Larsen, who is currently backed by Ferrari in F1 Academy, while also spending time with engineers.
"I’ve kept working. 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," she added.
"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.
"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. So if you’re a team, a partner, or you know the person I should be speaking to, please get in touch. I’ll be back on track."
