Photo: Dutch Photo Agency
Ferrari junior Maya Weug will move from Prema to MP Motorsport to spend a second season in F1 Academy.
Weug stepped back down to Formula 4 machinery to join F1 Academy as Ferrari’s representative last year. She had previously spent two seasons in the category in the Italian championship in a car entered by Prema’s sister squads Iron Lynx and Iron Dames, and finished 14th in the standings as a regular points scorer in her second campaign.
She then stepped up to the Formula Regional European Championship and had a solid rookie season with the small KIC Motorsport team, scoring points six times and finishing 17th in the standings.
Weug made a one-off return to FREC last year with KIC at Imola alongside her F1 Academy campaign, which she finished third in the standings with a breakthrough victory in the very last race in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s a hugely exciting prospect to be able to race for MP Motorsport in the F1 Academy”, said Weug, who was born in Spain but has been racing under the Dutch flag. “It’s actually the first time in my motorsport career that I will represent a Dutch team, so that alone is quite special.
“MP have done well in the first two F1 Academy seasons, always running up front and taking their share of wins, and it’s definitely my goal to add to those wins and challenge for the title.”
While Prema won last year’s teams’ title, MP Motorsport placed fourth of the five teams without a win to its name.
Weug’s Ferrari junior Aurelia Nobels will also return to F1 Academy for a second season. She will remain with ART Grand Prix and continue racing in the colours of Ferrari and series sponsor Puma.
The American-born Brazilian-Belgian driver came 12th in the standings last year with a best finish of fifth.