Prema has added W Series race-winner Marta Garcia to its line-up for the new all-women F1 Academy series.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is returning to Formula 4 racing after three years in Formula Regional, where she claimed two pole positions and a victory in W Series and was fourth in the championship’s inaugural season in 2019.
Garcia started her single-seater career in Spanish F4 in 2016, competing part-time for the Drivex School team. She then became a junior driver for the Renault Formula 1 team in 2017 and came ninth in Spanish F4 with MP Motorsport.
A combination of Renault withdrawing its support and a lack of budget meant she spent 2018 karting, coming eighth in the Spanish championship for KZ2 shifter karts, but the creation of W Series enabled her to return to single-seaters a year later.
“I’m super happy to be racing for Prema in F1 Academy,” said Garcia. “I think this is a great opportunity for me to show what I am capable of and it’s great to do it with Prema, which is one of the best operations in motorsport. I’m looking forward to working with them and putting their colours at the front in this new series.”
Garcia completes the 15-car F1 Academy grid, and is one of nine drivers in the F4 series who have already raced at the higher FRegional level.
“We are looking forward to racing together with Garcia as she had some impressive showings in the past,” Prema’s team principal Rene Rosin said. “We think she can be a leading competitor in the F1 Academy field so to join forces was really natural. She also has a good amount of experience which is a bonus asset for the whole team.”