Girls on Track - Rising Stars: Ferrari extending agreement with FIA

The FIA Women in Motorsport Commission’s innovative programme to detect and nurture the female racing talent of the future has gained further endorsement following the success of the first edition of FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars.

The Commission is proud to announce that Ferrari is extending its agreement with the FIA, to potentially have four female drivers become members of the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA). In addition, Deborah Mayer’s unique Iron Dames women in motor sport project has become a main partner of the programme, adding yet further value.

The inaugural edition of FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars, which concluded in January, saw Maya Weug become the first female member of the Ferrari Driver Academy after months of on and off track assessment during a shoot-out, two separate training camps and the final FDA Scouting Camp. Her journey through the Academy and into Formula 4 racing began in early February, when she joined seven young men in Maranello, Italy for the start of the new Academy year.

The FIA Women in Motorsport Commission’s initial four-year agreement with Ferrari and its Driver Academy spanned 2020-2023, with talent searches, training camps and the final FDA Scouting Camps taking place in 2020 and 2021 – where one driver could be selected to join the Academy each year. This was to be followed by two years of development support for the driver selected by the Academy in both years.

Now, however, the programme has been extended to include two additional seasons and FDA Scouting Camps, in 2022 and 2023, which will potentially result in a total of four female drivers becoming members of the Ferrari Driver Academy under the same conditions.

Laurent Mekies, Scuderia Ferrari Racing Director, said: “Over the past few months, after the conclusion of the first edition of the “FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars” programme in Maranello, we have received a tremendous amount of support from all over the world. It is fantastic to see the positive energy that this programme has generated, and we are aware of our responsibilities, together with the FIA, to continue to ensure its growth and to always increase the opportunities for women around the world to engage with motor racing. In this context it is with great pleasure that we welcome Iron Dames and Deborah Mayer as a long-term partner of the Ferrari Driver Academy for the “FIA’s Girls on Track – Rising Stars” programme. We will be aiming to best support Maya in this first year of racing with Deborah’s team in the Italian F4 Championship certified by FIA.”