{
  "id": 10425701,
  "title": "Female racers struggle for sponsors and track time after leaving F1's women-only series",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/female-racers-struggle-for-sponsors-and-track-time-after-leaving-f1s",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-28T10:54:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/female-racers-struggle-sponsors-track-105438343.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Maya Weug's journey in F1 Academy, Ferrari's young driver program, has been fraught with challenges since 2026. Once a front-runner, Weug now finds herself struggling to secure sponsorship and track time. Despite backing from F1 Academy and Ferrari, her attempt to move into GT sportscar racing has failed for unexplained reasons. She managed only two races in an amateur sportscar series in Belgium. Weug has expressed her disappointment on social media, stating that her achievements over the past years should have counted for something. Marta García, the inaugural F1 Academy champion, has also faced a tough year, going nine months without racing and questioning her identity. The series, which aims to give female drivers a platform to reach higher levels of competition, has highlighted the difficulties many of its top graduates face in securing sponsorship and funding. F1 Academy's managing director, Susie Wolff, acknowledges the frustration but notes that the series is only in its fourth season and is working to break stereotypes about women in motorsports. The soaring costs and underrepresentation of women at the grassroots level are contributing factors to the struggles of F1 Academy graduates.",
  "summary": "Maya Weug seemed to be doing everything right. “There was a good plan coming into this year and everything was ready to go and to focus on GT (sportscar racing),” the 22-year-old told The Associated Press in a recent interview on the sidelines of the Dutch Grand Prix. F1 Academy was launched in 2023 to give female drivers a platform to reach higher levels of competition in a sport that’s always…",
  "key_points": [
    "Maya Weug faces challenges securing sponsorship and track time after F1 Academy.",
    "Marta García, inaugural F1 Academy champion, has raced only nine months.",
    "F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff acknowledges struggles and works to break stereotypes."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Female racers struggle for sponsors and track time after leaving F1’s women-only series",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/female-racers-struggle-for-sponsors-and-track-time-after-leaving-f1s-10432233",
        "published": "2026-09-28T10:55:57.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}