Italian racing team Iron Lynx will propel a young racer on her first step towards single-seater glory this weekend, as she competes in her first ever car race. Dutch-Spanish driver Maya Weug is 16 years old and having triumphed in last year’s “FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars” programme, has become the first girl to join the prestigious Ferrari Driver Academy.

Having previously raced in karts, Maya joins the Iron Lynx squad in Italian Formula 4 with teammates Leonardo Fornaroli, who has been setting fastest times in pre-season testing, and Pietro Armanni, another promising Iron Lynx debutant. The opening three races take place at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France across Saturday and Sunday.

Maya also joins the Iron Dames, an initiative led by Deborah Mayer, which supports women in motorsport, and is the perfect environment to nurture new talents. As well as Formula 4, the Iron Dames race Ferrari GT cars in the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), European Le Mans Series (ELMS), 24 Hours of Le Mans, Michelin Le Mans Cup and Ferrari Challenge Europe.

Also this weekend, Iron Dames Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Manuela Gostner are competing a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo in the four-hour second round of the ELMS at Red Bull Ring in Austria, where team-mates Claudio Schiavoni, Giorgio Sernagiotto, Paolo Ruberti, Miguel Molina, Matteo Cressoni and Rino Mastronardi will also be hoping to build on Iron Lynx’s impressive showing last time out in Barcelona, where the #80 car took the LMGTE class win.

Speaking about the weekend ahead, Iron Dames founder and accomplished racer Deborah Mayer said, “Maya’s first race this weekend is a very significant step for the Iron Dames, for the Ferrari Driver Academy and for the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission. We welcome her to the team and wish her every success, meanwhile we thank all our followers for their support as we take six Iron Lynx racing cars into the weekend”.

Both racing series offer viewers the opportunity to watch live online, while both Iron Lynx and Iron Dames can be followed on Facebook and Instagram. Racing with Ferrari at iconic circuits all around Europe, Iron Lynx’s season continues to inspire and engage as the team looks ahead to further success in the weeks and months ahead.