At the season opener of the Central European Formula 4 Championship (F4 CEZ) at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Mathilda Paatz impressed with a remarkable performance: The 16-year-old driver from Cologne, who is competing for her own team ‘mathilda racing’ this season, celebrated two commanding victories in the Ladies Trophy and scored her first points in an official FIA championship with ninth place. The Formula 4 driver impressed in all sessions with lap times at top 10 level, sometimes even with absolute sector best times.
In practice and qualifying, Paatz seamlessly continued her strong performances from the Formula Winter Series, where she was one of the fastest talents in the series, especially in the centre sector. Although the student narrowly missed out on a place in the top 10 with 13th on the grid, she made a clear statement and left no doubt that she wants to finish in the points in the F4 CEZ from the outset.
The first race on Saturday began promisingly: Paatz got off to a good start and immediately made up positions. In the turmoil of the first lap, however, she suffered damage to her front wing, which necessitated an unscheduled pit stop and dropped her to the back of the field.
Instead of hanging her head, the young racer started a remarkable race to catch up. With spirited overtaking manoeuvres, she fought her way up to 13th place in the 25-minute race and secured victory in the Ladies Trophy at the same time. In doing so, she left behind rivals who had already raced in the F4 CEZ last year and therefore know the car and track inside out.
‘A good start with tough but fair duels,’ said Paatz happily. ‘The collision was obviously annoying and cost me a secure top 10 result. In the short races, there is little time to make up lost positions, but I'm sure that a place in the top group would have been possible without the pit stop.’
First points result in the third race
In the second race, the driver from Cologne was again denied a tangible result. Although Paatz made a rocket start to move up to eighth place in the early stages of the race and was once again sniffing at points, a collision with a competitor led to tyre damage. As a result, she slid into the gravel without a chance and had to end the race prematurely.
In the third and final race, he finally scored the points he deserved. On an initially damp track, Paatz opted for rain tyres, while the conditions on the hilly track in Styria turned into a slippery challenge. When the asphalt dried out towards the end of the race, those who had started on slicks or had changed their tyres in the meantime benefited.
But Paatz held her own: With strong commitment and impressive vehicle control, she held her own in the points despite heavily worn rain tyres. The 16-year-old made up four places, secured ninth place overall and thus two championship points, another victory in the Ladies Trophy and third place in the separate rookie classification.
‘All in all, it was a good weekend, even if more would have been possible. Nevertheless, I am satisfied. I was able to learn a lot and showed that I am competitive at this level,’ Paatz summarises positively. After the first of a total of six race weekends in the 2025 season, she is currently 13th in the overall standings. The young driver from Cologne found her way around the Red Bull Ring, which was new territory for her, straight away. All the more reason to look forward to the next race weekend: the F4 CEZ returns to the Formula 1 circuit in Austria from 16 to 18 May.
