A great honor for Mathilda Paatz from Cologne: the 16-year-old racing driver will be competing in the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal this weekend. Following her previous successes in formula racing, Paatz is allowed to take part in the races of the ‘F1 Academy’ junior series as a wildcard driver, which is held as part of the Formula 1 supporting program. This will give Paatz the opportunity to present herself to an international audience and in the direct environment of the premier class of motorsport.
The F1 Academy is a junior women's series launched by Formula 1 in 2023 to prepare young female racing drivers for promotion to higher motorsport classes such as Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1. The aim of the racing series is to increase the proportion of women in professional motorsport and offer young talents a professional platform for further development. Due to her previous successes in formula racing, Mathilda Paatz was nominated as a wildcard driver for the F1 Academy race in Canada.
“I'm overwhelmed, in a positive sense,” beams Paatz ahead of the highlight of her still young career. "I've been working towards this moment for the last few months. Now it's a dream come true. It's a surreal thought that millions of people around the world will be watching me race and that I'll be competing on the same track as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on the same weekend. But I'm ready and convinced that I can leave a lasting impression."
Paatz as wildcard driver in the F1 Academy
Despite her young age, Mathilda Paatz can already look back on several years of experience in motorsport. She celebrated her first successes in karting before making the step up to the French Formula 4 Championship last year. There, the Cologne native showed continuous development and even started from the front row of the grid at Magny-Cours. Since the 2025 season, Paatz has been competing in the Central European Formula 4 Championship, where she has kept pace with her male rivals: At the second race weekend at the Red Bull Ring, she drove to second place, becoming the first woman ever to reach the podium in this series.
These performances also impressed those responsible at the F1 Academy. Paatz was selected as a guest starter for the fourth of a total of seven race weekends this season. The decision was supported by Susie Wolff, Managing Director of the F1 Academy, former Formula 1 test driver for Williams and wife of Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, among others. At the guest start in Canada, Paatz will compete in the colors of the sports drink “Gatorade”. In future, the PepsiCo brand will increase its commitment to promoting women in motorsport and, together with Paatz, is now taking the first step in a five-year partnership with Formula 1.
German motorsport fans have the chance to follow Mathilda Paatz's debut in the F1 Academy: Pay-TV channel Sky will be showing all sessions from Canada live. Free practice (from 17:05) and qualifying (Saturday, from 00:30) will take place on Friday, followed by two races on Saturday (from 15:10 and 20:45) and a final third race on Sunday (16:50).
