Impressive wildcard appearance sends a strong signal: Mathilda Paatz made a big impression during her guest appearance in the F1 Academy at the Canadian Grand Prix. The 16-year-old from Cologne put in a strong performance on the technically demanding Formula 1 circuit in Montreal, immediately driving within reach of the top 10. Paatz also impressed off the track with her professional demeanour, earning high praise from her team and the organisers of the junior series. With this strong debut, the talented racing driver from Germany has underlined her ambitions and put herself in contention for a regular cockpit in the F1 Academy next year.
The start of the weekend did not go according to plan: a clutch defect cost Paatz valuable track time in free practice. Nevertheless, she managed to leave some of the established drivers behind her in the subsequent qualifying session and secured a good starting position for the second and third races with 14th place on the grid. The first race on Saturday, a rescheduled race from the last event in Miami, where the race could not take place due to heavy rain, still had to be tackled by Paatz as a guest driver from the back of the field. The 16-year-old got off to a flying start, overtaking six competitors within a few metres and already in twelfth place after the first lap.
Narrowly missed out on a top 10 finish on debut
Paatz then even moved up to ninth place at times and fought for a place in the top 10 right from the start of her debut. However, a driving error shortly after the halfway point of the race led to her crashing into the ‘Wall of Champions’ – the notorious section of the track that bears its name for good reason and has already been the undoing of Formula 1 greats such as Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. Paatz was uninjured and remained composed after the incident: ‘It must be a sign,’ she said with a smile. ‘We took the accident in good humour.’
In the second race, the young driver showed her fighting spirit: thanks to the quick work of her Hitech team, the damaged car was back in action in time. Paatz started from 13th position and was able to move up to 11th place in the first lap. There, she fought hard for the final points positions for much of the race. Although she narrowly missed out on the top 10, finishing eleventh, she still put in a strong performance and made a clear statement. It was the best performance by a wildcard driver in the current season, which did not go unnoticed by the race series organisers.
Mathilda Paatz draws a positive conclusion
The third race ended unhappily for Paatz in the first lap. In the dense traffic of the midfield, she strayed from the ideal line, ended up on the slippery part of the track and spun. A driver behind her was unable to avoid her and collided with the German's car, resulting in her premature exit. Nevertheless, Paatz drew a positive conclusion from her debut weekend in the F1 Academy: "It was a great, albeit exhausting, experience in many ways. I was really challenged, not only on the track but also off it: photo shoots, press appointments, autograph sessions, TV interviews... there was hardly any time to catch my breath. It was exciting to experience all of that, especially in the Formula 1 environment, which remains a big goal of mine."
However, the Cologne native's next goal is to successfully finish this year's season in the Central European Formula 4 series, where she currently ranks sixth in the standings, in order to secure a permanent place in the F1 Academy driver line-up for next year. ‘During my wildcard appearance, without much experience in the series and with only a few laps on the demanding track in Montreal, I already showed that I have the potential for a top 10 finish in the F1 Academy,’ Paatz summed up after the weekend in Canada. ‘Now it's clear what the goal is for the coming season: I want a permanent place in the F1 Academy!’
