Maya Weug has made history by becoming the first female driver to join the Ferrari Driver Academy.<\/p>\n
Weug, 16, was selected from the final stage of the Girls on Track – Rising Stars initiative, a program run jointly by Ferrari and motorsport governing body the FIA.<\/p>\n
The evaluation camp took place at Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello, Italy, and saw Weug beat competition from 17-year-old Doriane Pin, 14-year-old Antonella Bassani and 15-year-old Julia Ayoub.<\/p>\n
It means Weug, who started karting at the age of seven, earns a place in the Academy which seeks to prepare talented young drivers for a potential career in motorsport.<\/p>\n
Four students have so far progressed from the Academy to Formula One, including current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.<\/p>\n
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"I will never forget this day! I am so happy to be the first female driver to join the Ferrari Driver Academy," said<\/a> the Netherlands' Weug, who was born in Spain to a Belgian mother and Dutch father.<\/p>\n "Winning the final stage of the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars program makes me realise that I was right to pursue my dream of becoming a racing driver.<\/p>\n "I will give my all to show the people who believed in me that I deserve to wear the Ferrari Driver Academy uniform and I can't wait to come to Maranello to start preparing for my first season of single-seater racing."<\/p>\n Weug will soon return to Maranello to undergo a training program which includes competing in the F4 Championships later this season.<\/p>\n "This is an important moment in Maya Weug's career, and I extend my warmest congratulations to all four drivers who reached this final selection," said FIA President Jean Todt.<\/p>\n "The FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars program is key to our commitment to supporting gender diversity in our sport."<\/p>\n Just two women, Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958 and Lella Lombardi in 1975, have ever raced in an F1 grand prix<\/a> and only six have participated in a race weekend.<\/p>\n