Mathilda Paatz joins Aston Martin for the 2026 F1 Academy season, with the 17-year-old German racing for PREMA Racing and becoming part of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team Driver Academy. The deal follows a year of steady progression across karting, Formula 4 and a standout wildcard appearance in Montreal.
From Cologne to the single seater ladder
Paatz grew up in Cologne and enjoyed earlier start into motorsport than some of her new F1 Academy colleagues. She started out in double kart with her father, and then quickly moved into competitive karting. Ski racing was also part of her life for years, but when the time came to choose, she committed to motorsport with a clarity that has defined her path ever since.
Her move into single seaters in 2024 was the natural next step. Paatz built experience through the French F4 season, then widened her programme in 2025 with the Formula Winter Series and the Central European F4 Championship.
The results were not only solid but showed a pattern: Once Paatz understands a car and a circuit, she moves forward fast. A phenomenal P2 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg and strong runs at Monza strengthened her case as one of the most interesting young prospects on the ladder.
A memorable wildcard in Montreal
Paatz first appeared in F1 Academy back in June, taking part in the Montreal round as the official wildcard supported by Gatorade. The weekend was not straightforward: A clutch problem in free practice cost track time, and her first race began from the back of the field because of schedule adjustments carried over from Miami. Even so, she made an immediate impression.
From the tail of the grid she produced a strong start and moved up several places within the opening metres already. She ran as high as ninth at one stage and finished the best of the seasons’’ wildcards that weekend, narrowly missing a top ten result. A late brush with the Wall of Champions ended one race early, but she kept perspective afterwards and took the experience in stride.
Next to her impressive show of pace, the team around her also stressed her ability to handle the non-racing demands of a Grand Prix weekend with professionalism, from media duties to team briefings.
A structured next step with Aston Martin and PREMA
Paatz’s results, combined with her approach inside the car, caught Aston Martin’s attention. The team invited four drivers to a selection shootout at Mugello, and Paatz came through the evaluation impressively. The shootout included a full day in an F4 car, with the team assessing consistency, feedback, maturity and competitive instinct. Paatz emerged as the driver who best matched those criteria.
Paatz described the signing as the next step in her career, clearly feeling right at home with the team immediately and reflecting on the hard work that got her there.
“”Its been a dream to join an F1 team, and now I am here, and I couldn’t feel better in green”
As part of the agreement, Paatz will race with PREMA Racing in F1 Academy. PREMA’s track record speaks for itself: the Italian squad has the experience and operational structure to help a rookie settle into a long season, and has won the teams’ title three years in a row.
Looking ahead
Mathilda Paatz will spend the winter preparing with Aston Martin and PREMA. Her 2026 schedule includes a full F1 Academy campaign, further outings in the Formula Winter Series and selected appearances in Central European and Italian F4 rounds. The objectives are straightforward: sharpen racecraft, learn new circuits and build consistency over a full year.
She enters the series as a rookie with experience, an appetite to improve and a supporting structure that should give her time to find her rhythm. That combination is what teams look for when they invest in a young driver, and certainly demonstrates another step towards F1 Academy’s consistent development.
Welcome to the grid, Mathilda!
