Woman Spotlight Wednesday: Mathilda Paatz
- Annalise Huang
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Written by Annalise Huang, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Women have played an influential role throughout the history of motor racing. Many have taken to the wheels of motorsport machines, while numerous figures have worked tirelessly on the sidelines in various roles, shaping the motor racing world to the present day.
Woman Spotlight Wednesday aims to take a look at the tales of these superwomen, who have surpassed various hurdles to reach where they are today. Mathilda Paatz is one of these women whose steady ascent in the motorsport world has set her up for an exciting single-seater career at a young age.
Paatz is a German racing driver who has established herself as a rising female star, albeit aged just 17. Her accomplishments so far have eventually led to an upcoming F1 Academy campaign with reigning champions PREMA Racing, where her skills will be put to the test on a larger stage.
Early life
Paatz was born on 1 August, 2008, in Cologne, Germany. She stepped into a go-kart for the first time at just four years old, alongside her father. Even at a young age, her speed and natural instinct on track was evident.
Paatz’s passion for racing was inspired by her father, former endurance driver and team boss, Michael Paatz, who had formerly competed in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring championship before becoming a team boss. He founded his own racing team, Mathilda Racing, named after his daughter, where he campaigned numerous cars in German endurance racing.
“I don't think girls have it harder, because girls can be just as good as the boys,” said Mathilda Paatz, when asked about racing as a woman in a male-dominated sport.
Karting career
Paatz began racing competitively in 2019, aged just 11. Two of her first three campaigns that year were with Mathilda Racing, her father’s racing team doubling up as a family-run operation to support his daughter’s endeavours on track.
Her first notable competition came in 2022, where she competed in the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games. She placed 13th in the Junior Karting Spring Cup.
That same year, Paatz was a finalist in the Junior category of the 2022 Girls on Track Rising Stars program. The program is a collaboration between the FIA’s Women in Motorsports Commission and the Ferrari Driver Academy, aiming to support young, female drivers. In 2023, she was named a Senior finalist.
Single-seater racing
In 2024, Paatz made waves as the first female driver supported by the ADAC junior team. She drove in the French F4 Championship, finishing the season in 20th place with a best result of 10th place.
Her 2025 season pushed even further. Back with her father’s team in F4 CEZ, she achieved her first podium at the Red Bull Ring and finished an impressive eighth overall.
She was later announced as the Gatorade-supported Wild Card entry for the Montreal round of that F1 Academy Season. Paatz faced some difficulties, having no prior experience with the car or Canadian track.
Paatz failed to finish the first or third race due to driver error. However, in Race 2, she managed to finish just outside the points in 11th place.
Paatz’s racing career is just getting started. She is set to enter the 2026 F1 Academy Season as a full-time competitor with Prema Racing, with the added backing from Aston Martin.
The series of impressive accomplishments so far and exciting campaigns ahead only solidify Paatz as a rising female star in the motorsports world!
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