2023 F1 Academy grid confirmed as Marta Garcia joins PREMA Racing

PREMA Racing have announced that Marta Garcia will be joining them for the inaugural F1 Academy season, becoming the 15th and final driver confirmed for the all-women series.

The Spanish racer had a successful karting career, winning the 2015 CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the prestigious Trofeo delle Industrie. Making the step up to single-seaters in 2016, she undertook a partial Spanish F4 campaign, before returning for a full season the following year. There she took 14 points-scoring finishes in 20 races to claim ninth in the standings.

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From there, Garcia switched to W Series in 2019, finishing fourth in her rookie season with one win and two podiums. Returning for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, the 22-year-old went on to score two further podium finishes and a maiden pole position in Singapore last year.

“I’m super happy to be racing for PREMA in F1 Academy," said Garcia. "I think this is a great opportunity for me to show what I am capable of and it’s great to do it with PREMA, which is one of the best operations in motorsport. I’m looking forward to working with them and putting their colours at the front in this new series.”

Team Principal Rene Rosin said: “We are looking forward to racing together with Garcia as she had some impressive showings in the past. We think she can be a leading competitor in the F1 Academy field so to join forces was really natural. She also has a good amount of experience which is a bonus asset for the whole team.”

Garcia joins Bianca Bustamante and Chloe Chong at the Italian team. The seven-round season will get under way on April 28-29 in Spielberg, Austria.