Maite Cáceres ends season with podium, claims third in JS F4 championship

"I hope this can inspire young girls to pursue their dreams" - Uruguayan talent Maite Caceres secured third in the Ligier JS F4 championship after a standout season with five podium finishes, including a thrilling final round at COTA, where she returned to the podium in Race 1.

Uruguayan talent Maite Cáceres completed a stellar season in the Ligier JS F4 series by scoring a podium finish in the season finale at COTA—her fifth of the season. With an additional top-five finish in race 2 and a thrilling race 3, she clinched third place in the championship standings.

It was a remarkable result for the International Motorsports racer, whose single-car team also finished third in the standings, holding their own against larger operations.

Cáceres, who returned to the U.S. after making her Formula 4 debut in 2022 in the F4 US Championship, showed outstanding development, smart driving, and consistency across all rounds. She becomes the first woman to finish in the top three in the history of Formula Regional Americas, F4 US, and Ligier JS F4.

Having contested her first international campaign in 2023, when she moved to Europe to compete in the inaugural F1 Academy Championship, Cáceres made strides: she learned new tracks and adapted to a new car, scoring points in three rounds during her rookie season in Europe—a solid progression that surely aided her growth.

Once back behind the wheel of the Ligier JS F422 machine, Maite was immediately on pace, competing for podiums and victories. The JS F4 championship, which runs alongside the F4 US series, soon saw Cáceres establish herself as a front-runner, securing second- and third-place finishes at the season opener at NOLA Motorsports Park. The Uruguayan stepped onto the podium in the following two rounds as well, ultimately achieving a streak of eight consecutive top-five finishes.

However, the fourth and penultimate round at New Jersey Motorsports Park in July proved to be a setback. A series of issues saw her score only 8th- and 10th-place finishes, dropping her to fifth in the standings ahead of the season finale at Circuit of the Americas.

"We came into this event sitting fifth in the championship and quite far from the points, especially after a tough weekend in New Jersey", Maite explained. "I had lost a bit of hope, but something kept me going."

"Over the past few months, I trained intensively—both in the gym and on the simulator—to make up for the time I wouldn’t get in the car, as I hadn’t done any testing in two and a half months", she added.

"It was definitely a challenge to arrive at such a demanding circuit like the Circuit of the Americas without recent seat time, but it’s one of the tracks where I feel most comfortable. Experienced drivers were joining the category as well, so we knew we had to give 200%."

The fifth triple-header round in fact featured almost 20 entries, including several talented new drivers, and shared the grid with F4 US, which runs the new second-gen Ligier F4 car.

In official practice, Cáceres quickly got up to speed, working on the car's setup and clocking a 2:17.284, which placed her International Motorsports machine—sponsored by Abitab/Supermatch—in eighth.

Later in the day, drivers geared up for qualifying. Cáceres had a strong session, running near the top before ultimately setting a great lap to qualify fifth. Unfortunately, due to a penalty from the previous round, she had to serve a 3-place grid drop, and would be starting from eighth for the opening race.

In race 1, Teddy Musella kept the lead, ahead of new entrant Leonardo Escorpioni and Kekai Hauanio. Cáceres had a great first lap, moving from P8 to P6, however she would have to close a gap to Zelenka and Majman, who were trying to pull away 3 seconds up the road.

Drew Szuch then got by on lap 3, while Musella continued to stretch his lead with unmatched pace. Escorpioni soon dropped down the order after a battle with Hauanio, allowing Maite to gain a position.

Escorpioni, however, recovered quickly and reclaimed spots, passing both Cáceres and Szuch to push her back to eighth. Maite then had to battle with van't Pad Bosch, but as the race progressed, she started improving her lap times significantly: by the midway point, she was back in the 2:17 range, putting pressure on Parrish and joining a three-car battle that included Szuch.

By lap 9, Cáceres had moved back to seventh after a remarkable recovery, passing both Parrish and Szuch. As the race approached its final minutes, she gained further positions, overtaking van't Pad Bosch and climbing into sixth place.

With strong, consistent lap times, she managed to shave more time off, clocking a 2:16.555 on the penultimate lap. In the closing moments, Cáceres was able to capitalize on incidents ahead, as Kakai Hauanio and Brad Majman both dropped out, allowing her to finish fourth. Post-race penalties promoted her to third, giving her a hard-fought podium.

Starting race 2 from fourth on the grid, Maite Cáceres had another great chance for a strong result. After a good getaway, she slotted into third at turn 1 and engaged in a fierce battle with Musella, swapping positions over the course of the lap.

Musella managed to get past, with Szuch also taking advantage, dropping Maite to fifth by lap 2. However, the top six cars remained closely packed as the safety car was deployed after a crash for Brad Majman at turn 3.

When racing resumed with 8 minutes left on the clock, Musella retained the lead, while van't Pad Bosch, Escorpioni, and Szuch fought for the podium spots. Cáceres held firm in fifth, though Hauanio, who had started from the pits, was rapidly catching up.

On lap 9, Hauanio found a way past, but Maite responded by improving her lap times, dipping under 2:17 for the first time in the race.

As the leaders battled for second, with Musella pulling away to take a commanding win, Cáceres crossed the finish line in sixth. However, she was later promoted to fifth after post-race penalties, securing valuable points as the championship fight for third tightened.

"In the first race, things went really well—we finished on the podium in P3", Cáceres said. "The second race was tougher, and I ended up fifth."

For the final race of the season, Cáceres started fifth. After a solid getaway, she found herself boxed in at turn 1, slotting into sixth behind Dass. As Musella led Escorpioni and Szuch, Cáceres kept close to Dass, holding off Campbell and maintaining her sixth-place position.

Sacha van't Pad Bosch, meanwhile, was charging through the field, but Maite played it smart, avoiding unnecessary risks and focusing on consistent pace.

Ahead, Hauanio fought his way back into second place, closing in on the leader Musella. By lap 5, the battle for the lead intensified, with Escorpioni joining the fight. In a dramatic sequence, Hauanio attempted a move that resulted in contact, taking out Escorpioni and forcing Musella to take evasive action. This allowed van't Pad Bosch to inherit the lead, with Szuch in second and Cáceres climbing to fifth as the caution came out.

With a one-lap shootout to decide the race, Cáceres lined up fifth for the final restart, needing to hold off Majman—who was now running in 11th—to secure third in the championship. However, a small mistake on the restart dropped Maite to 14th, though she was promoted to 12th after penalties.

"In the third race, we were on track to score some points, but I made a mistake", Maite recalled.

Despite the last lap drama, Maite Cáceres managed to secure enough points to finish third in the championship standings, just half a point ahead of Zelenka and 4 points clear of Majman.

"Achieving a third place finish in the drivers’ championship is something I never thought possible", she commented. "I was told I am the first woman in the history of the U.S. to achieve this in categories like F. Regional, F4, and JSF4, which fills me with pride."

"I hope this can inspire young girls to pursue their dreams, because coming from a country like Uruguay and competing in one of the most competitive motorsport environments in the world, and earning a top-3 finish, is a dream come true."

Maite Cáceres' outstanding season in JS F4 marked a significant milestone for the Uruguayan driver, who now looks to continue her momentum in 2025 in a new motorsport adventure.