Maya Weug did very well this weekend, picking up two second places. Her Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy colleague, Aurelia Nobels had a difficult time of it.
Maya Weug’s run of good form continues, following on from the Zandvoort round. Here in Singapore she finished second in both races on her first visit to the very tricky Marina Bay street circuit, which also tests a driver’s physical fitness, especially as both F1 Academy races were run in the early afternoon, in very hot and humid conditions.
Race -1. Weug secured her first front row start of the season, having qualified second. She then fended off Dorian Pin after the start before picking up the pace tracking championship leader Abbi Pulling for several laps. “I tried to stay as close as possible to Abbi,” explained Weug. “But then I noticed that lap after lap the front tyres were losing grip and they were struggling a bit three laps from the finish. In the end, I had a rather solitary race but I have to say that driving on this track is as challenging as it’s fun.”
Race-2. Maya was third on the grid and managed to pull alongside Pin when the lights went out, attacking her into the first corner. “I saw there was room on the outside and I managed it,” explained Maya. “I used every centimetre available and got by into second place. In Race 1, it was clear to see that overtaking is practically impossible at this track, so I knew my best opportunity was at the start.” It was a perfect move, so once again she was behind Pulling. After a Safety Car period, there were no more changes in the order. “We need a further step forward to fight for the win,” concluded Maya. “But overall, it was a good weekend where we got the best result we could.” Weug’s fourth consecutive podium finish strengthens her third place in the standings on 120 points.
Aurelia. It was a lacklustre weekend for Aurelia Nobels. The 18 year old Brazilian was also tackling the Marina Bay track for the first time and started both races from the seventh row of the grid. She finished 14th in Race 1 and in the second Aurelia got a good start to move into the top ten, but in the scrap at turn 1, she touched the barriers with a rear wheel. Nobels continued, putting in good lap times, taking the chequered flag in 12th place.