Ferrari’s Maya Weug kicked off her weekend in style by securing a “stressful” back-to-back pole position in F1 Academy at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Dutch driver was able to secure pole position in the final minutes of qualifying at Marina Bay.
Setting a 2:03.453 in the closing stages of the session, Weug was able to beat her championship rivals of Doriane Pin and Chloe Chambers. Both of which will start directly behind the MP Motorsport driver.
Despite her clinical performance in qualifying, the Ferrari-backed driver admitted the session was less than perfect. Weug emphasised post-session that her laps completed during a “stressful” qualifying weren’t her best.
“It was tough,” Weug emphasised. ‘It was definitely not an easy Qualifying. It’s Singapore, there are close walls everywhere.
“We saw how tricky it was to put a lap together and in the end, I made quite a few mistakes.”
However, Weug still remains excited with what is in store this weekend in Singapore, believing that the continuation of momentum from Zandvoort is crucial for her championship campaign.
“It’s about just making the mistakes as small as possible in your lap, and we got the pole in the end. I’m super happy, keeping that momentum from Zandvoort. I’m just looking forward to the race tomorrow. It will be tricky to overtake.”
Tricky qualifying conditons
Post-qualifying, Weug discussed her “annoying” lap, which ultimately secured her pole position. Despite it being the fastest of the session, the 21-year-old was forced to watch his timing screens in hopes that Pin would not go faster.
“I touched the wall on the last push,” Weug explained.
“I had a green Sector 1 and then touched the wall in Sector 2, so I was a bit annoyed at myself. Then, when I crossed the line, there was silence on the radio until Turn 5.”
The Ferrari Academy driver then revealed that the silence over the radio left her stressed that she had just missed out on pole position. However, she was met with a pleasant surprise.
“I was like, ‘ Guys, please let me know, ’ and it was still another minute that I didn’t know if I had pole or not. It was quite stressful! In the end, we got it, and I’m a bit harsh on myself because I know I could have made my life easier. That’s the goal, we achieved it today, and we go on for tomorrow and Sunday.”
With her third pole of the season now secured, Weug will start from P8 in Saturday’s reverse-grid race. While she stormed from the same position to the podium in Zandvoort, she admitted that Singapore’s narrow and technical layout will make progress much harder.
“It’s really tricky to follow,” she said.
“I think my biggest chance will be managing the tyres better than the others and trying to make up places towards the end. Especially the start, where I can just make sure that I have a good start and make up places. Be aggressive at the beginning and manage tyres to clear up a bit at the end, and then go for the fastest lap.”
READ MORE – Maya Weug takes pole in Singapore F1 Academy qualifying
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