F1 Academy: Maya aiming for another solid weekend in Jeddah

Maya Weug is clearly on great form with two top three finishes in Shanghai. Now the Dutch girl will be looking for her first win of the season.

This weekend, the Jeddah circuit, regarded as absolutely one of the most challenging of the year, hosts the second round of the F1 Academy season. Both Maya Weug and Aurelia Nobels raced here last year and they also recently took part in a three day test at this track, post Shanghai, a good opportunity to fine tune their understanding of the car.

Great start. Maya currently lies second in the standings after the opening round, where she claimed a second and a third place finish, as well as taking pole position in a closely contested qualifying session. “I’m getting on really well with the team,” she said. “We did a good job in Shanghai but we need to do more and the work at the Jeddah test delivered the answers we were looking for. We focused on qualifying simulations and the feedback from the long runs was also positive. I like the Jeddah track a lot and last year I finished on the podium in both races, so I feel everything is in place to do it again. It will be important to immediately understand how the track evolves compared to testing, with qualifying at night. Also there will be more grip, as the Formula 1 cars will have put down more rubber on the track, but I’m ready for whatever comes our way.”

Aurelia, ready to go again. Aurelia Nobels is really looking forward to the Jeddah weekend. In Shanghai, the Puma-backed driver retired from both races following collisions. In both races, points were within reach, which only added to the disappointment. This weekend should present a great opportunity to turn the page and start putting in the results of which she is capable.

Programme. The action in Jeddah starts on Friday with a 40 minute free practice session at 14.04 local (13.05 CEST). Next up is the 30 minute qualifying, at 21.30 (20.30 CEST) with 2 points awarded for pole position. The first race of the weekend, run with the top eight places on the grid inverted, starts at 15.20 (14.20 CEST). Points are awarded to the top eight as follows: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, while there’s an additional point for setting the fastest race lap. The main race of the weekend gets underway on Sunday at 15.05 (14.05 CEST) with points awarded as per Formula 1, with 25 going to the winner.