Nobels prioritising ‘building the base’ in Practice as she sets main goal after best-ever results 

Aurelia Nobels is riding the high of her best-ever performance in F1 ACADEMY last time out in Zandvoort, and the PUMA driver believes she’s moving in the right direction heading into Singapore.

The Brazilian racer turned P5 and P4 Qualifying results into a seventh and fifth-place finishes, marking her first return to the points since Jeddah and adding more points to her tally in two races than the previous three rounds.

Reflecting on her turnaround, Nobels was delighted by her one-lap pace, but acknowledged that her race pace still had room for improvement, particularly on slick tyres.

“It was good for me to have the summer break so I could reset because I had a really tough start of the season,” she said. “During the test in Zandvoort, I was already fast, so I was quite confident going into the weekend. I managed to score points in both races and did a really good Qualifying, so I was really happy about that.

“Then on the other side, I was a bit frustrated because the pace in the dry conditions wasn’t really good. I did a pretty good job in the rain, I was really fast and it helped me that I was starting at the front so I could just defend. I think there were a lot of positives to take from the weekend and now, we just need to move in this direction.”

She added: “In Qualifying, I need to continue like this. It’s much easier when you qualify at the top because you start at the front. Right now, I need to improve the race pace because during the races I was struggling a lot. I was losing quite a lot (of pace) and I had to defend, so I couldn’t move up and follow the girls in front.”

Turning her attentions to the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Nobels isn’t underestimating the uphill battle that lies ahead as Singapore remains an unexplored frontier for her and her ART Grand Prix team.

READ MORE: Singapore Preview: Talking Points ahead of Round 5

Whilst the references from her experienced teammate Bianca Bustamante will be a valuable resource to call on, and with only one Free Practice to contend with, she understands the session could set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

“There are a few drivers that have already driven there so they have kind of an advantage,” she said. “We only have one Free Practice of 30 minutes, so it’s going to be really hard. (…) It’s not really about lap time but getting all the information about the track and prepare for Qualifying.

“On the simulator, I really enjoyed the track. It’s very tricky, very technical, so I think it’s going to be really hard. I’m pretty confident, even the sector where it’s the most technical was really, really fast. (…) There are quite a lot of high-speed corners, but also very technical and that’s something that I’m really good at.

“Bianca (Bustamante) has already driven there, which is good, so she can help us a little bit with the information. The track will be super dirty and (we’re driving) in the middle of the day when it’s really hot. So the things we’re gathering in the car doesn’t mean Qualifying is going to be bad, so it doesn’t mean we have to do a big step with the car because there’s going to be more grip and different conditions, so (we can’t) judge really quickly what we’re feeling in the car.”

Amplifying the challenge is the fact that temperatures will likely hit over 30˚C for all of their running and Nobels’ preparation has seen her try to simulate the conditions as much as she can through saunas and high-intensity training.

“I think it’s the hottest weekend of the season for us,” she remarked. “When I was in Italy, I trained really, really hard. I think I’m prepared, of course it’s going to be different with the helmet on. It’s going to be really, really hot, so it’s going to be difficult. With the heat, you can actually lose focus during the race, so trying to stay very focused is something really important.

Round 5 kicks off the final three rounds of the 2024 campaign, with Nobels’ Zandvoort results elevating her from 15th to ninth in the Standings and she understands that another strong Qualifying could set her on the right path to move further up the order.

“It’s the first time for me on a street circuit (like this),” she concluded. “The main goal for me is in FP1 straightaway to build the base, learn the track pretty quickly and be ready for Qualifying. Qualify in the top five as I did in Zandvoort, so it would be much easier for the races and then, improve the pace and try to score more points. Just continue with the progress that I’ve made.”