Weug ‘wanting more’ in Miami as she hunts down first F1 ACADEMY victory

Maya Weug tasted success with her double podium in Jeddah, but the Ferrari driver isn’t taking her foot off the gas as she targets a her first win this time around in Miami.

Sitting second in the Drivers’ Standings, her P3 and P2 finishes put her 11 points of leader Abbi Pulling. Despite the strong start, Weug isn’t getting complacent about her performance out on track.

Discussing how she fared in Round 1, she insisted that her work was far from done and believes that whilst her one-lap pace was strong, her race pace wasn’t up to the standard she wanted.

“Of course, I’m second in the Standings and yes, I was consistent, but I want more,” she responded. “I want to go for the win and that’s what we’ll try for in Miami. In Jeddah, I think the biggest area to improve was the race pace. We were struggling a bit there, so I think that will be our main focus.”

F1 ACADEMY’s appearance at the Miami International Autodrome provides Weug with her first visit Stateside. Soaking up the atmosphere of the Sunshine State and feeling the love from the American fans who have visited the paddock, she noted that she cannot wait to see all that the Grand Prix weekend has to offer.

“I’ve never been to the US, but I know everything is super exciting,” she said. “They make, not a big show, but they really love racing and the support is going to be amazing for sure. I know there are a lot of media activities for me from everywhere, which is always good. I’m really looking forward to it and seeing how it all is. From what I’ve heard it’s going to be amazing.”

Whilst the temporary street circuit might be similar in its construction to Jeddah, the characteristics and situation Weug faces this weekend couldn’t be more different. Navigating the technical circuit brings an extra challenge for the field.

In contrast to the three days of testing ahead of the season opener, she’ll be tackling the Miami circuit head on, with the track walk and simulator her only taste of what’s to come before Free Practice.

READ MORE: Chambers confident home podium is on the cards around well-suited Miami

Acknowledging how crucial the two 40-minute sessions will be, Weug is intrigued to see how she copes with the limited running as she looks to leave the first phase of the 2024 campaign on a high.

“Obviously, the sim is super different to real life, but I think it’s a really cool track,” said Weug. “Again, a street track, so two street tracks in a row is really cool. This time there is a really fast section in the first sector of the lap and then the last sector is very slow and really close to the wall.

“It has a bit of everything. It will be exciting to see how it goes and how we adapt as quick as possible, as we only have two Free Practice session before we go out in Qualifying.”