‘Something I really wanted last year and never came’ - Weug elated by long-awaited maiden F1 ACADEMY pole

With a win and podiums in the books last year, there was one achievement left at the top of Maya Weug’s to-do list — a first pole position in F1 ACADEMY.

The Ferrari driver delivered it on the first opportunity this time around, asserting her hold on P1 early on and never relinquishing it.

Finishing almost five tenths clear of second-placed Doriane Pin, Weug was beaming after Qualifying and credited her team MP Motorsport’s effort, with teammates Alba Larsen and Joanne Ciconte finishing P3 and P6, respectively.

“Definitely something I really wanted last year and never came,” she admitted. “But it feels good to have it in the first race. I'm really happy with the team, I've been working very hard this winter.

“We have a good dynamic with Joanne and Alba, we can work very well together. They did a great job in their first Quali, having them P3 and P6< so I'm very happy for the team in general.

"Tomorrow is going to be a new day. Starting from P8 will be something new for me, the reverse grid is something that will be definitely interesting to watch, but (I will) just try to keep calm for the first laps and we see from there because we know we have the pace.”

With a clear understanding of how she needed to approach the session, Weug utilised her follow-up laps strategically to place herself in the best position for her next set of push laps on the second set of tyres.

“The first one was more to understand where the track was,” she explained. “So I made some mistakes but to try and find where the grip was more than anything. Then on the second run with less fuel, obviously the car always feels better.

READ MORE: QUALIFYING: Weug untouchable as she claims first F1 ACADEMY pole in Shanghai

“I knew that the grip was in the first push because it's so much hotter than in testing. I tried to put it all together in the first push and, after that, I tried to push more but the tyres were just not there anymore. It was just about minimalizing the mistakes and trying to get a clean lap in.”

Before she lines up on pole for Race 2, Weug has to get through Race 1 first, and embarking on her first reverse grid race is a prospect she relishes.

Starting right in the thick of things in P8, the Dutch driver acknowledges the potential pitfalls that come from being in the midpack. However, Weug believes she’s got the speed and the car underneath her to get in the mix with the race’s leading group.

“It’s a new thing for me,” she said. “I’ve never done it, but I've started around there a couple of times last year, so I know how it is. It’s just different now because you have to keep calm, I think that's the most important.

“It's a new track, the first race for a lot of drivers, a lot of rookies, so I need to make sure that we get through the first lap. Then from, there we can go step by step forward because we know we have the pace and we saw during testing that, especially in the long runs, we were very strong. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and just have to keep calm in the first laps.”