Weug 'feeling confident' victory could be on the cards from Lusail Race 1 front row

Although Maya Weug’s PREMA Racing teammate Doriane Pin has looked unbeatable so far this weekend, the Ferrari driver is not ruling out her first win of the season as she lines up second on the grid for both races in Round 6.

Whilst Pin topped every session on her way to both pole positions, Weug was her closest rival throughout Qualifying. Her fastest effort left her two tenths off pole, whilst her second-best time was 0.192s back from the Mercedes driver.

“The car felt really good,” Weug said after completing Qualifying around the Lusail International Circuit. “I felt confident, especially in the third sector, the high speed section also felt amazing. I love the track. I wanted to get pole position, but I still have Abu Dhabi.

“I struggled quite a bit in Sector 2, but we will look into the data, as Doriane was fastest there so we have good data to compare to. The pace is there, so that is positive and we will take it into tonight, because last night in Practice we were also there.”

Tonight’s event in Lusail will be F1 ACADEMY’s first night race, and Weug is excited to compete under the floodlights.

“I love racing at night,” she added. "It is so cool, especially around here as it feels like the day because the lights are so bright! The track will be super fast again with Formula 1 running right in front of us, and it being colder.

“We will just have to maximise at the start, like we did in Singapore Race 2, and try to control the race and the tyres from there.”

READ MORE: QUALIFYING: Pin grabs double pole positions in Qatar ahead of Weug and Pulling

Weug started the second Singapore race from third on the grid, but managed to make an ambitious overtake on Pin going into Turn 1 on the opening lap. From there, and despite Pin’s best attempts to pass, Weug held onto the position to take home her third consecutive second place finish and is looking to repeat the same feat this time around.

“We will see how the race goes, but my starts have been quite strong this year so I am feeling confident,” Weug stated when asked if a maiden victory was on the cards.

“I think the start will be the most important, and with it being quite a lot colder it will be important to focus on warming up the tyres properly. I hope I can do the same as in Singapore!”