Weug cruises to victory in F1 Academy’s main Zandvoort race

Photo: F1 Academy

The all-Dutch combination of Maya Weug and MP Motorsport comfortably converted pole into victory in F1 Academy’s main race at Zandvoort.

There was drama before the start as Campos Racing’s title contender Chloe Chambers had issues on the dummy grid that required a reset. She could not get her car going for the formation lap though after that, nor from the pits, so did not race.

Chambers was due to line up fourth, and ART Grand Prix’s Lia Block took that spot at the end of the formation lap. Realising her error, she reversed into the sixth placed grid box she was supposed to start from but still copped a 10-second penalty.

Rodin Motorsport’s Ella Lloyd ended up having row two of the grid to herself and made a great launch to pass Campos’s Alisha Palmowski for second while Block was slow off the line and dropped to eighth.

Lloyd then attacked Weug through the esses, before Palmowski came back at her into turns seven and 10. Prema’s Doriane Pin joined in after that, with Lloyd now under less pressure but with a five-second penalty for moving forward slightly while the starting lights were still on.

Weug ended lap one 0.8s ahead, and got her gap over two seconds after lap five. It kept on growing through the rest of the 17-lap race, and she finished 6.257s clear of Lloyd.

Palmowski was all over Lloyd on lap five after she went wide at turn three, but at that point Pin was still filling Palmowski’s mirrors and splitting her attention.

Lloyd only truly shook off Palmowski with a few laps to go, but at that point it was too late to negate her penalty and she was classified in fourth behind Pin.

Tina Hausmann came under attack from Prema team-mate Nina Gademan for fifth at the very end, while Block pressured Hitech GP’s wildcard driver Esmee Kosterman on and off through the race but was unable to recover a place on-the-road. Once her penalty was applied, she was then demoted to 12th.

Campos’s Rafael Ferreira inherited eighth, just ahead of MP’s charging Alba Hurup Larsen. She started 13th and made up one spot on lap one. Two laps later she made a brave attempt at overtaking Rodin’s Chloe Chong into turn three but could not pull it off, then they both moved up the order when Rodin’s Emma Felbermayr spun on lap seven at turn 10.

Larsen renewed her attacks in the last two laps, and went to Chong’s outside down the pit straight as they began the final tour. She was ahead approaching turn one, but Chong braked late to get back ahead. However her huge lock-up sent her deep and allowed Larsen to then cut to the inside and move past into what would become ninth place.

Race results (17 laps)