F1 Academy – drivers’ reactions: Pin takes the lead, Weug wants revenge, Chambers confirms his approach

Doriane Pin, the young Mercedes driver, delivered a stunning performance this Sunday in China, winning race 2 of the F1 Academy with impressive domination. This victory, combined with the point for the fastest lap, allows her to take the lead in the drivers’ standings with a five-point advantage over Maya Weug.

“I feel incredibly good!” Pin exclaimed after her victory. “I am really happy with this achievement. We put everything into it, but we were also aiming for this victory at the end of the weekend because we knew it was the race where we scored the most points, and we did it.”

The team strategy, which involved saving a set of new tires for the main race, proved to be effective. The objective was to overtake at the beginning of the race, she explained. We knew that the performance peak with new tires is at the start, but it’s also a compromise. Yesterday, we struggled a bit as we didn’t have new tires on the car. […] But today, it’s most important: we scored 25 points and the fastest lap point, we succeeded, she emphasized.

With this victory, Pin approaches the upcoming race weekend in Jeddah with confidence. She knows the Saudi circuit well, having already secured two pole positions and a win in Race 1 during her first season in the F1 Academy last season.

Asked about her ambitions for the next Grand Prix, Pin displayed a cautious optimism: “I continue to work hard every day to improve. Jeddah is an incredible track. Last year was positive, so I’m looking forward to testing and working. Then we’ll see, but that’s clearly the goal.”

Emotional mountains for Maya Weug

« I am still disappointed, » she stated after finishing 2nd. Indeed, the Ferrari driver made mistakes that cost her first place: « I couldn’t keep up the pace, » she added. After winning her first qualifiers this weekend, she was on cloud nine, perhaps too much so. She is now focusing on what she needs to improve: « We will see that with the team, look at the data to understand why the pace wasn’t good. »

Like Maya Weug, all the drivers now have their eyes set on Jeddah, but the German really hopes to have a better race there: “I’ll return stronger to Jeddah,” she concluded.

Chambers is happy to be on the podium.

Second podium, it was a very productive weekend for the Red Bull driver: “It’s very positive,” she said with a big smile. She started in 4th position and fought a good part of the race for 3rd place. “It’s really a good position, it’s up to me to keep it.”

Chambers is eager to race in Jeddah for the second year. Chloé Chambers showed remarkable performances on this circuit last year. Despite average qualifications, she was able to exploit the full potential of the car to secure a fourth position in the first race.

Just as strong ambition in the Sauber driver

Felbermayr quickly took the lead over Joanne Ciconte for the fifth position after the rolling start and managed to fend off an attack from Nina Gademan. The driver spent the next eight laps studying the rear wing of Alisha Palmowski, until a bold maneuver allowed her to catch up with the Red Bull Racing driver to seize fifth place.

The Austrian remains cautious for her decent starts. Felbermayr declared: This is certainly not what I’m here for, as the trials went quite well and I expected better, but I think, overall, it was the maximum for the race.

The novice driver in the F1 Academy admitted the complexity of driving due to her inexperience, particularly the need to change her mentality and way of seeing things during her first season in single-seater racing.

« The big change for the trials was the track with the Formula 1 grip, she explained. « The situation was completely different. I didn’t have much practice before qualifying, which I also need to get used to. » Being at the back is always dangerous, you can get stuck in traffic. She added: « I learned a lot this weekend. Thanks to karting, I know I have to be as aggressive as possible and now, sometimes I need to calm down. That’s where I learned the most and where I still need to improve. »

The first race of the season laid the groundwork for a competition that promises to be intense. While Doriane Pin made a remarkable impression with her spectacular victory, Maya Weug and Chloe Chambers also showcased their potential, while Felbermayr continues her learning journey. Now, all the drivers are focusing on Jeddah, hoping to confirm their performances and collect as many points as possible.