F1 ACADEMY: Weug dominates Shanghai Qualifying to seal maiden pole position

Maya Weug would not be denied her first pole position in F1 ACADEMY, as the Ferrari driver was on formidable form in the first Qualifying session of the season in Shanghai.

Breaking into the 2:04s early on in the running, it was clear that Weug was on the pace. Lowering the time to beat down to a 2:03.781, the Dutch racer finished her first stint less than a tenth ahead of Doriane Pin.

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Slotting on her second set of Pirelli tyres, Weug found more time, going comfortably fastest by four tenths on a 2:03.379. Pin was her closest contender, but the Mercedes driver couldn’t bridge the gap and had to settle for second.

Alba Larsen put on an impressive performance in her debut F1 ACADEMY weekend. A firm fixture around the top five, the Tommy Hilfiger driver ensured a 1-3 result for MP Motorsport, a further tenth behind.

Chloe Chambers earned a top-four start, finishing ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Alisha Palmowski in fifth. The rookies Joanne Ciconte and Kick Sauber’s Emma Felbermayr were on fine form, qualifying in sixth and seventh.

Nina Gademan nabbed P8, giving her reverse grid pole for Race 1 on Saturday, which gets underway at 13:50 local time. Tina Hausmann wound up in P9 as Charlotte Tilbury driver Chloe Chong completed the top 10.

For a full report on the F1 ACADEMY Qualifying session in Shanghai, visit the official website here.