F1 ACADEMY: Weug executes dominant drive to take victory in Zandvoort Race 2

Maya Weug rounded off a mighty weekend in Zandvoort with a decisive victory in Race 2 to continue her fight for the title, with standings leader Doriane Pin taking third place behind Alisha Palmowski.

Buoyed by her podium in the frenetic Race 1, the Ferrari-backed driver started on pole position on home soil and survived an early challenge from McLaren’s Ella Lloyd before charging away to cross the line seven seconds clear of her nearest rival.

A rapid start from Lloyd saw her take a position from Palmowski on the opening lap, with the pair battling for the majority of the race before the Welsh driver was handed a five-second time penalty for a false start.

This promoted Mercedes’ Pin to the final podium spot at the chequered flag, keeping her firmly at the top of the standings with two rounds of the series remaining.

The day was less positive for Race 1 podium finisher Lia Block, who also made a false start after mistakenly pulling into Chloe Chambers’ grid slot – the Red Bull Ford driver and title contender suffering a mechanical issue on the formation lap and therefore unable to take part in the race, leaving her spot empty. While Block realised her issue, the stewards gave her a 10-second time penalty which dropped her out of the points.

With Lloyd demoted to P4, Aston Martin’s Tina Hausmann and yesterday’s winner Nina Gademan took fifth and sixth respectively, while Esmee Kosterman became the first Wild Card entry to score points this season.

Racing Bulls’ Rafaela Ferreira improved from 11th to eighth position, and Alba Larsen and Chloe Chong rounded out the points scorers as they benefitted from Block’s early error.

The fight for the title will continue in Singapore from October 3-5, but in the meantime you can find an in-depth report for Race 2 in Zandvoort on the official F1 ACADEMY website.