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STANDOUT STARS: Who lit up the streets of Jeddah across Round 2?
Maya Weug stands tall at the top of the Drivers’ Standings for the first time as she snatched victory and a double podium in Jeddah.
The Ferrari junior wasn’t the only F1 ACADEMY driver to bring the heat to Saudi Arabia, so let’s take a look who lit up the streets in Round 2…
MAYA WEUG
After Shanghai, Weug remarked that her five-point deficit to Doriane Pin “sounds like nothing, but it feels like a lot”. Now the Ferrari driver has turned the tables, scoring back-to-back podiums — including the win in Race 2 — to hold a seven-point advantage over the Mercedes junior.
Disappointed to miss out on pole position or a front row spot in Qualifying after topping Practice, Weug’s strong pace was quickly apparent in Race 1 as she went from P6 on the grid to P2 at a track known to be difficult to overtake around.
Aiming to go one step further in Race 2, Weug fought hard with polesitter Chloe Chambers for the win and was the beneficiary of the Red Bull Ford driver’s five-second penalty for forcing her off-track during their battle. Promoted to the victory, it was a moment of redemption for Weug after missing out on converting her pole to a win in Shanghai and extends her four-race podium streak.
CHLOE CHAMBERS
Although the win wasn’t to be, Chloe Chambers can still take positives from her time in Jeddah. Qualifying on pole for the first time in her F1 ACADEMY career at a track she qualified eighth and sixth at the previous year shows the jump she’s made in her one-lap pace, arguably one of her weak points across the 2024 campaign.
Lacking the speed to make up more than one place in the reverse grid Race 1, Sunday’s race was a much more formidable showing. Aggressiveness in her battle with Weug stands her in good stead for the fights to come, but she needs to be careful to avoid costly penalties as a result.
Going over half a second quicker than third-place Pin in each of the final four laps allowed her to build that crucial five-second buffer and retain P2 by 0.065s.
MP MOTORSPORT
MP Motorsport enjoyed the largest haul across the weekend, with their trio scoring 49 points. Whilst Weug was the big winner, their rookies Alba Larsen and Joanne Ciconte both acquitted themselves well.
Larsen qualified inside the top five for the second consecutive weekend and delivered back-to-back P5 finishes to keep the Tommy Hilfiger driver fifth in the Standings. Ciconte missed out on a top-10 spot in Qualifying but managed a hectic Race 2 to deliver her first points of the year in ninth.
Outscoring Teams’ Standings leaders Campos Racing by eight points, the Dutch squad now hold a two-point deficit heading into Round 3.
ELLA LLOYD
Ella Lloyd was dissatisfied by her P7 Qualifying performance, which put her on the front row for Race 1. Yet the McLaren driver made the most out of the situation, snatching the lead from Rodin Motorsport teammate Emma Felbermayr with a lightning getaway.
Holding firm despite a Safety Car restart and untroubled by the pressure from Weug and Alisha Palmowski, Lloyd looked in full control to bag what she hopes will be the first of many wins in her rookie season.
READ MORE: Lloyd credits ‘massive step forward’ for propelling her to flawless Jeddah Race 1 victory
Admitting that the win was “not from where I want it”, a reverse grid victory might have been a consolation prize. But the manner in which she won it will make her rivals take note.
TINA HAUSMANN
After a point-less trip to China, Tina Hausmann will be happy to have gotten 11 points on the board. The Aston Martin driver qualified inside the top six but slipped down off the provisional podium in Race 1 to finish P6.
Crucially for her after Round 1’s frustrations, Hausmann steered clear of trouble around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to finish sixth once again and move up to seventh in the Standings, with the podium now in her sights.