Interview
‘We made the right call’ – Weug explains how strategy earned her victory on ‘crazy’ last lap in Singapore
Maya Weug helped to set the stage for an unpredictable finale in Las Vegas as she beat Doriane Pin to victory around the streets of Singapore at the last gasp, keeping herself firmly in contention for the title.
After losing out to Pin on the opening lap, the Ferrari-backed driver was forced to settle for second place throughout most of Race 2, before the combination of a Safety Car restart and rain gave her an opportunity to reclaim the lead.
Both her and Pin elected to stay on slick tyres throughout the shower, bringing the result down to a last-lap shootout in which Weug ultimately came out on top, closing the deficit down to nine points in the Standings.
Asked to reflect on how the race began, she replied: “First of all, I feel sorry for everyone watching – the heart attack I must have given them! I was also not happy for the first 10 laps of the race. I don’t know what happened at the start because it didn’t feel like a horrible getaway for me, but somehow Doriane did a better job, which was very annoying.
“I tried to put her under pressure but they just had more pace out there in the dry compared to us today. It’s something we will look into because it’s important to get those starts right.”
While Weug was instructed to stay out as soon as the rain started to fall, Pin’s garage was a little more indecisive – heading into the last corner, she was told to box, but the call came too late and she had no choice but to stay out.
It proved to be the right decision as those who pitted under Safety Car conditions – which were in place after Nicole Havrda crashed into the barriers – dropped down the order, with Chloe Chambers finishing in P11 after running in fourth for most of Race 2.
“That last lap was just crazy,” Weug summarised. “I knew that the rain was one of my little chances to get past Doriane today, so when it came down I was quite happy. I just made sure that I knew where the grip was during the Safety Car in each corner, especially Turn 5 and so on.
“I managed to get good temperature into the tyres – obviously they were cold, but I think they were in a good range compared to the others. That’s what gave me the win today.
“I felt comfortable in the car. It just depends on how much more it would have come down, but in the end we had so few laps left that it wouldn’t have made sense to box and lose all that time and try to regain it. I think we made the right call. We were trying to play the dummy there and it didn’t work but we still got it in the last lap.”
With one round still to go in Las Vegas from 20-22 November, it’s impossible to predict who will end the season with the title, but Weug will do everything she can to make sure she's the one victorious at the end of it.
Weug concluded: “I’m super happy for the team, for everyone around me, for my family, for everyone. I’m giving them quite a heart attack this season – not only today, but also in Qualifying yesterday and in every race. It’s thanks to them that we are standing here and can keep pushing for Vegas.
“(My mindset is) Same as today, same as yesterday, same as Zandvoort. We have to go for the win. We still have nine points left, so step by step we will get there.”