Maya Weug is back in the title fight after a great weekend in Zandvoort and will be looking to confirm that on the demanding Marina Bay circuit.

The F1 Academy season is in its final stages with the penultimate round taking place this weekend on the fascinating Marina Bay street circuit in the heart of Singapore. At the last round in Zandvoort, Maya Weug did exceptionally well, taking pole position, a third place in Race 1 and the win in Race 2, also setting the fastest lap in both races. This means the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy student is up into second place in the standings, 20 points behind the leader, Dorian Pin.

A good spell. That good form continued for Maya at a recent group test session at the Navarra circuit, but Marina Bay presents what is a unique challenge on the calendar. The 4.901 kilometre track boasts 19 corners and has virtually no run-off areas so there is a high price to pay for the slightest mistake. The high temperatures and excessive humidity all add to making life difficult for the drivers, kitted out in their race suits and helmets. Maya has good memories of last year’s round in Singapore, as the Dutch girl finished both races in second place.

Enthusiastic. “After a great weekend in Zandvoort I’m ready and can’t wait to get back on track,” said an enthusiastic Maya. “Also, the way the Navarra test went is encouraging and so I’m all set to tackle what will be a tough but interesting weekend. Last year was my first time at Marina Bay and I immediately liked the track. I have happy memories from qualifying as the feeling of driving at the limit on a tricky track is really exciting and, on top of that, the night time atmosphere is really special. But the best memory from last year is obviously finishing on the podium in both races and scoring lots of points. This year, there will be a bit more pressure, given that I’m in the fight for the title, but we know what we must do and we want to continue in the positive spirit we had in Zandvoort. Let’s hope we’re competitive and that we can get to the final round in Las Vegas in a position where we can aim to win the title.”

Aurelia. Aurelia Nobels is also no stranger to the Singapore circuit as the Brazilian made her debut here last year, having a very clean weekend, making no mistakes and finishing just outside the points in both races. For the 18 year old, the final two rounds will be an opportunity to capitalise on her recent step up in performance, which so far has not delivered the results she deserves.

Programme. The action starts with 40 minutes of free practice on Friday at 15.10 local (09.10 CEST) followed by a half hour qualifying session at 19.00 (13.00 CEST). The first race is on Saturday at 15.00 (09.00 CEST) with the top eight places on the grid in reverse qualifying order. Points for Race 1 are: 10 for the winner and then 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, down to eighth place with an extra point for setting the race fastest lap. The main race of the weekend gets underway on Sunday at 15.25 (09.25 CEST) with full points as in Formula 1, starting with 25 for the winner.