Maya Weug timed it to perfection. On a drying track, with chaos all around her, the Ferrari driver delivered a last-lap 1:38.834 to steal pole at Zandvoort. Alisha Palmowski was less than four hundredths away from her first pole in F1 Academy. Instead, she walked away with another near miss, her third straight P2.
Ella Lloyd wasn’t far behind either, slotting into third, just a blink further back. Three drivers covered by under a tenth. That’s how close it was.
Red flags, wet tyres, and rolling the dice
The day started messy. Overnight rain left the surface slick, so everyone bolted on full wets. Before a lap was even on the board, Aiva Anagnostiadis was tipped into the gravel at Turn 1 after a nudge from teammate Nicole Havrda. Out came the red flag.
When running resumed, Lia Block made the first move with a 1:48.8, but grip was vanishing almost as quickly as the damp patches. Chloe Chambers, who had claimed the last three poles, reported the track was drying fast. That set the stage for the slick gamble.
Block and teammate Aurelia Nobels rolled the dice. Pin jumped to the top. But the risk bit back. Nobels ran wide and beached it, bringing out another red flag. And just when Palmowski looked to have grabbed provisional pole, her lap was deleted for track limits.
The late charge
That opened the door. Times tumbled. Emma Felbermayr had a spell at the top, but the order was flipping every lap. Then, with the flag out, Weug hooked it all together. Pole by the tiniest of margins. Palmowski second, Lloyd third.
Chambers, the driver who has owned qualifying recently, had to settle for fourth. Pin salvaged fifth after nearly being dumped down the order, while Block recovered to sixth despite skating across the damp line earlier on.
Behind them came Aston Martin’s Tina Hausmann in seventh and Alpine’s Nina Gademan in eighth. Local wildcard Esmee Kosterman was one of the stories of the day, putting her car ninth. Felbermayr, after that early promise, rounded out the top ten.
What it means
This wasn’t just another pole. For Weug, it was proof she can deliver under pressure on a treacherous circuit. For Palmowski, it was another reminder that she is on the cusp but still waiting for that first pole to fall her way. And for Chambers, fourth place underlines that even the driver with all the momentum can be caught out.
The fight rolls straight into Race 1 at 17:05 local time, where Gademan will start on reverse grid pole. If qualifying was anything to go by, the Dutch crowd is about to see even more drama.
Coffee Corner Perspective
This session had everything. Red flags, slick gambles, and a pole decided by less than half a tenth. But beneath the chaos, patterns are forming. Weug has shown she can dig deep on a tricky track. Palmowski has once again proved she belongs in the sharp end, even if the final step keeps slipping away. And Chambers, after weeks of control, suddenly looks a little more vulnerable.
That is what makes F1 Academy fascinating right now. Every session feels like part of a longer story. And at Zandvoort, the next chapter starts with Weug on pole, but with rivals closing in.