Iron Dames drivers Maya Weug and Doriane Pin had their first taste of an F3 car on Wednesday, the day after W Series rookies Nerea Marti and Irina Sidorkova did. The two youngsters, coming from Italian F4 (Weug) and GT’s (Pin) , talked about the private test at Magny-Cours.
Ferrari Driver Academy member Maya Weug (17) was impressed by her new car, which is a lot more powerful than the F4 car she’s used to. “Coming into today, I was very excited to make such a big step. I love this car: the downforce, the speed you can carry in the long corners, it’s amazing. Coming from F4, I knew this would be a big step, but the first laps were crazy really.”
The Spanish-born Dutch driver had a strong 2021 season with Iron Dames in Italian F4, finishing 7th in the rookie championship. “The season has been really good, I have learnt a lot from the team. Two years ago, I was only in karting and I had this dream to compete in single-seaters all over Europe. And now here I am, I’ve really loved every single moment this year, and especially today, it’s just that my dream came true.”
While another season of Formula 4 would make sense for Weug, she hasn’t committed to anything yet. “I don’t know yet what next season holds for me but Iron Dames has been great and has always offered me great opportunities such as this F3 test, so let’s see what happens next year.”
From GT to F3
After making it to the FIA Girls On Track competition finale last year, French driver Doriane Pin decided not to go the single-seater route and joined GT racing instead. “For me, it’s a lot of new things today because I didn’t drive in F4 during the past years, so single-seaters are kind of new to me, as I’ve only ever driven an F4 car during the FIA Girls On Track selection.
“It’s completely different. The F3 car is much lighter and carries more downforce than GTs. In GT, we need to be more patient, while in F3 you have to find the right balance because you have to be very aggressive but also smooth at the same time. With GT I was used to endurance, managing tyres, fuel and traffic. Whereas you need to be really fast all the time in F3.”
Pin had a successful first season in GT by joining some prestigious feeder series’ names on the podium such as Logan Sargeant or Callum Ilott. “I had an amazing season with Iron Dames. I was with a good team, with good and very experienced people. I received a lot of advice during the season to help me progress quickly and score results.”
Could Doriane Pin’s future lie in single-seaters? “To be honest, I don’t really know. I’m really happy to drive a single-seater today, but I really don’t know what I’m going to do next year. First, I’m going to finish this 2021 season by competing in the Ferrari Challenge Europe at the Mugello in ten days. Then, we will see.”
Header photo credit: Formula Motorsport Ltd
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