Written by Sophie Harvey, Edited by Tarun Suresh
With the Dutch Grand Prix finally upon us, F1 Academy has also returned. Now that we are officially halfway through the season, the championship is hotter than ever — drivers equal on points, a fight for P2 and a new wildcard driver. Let’s see what F1 Academy’s Dutch trio had to say before the racing commenced.
Heading into the weekend, DIVEBOMB and other selected media were lucky enough to sit down with Maya Weug, Emely De Heus and this round’s wildcard driver, Nina Gademan, to talk all things Zandvoort.
Unlike Jeddah and Barcelona, F1 Academy drivers can utilise two free practice sessions this weekend — a decision popular amongst the drivers. De Heus jumped at the chance to explain just how useful this is.
“It’s better for us,” she began. “Usually, you have one free practice at the beginning of the day, and then at the end of the day, when the prep is totally different, you have to qualify, so it's hard to find the right setup. Now you can try more things and feel more confident [going] into qualifying.”
“But maybe it will be raining, so yeah, maybe it doesn't help,” the Dutchwoman joked. With Zandvoort's unpredictable weather and frequent downpours, it’s apparent that nobody quite knows how the weekend will pan out.
However, Gademan will use her sessions slightly differently to her rivals, remarking “I haven’t driven the car yet!”
Trading Donington Park for Circuit Zandvoort this weekend, the 20-year-old is currently midway through her debut British F4 season — it’s certainly shaping up to be an exciting year for Gademan, who only began her single-seater career this year.
“I also agree with the girls, but for me, it's a bit different,” she said. “FP1 and FP2 are very important to get used to the car and find the right balance, the right setup and yeah, just learn as much as I can before quali.”
When asked how the opportunity to become a wildcard driver came about, Gademan explained just how pivotal this initiative is.
“I think wild cars are a great opportunity for us drivers who are not competing in F1 Academy to show what we are capable of because it's also hard for teams to see a driver outside the championship and already predict what they're going to do,” she described, before hinting at a possible return to F1 Academy in the coming seasons.
“I think the wildcards are also a very good opportunity for us if we're interested for next year, of course. So, yeah, very happy about it.”
Back to the topic of Zandvoort, the 4.259 km (2.646 miles) circuit is notorious for its steep banking and tight nature — making it a physically difficult yet loved circuit by fans and drivers alike.
“I think Zandvoort is very physical because, I mean, there's not many straights, and if there's a straight, the back straight is still turning all the time,” Weug took the time to explain thoroughly. “The bankings make it harder on the steering wheel, but at the same time, I think it's a favourite track for a lot of people because of the bankings and the up and down and the high-speed corners.”
“I think it's a very challenging track, but it will be really fun.”
De Heus agreed, going on to explain her favourite corner, Scheivlak — or more colloquially known by the non-Dutch amongst us, Turn 7.
“Turn seven is one of my favourite corners because it's not the banking. It goes actually downhill,” she said, explaining one of the fastest corners on the circuit and arguably the one that requires the most expertise.
“You don't have that in many other tracks.”
Accustomed to the British F4 calendar, Gademan compared the complex circuit to a Scottish favourite, adding:
“It’s also one of the hardest tracks we have on our calendar. We also have Knockhill. I don't know if anyone [has] heard of it before, but it's also a very difficult track,” saying it is “hard to master in quali to put one lap together.”
With an exciting weekend ahead, these Dutch drivers certainly have a lot to look forward to.
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