Feature
Quick out of the blocks & crucial first steps made: Round 1 in Review
Doriane Pin and Abbi Pulling were the two drivers to cover themselves in glory in the first round of the 2024 F1 ACADEMY season. However, they weren’t the only two to put together impressive performances, as we take a look at how the field got on around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and where they’ll each be looking for improvement.
1. Abbi Pulling – 44 points
Few drivers will be leaving Saudi Arabia with a bigger smile than Abbi Pulling. Up there throughout, the Alpine driver put together a clean-cut weekend around a track that pushes drivers into mistakes. Finishing second in Race 1, the Briton denied Doriane Pin the fastest lap, recognising how crucial it is to pick up as many points as possible.
Promoted to the victory for Race 2 after Pin’s penalty, Pulling has carved out a spot as one of this season’s title contenders. With that maiden win off her back, she’ll be keen to keep up these kinds of performances to retain her hold on the lead of the Standings.
2. Maya Weug – 33 points
Consistent to her core, Maya Weug also has a lot to show for her efforts in Round 1. Picking up P3 in Race 1 and P2 in Race 2, the double podium finishes have paid off with second in the Standings. Handling the pressure of her first F1 ACADEMY weekend with a calm and collected confidence, the Ferrari driver will be hungry for more next time out.
Unable to take full advantage of the Safety Car restarts to get through on Pulling, Weug just needs to find a little bit more race pace to push her into the battle for wins as a potential title contender.
3. Doriane Pin – 32 points
Doriane Pin proved herself to be one of the stars of the opening round. Topping Practice and securing both pole positions on offer, the Mercedes driver managed three Safety Car appearances to lead every racing lap in Jeddah.
Looking assured out front, ultimately a 20-second penalty for passing the chequered flag twice at full speed cost her the second win. Continuing to work on improving things from the driving side, the Frenchwoman will be looking over her restarts — with one lock-up giving Pulling the chance to eye up a move — and focusing on bridging the 12-point gap to her title rival.
4. Bianca Bustamante – 18 points
Although Bianca Bustamante’s results might have flown under the radar, the McLaren driver proved she could deliver the goods when it counted. Making the most out of the situations around her, the Filipina racer tallied up two top P6 results.
Casting her attention to Round 2 in Miami, Bustamante’s target will be to nail two flying laps in Qualifying. Whilst fifth for Race 1 put her right in the heart of the points, 10th for Race 2 meant she had to get her elbows out to move up the order.
5. Nerea Martí – 15 points
Whilst she was left with mixed feelings after Qualifying, Nerea Martí had much to be positive about by the end of her weekend. The Tommy Hilfiger driver’s one lap pace was rapid, securing P4 and P5 starts despite only running one set of tyres.
Contact with Lola Lovinfosse at the end of Race 1 cost her a fourth-placed finish. Yet Saturday ended on a much sweeter note as she reclaimed P4 and was eventually promoted to the podium. It was bittersweet for the Spaniard to lose out on the 12 points, but if she can keep her pace up, more silverware won’t be far away.
6. Chloe Chambers – 13 points
A solid start to the season for Chloe Chambers puts her sixth in the Standings. One of the biggest movers and shakers in Race 1, the Haas driver made up ground from the outset before dispatching Bustamante and Lia Block to take P4.
Race 2 wasn’t quite as smooth sailing as she racked up 15 seconds ’ worth of penalties, dropping her from a potential P5 finish to the final point in 10th. Eagerly awaiting her home event next time out, the American racer has all the tools at her disposal to climb her way further up the order.
7. Jessica Edgar – 12 points
The opening weekend had its ups and downs for Jessica Edgar, but the Briton ultimately came out on a high. A daring double overtake on Tina Hausmann and Lia Block in Race 1 ended in disappointment after contact from behind left her with a puncture. Race 2 was a much more successful event for the Rodin Motorsport driver, as she stayed out of trouble and made some crucial moves to go from P9 to P4.
Reflecting on Round 1, Edgar needs to unlock her one lap pace in order for her Qualifying performances to match the potential her racecraft has already shown.
8. Hamda Al Qubaisi – 12 points
For Hamda Al Qubaisi, it was all about bouncing back after a difficult Qualifying session. Starting from P13 for Race 1, the Red Bull Racing driver battled hard, applying unrelenting pressure on Aurelia Nobels at the tail end of the points. Race 2 ended on a more positive note, as the Emirati driver claimed P5 in the final classification.
This weekend wasn’t where Al Qubaisi would want to be, but her nothing-to-lose attitude carried her far in Round 1. If she can put together two solid laps together in Qualifying going forward, expect her to be right in the mix at the front of the field.
9. Tina Hausmann – 8 points
Points on her F1 ACADEMY debut was a good weekend’s work for Tina Hausmann. The speed was with the Aston Martin driver in Race 1 as she rose up the order from P11 to P6. However, she couldn’t quite match that performance in Race 2, dropping from P7 to P13 after a pit stop for a mechanical issue.
The Swisswoman is another driver who’ll be targeting an improved result in Qualifying. Unable to fully unlock the performance from her second set of tyres, her experiences this weekend should give her a good idea of how to make the most of them going forward.
10. Carrie Schreiner – 7 points
There were back-to-back points finishes in the books for Carrie Schreiner but Qualifying inside the top 10 will be key for the Kick Sauber driver to keep up that consistency. Navigating her way through an action-packed weekend, she was forced into damage limitation mode after getting caught up in contact in Race 2.
Attacking hard, the German driver kept it clean on track to secure a well-earned P7 finish. Fightbacks like that should give Schreiner confidence in what could be possible if she gets away well in Miami.
11. Aurelia Nobels – 6 points
Aurelia Nobels’ confidence is quickly building behind the wheel of the F1 ACADEMY car. The PUMA driver proved to be a fierce defender, stopping Hamda Al Qubaisi’s charge in her tracks in Race 1 and yielding a P7 finish.
Race 2 didn’t go according to plan, with contact from behind whilst fighting for the top six forcing the Brazilian into an early retirement. Whilst she might not have the points she hoped to show for her efforts, her strong performances in both Qualifying and the races will be a huge source of optimism going forward.
12. Amna Al Qubaisi – 4 points
A tough start to the 2024 campaign for Amna Al Qubaisi, but the Visa Cash App RB driver didn’t leave the Saudi Arabian circuit empty handed. Her P8 finish in Race 2 was only dampened by a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage – without which the Emirati racer would have been looking at a P5 result.
Al Qubaisi’s one lap pace is still proving to be a weak spot in her arsenal. Qualifying down in P15 and P14 made her weekend difficult from there on, but there’s plenty of time for her to work on it back at the MP Motorsport factory before getting back on track in Miami.
13. Lola Lovinfosse – 4 points
Lola Lovinfosse would have wanted much more out of Round 1 , and the Charlotte Tilbury driver clearly had the underlying pace for it. Two strong grid slots in P6 and P4 left plenty for the taking, but a pair of challenging races would have left her feeling frustrated.
READ MORE: Lia Block’s Jeddah Weekend Recap: It’s all a learning curve
Rapid in Race 1, the Frenchwoman was hunting down Martí for fourth, but misjudged a move around the outside of Turn 1 on the final lap and made contact. Sent into a spin after a tag from Chambers in Race 2, Lovinfosse’s day ended in retirement. Despite the disappointments, her strong underlying speed shows there’s promising things to come.
14. Reema Juffali – 0 points
The opening round’s Wild Card entry, Reema Juffali fought hard to put on a show in front of her legions of home fans and did them proud. Returning to single seaters after a stint in GT racing, the Saudi Arabia n driver battled well within the pack despite getting nudged around early on to get to the cusp of a points finish in Race 1 with 11th. However, she was knocked out of contention in Race 2 after being forced to take avoiding action to avoid the stationary Block.
15. Lia Block – 0 points
Unlucky to not have a handful of points to her name, Lia Block’s debut F1 ACADEMY weekend was a rollercoaster for the Williams driver. On course for a P8 finish in Race 1, her hopes were wiped away on the penultimate lap, hitting a kerb whilst chasing down ART Grand Prix teammate Bianca Bustamante and spinning into the barriers.
Caught up in the contact between Lovinfosse and Chambers in Race 2, the American’s chance for points was lost after two five-second time penalties for a false start and speeding in the pitlane. Absorbing all that came her away, Block just needs to iron out those rookie errors and adapt quickly to the new venues, as she won’t have any testing time beforehand around the Miami International Autodrome.
16. Emely De Heus – 0 points
Round 1 wasn’t the opening weekend Emely De Heus would have hoped for. Qualifying at the tail end of the order for both races, the Red Bull Ford driver struggled to find her way through and back into the points with two P12 finishes.
Whilst she might be down, the Dutch racer is far from out. Determined to overcome these early setbacks, she’ll be putting in all her efforts back at base to start off on the right foot in Miami.