RACE 1: Pulling secures Drivers' title as Pin takes dominant victory in Lusail

Abbi Pulling has secured the 2024 F1 ACADEMY title in Qatar, despite Mercedes' Doriane Pin claiming a dominant victory from pole position in Race 1.

Pin has been unstoppable so far this weekend, topping every session before delivering a brilliant win in the desert in an attempt to keep her own title hopes alive. However, it wasn’t enough to stop Pulling from claiming the Drivers’ title with the Briton's second place putting it out of mathematical reach.

Pole-sitter Pin managed to hold her lead over the pack behind on the approach into Turn 1. Behind her, there was a brilliant battle for second place unfolding between Maya Weug and P3-starter Pulling, as the Alpine racer managed to find a space past the Ferrari driver despite Weug's best attempts to later snatch the position back.

Hamda Al Qubaisi was also on a charge at the start and made up a position from fifth, while F1 ACADEMY Wild Card entry Alisha Palmowski – starting sixth – also moved up a spot on her race debut, both at the expense of P4 starter Lia Block. Meanwhile, outside the top 10, Chloe Chambers and Tina Hausmann were both hit at the end with five-second penalties for false starts.

By the start of the third lap, Pin had pulled out a 1.5s gap to Pulling and continued to extend her lead lap by lap, whilst Weug dropped further off the Briton's tail in third.

Despite her penalty, Chambers had made some great moves to make up two positions on the opening lap and continued to gain places throughout the race with some impressive overtakes on Nerea Martí and Jessica Edgar.

Bustamante also had an eventful outing with the McLaren driver finding the gravel on multiple occasions during the race, including at Turn 12 at the start with two big snaps of oversteer. She would also bring out some brief yellow flags during the final few laps as she spun out after getting her wheels in the gravel between Turns 4 and 5.

Meanwhile, attentions turned to the front as the race entered it's final laps. “You have a four-second gap behind you so just bring it home,” Pulling was told by her Rodin Motorsport team, as Pin drove off into the distance ahead of her while Weug stayed behind.

The Briton did as she was told, keeping her cool in the Qatari desert to bag second and the Drivers’ crown in the process. It was an 11th podium finish, continuing her eye-catching streak of finishing in the top three at every race so far this year.

Pin's efforts secured her a third victory of the season, with an impressive 6.747s gap to Pulling behind, while, for Weug, it was a fifth back-to-back podium place in third.

Hamda Al Qubaisi managed to keep P4, her best result since Race 2 in Zandvoort. Palmowski brought home points in her first F1 ACADEMY race in fifth, defending from Block for the majority of the race. Edgar secured her first points since Barcelona Race 1 in seventh ahead of Martí, Aurelia Nobels and Emely De Heus, who were each promoted up one place courtesy of Chambers' penalty.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Pin now has the chance to go two-for-two in Qatar when she lines up on pole for Sunday's Race 2 at 14:00 local time (GMT+3).