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Round 2 in Review : Debut podiums and the start of an electric title battle in Miami
If there was one driver on a mission in Miami, it was Alpine’s Abbi Pulling. The Briton wasn’t going to let the chance of glory pass her by as she stormed to victory in both races in Round 2 of the 2024 F1 ACADEMY campaign.
From home hero Chloe Chambers’ debut podium to Bianca Bustamante’s redemption on Sunday, there were many who shone in the Sunshine State. As the dust settles, we reflect on how our 16 contenders faired in points haul order.
1. Abbi Pulling – 55 points
After inheriting the Race 2 win in Jeddah, Abbi Pulling wanted to prove a point that she could earn her victories on track. Despite claiming the second-fastest time in Free Practice 1, she wasn’t quite settled with the car. This is where her maturity and partnership with Rodin Motorsport flourished, immediately ironing out those niggles to top FP2.
Unstoppable from there on out, Pulling’s rivals couldn’t come close to her in Qualifying, taking both pole positions by over four tenths. A lock-up into the first corner in Race 1 didn't hold her back, as she pulled one-second clear by the end of the first lap and was five seconds ahead as she took the chequered flag. In full command of the Miami circuit, she replicated this feat in Race 2, only missing out on a clean sweep by one point for the fastest lap in the first race.
Extending her Standings advantage from 11 to 34 points over Doriane Pin gives Pulling a useful buffer going forward, but the Alpine driver recognises how quickly the tables can turn in racing. Performances like these are hard to follow up and with the field well-versed around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, she’ll have to continue to step up her game with even stiffer competition expected next time out.
2. Doriane Pin – 33 points
In most drivers’ books, a double podium finish would be a sign of success. However, Doriane Pin has only one goal in mind — to win. Seemingly adapting well to the Miami circuit with the fastest time in FP1, something appeared to be missing from there on out. Lacking the perfect balance in the #28 PREMA Racing car, she couldn’t make the same inroads that those around her did.
Forced to settle for P2 for Race 1, the Mercedes driver was usurped by Bustamante on the front row for Race 2 and eventually the second step of the podium. Unlike her domination in Jeddah, Pin didn’t seem as comfortable with the machinery underneath her, trying to reign in the snaps of oversteer through the Turn 4-5 chicane and unable to keep up with Pulling’s rapid, race-leading pace.
WATCH: HIGHLIGHTS: Pulling sweep Round 2 in Miami with Race 2 win
Although it was not the weekend the Frenchwoman wanted, her 33 points still puts her in good stead, sitting second in the Standings. The title battle is just getting started and Pin won’t want to settle for anything less than the top step.
3. Chloe Chambers – 27 points
Chloe Chambers had one task to tick off her racing bucket list in Miami, and the American driver did it in an impressive fashion — scoring Haas’ first podium. She had her work cut out for her starting from P7 in Race 1, but Chambers showed that she wasn’t afraid to put the graft in.
Making the most out of the overtaking opportunities available, she pulled off a series of eye-catching moves, including sneaking past Maya Weug and Nerea Martí up the inside of the opening corner. Following this up with a climb from eighth to fourth in Race 2, she couldn’t quite close in on the leading trio.
Undoubtedly making the States proud, Chambers has carved out a spot as one of this season’s frontrunners. Sitting fourth overall, she just needs to put together the Qualifying performance to match. If so, the top three will need to watch their backs for her rookie charge.
4. Bianca Bustamante – 21 points
What a rollercoaster Round 2 was for Bianca Bustamante! Saturday morning saw her riding the high of her P4 and P2 results in Qualifying, her consistency giving her the edge over the rest of the field. However, her joy immediately evaporated after stalling on the grid in Race 1 and she fought valiantly to salvage points in P9.
Disciplined in her approach, the McLaren driver set about learning from her mistakes. Speaking post-Race 2, Bustamante revealed that she’d sat in the car 15 minutes earlier to run through her practice start procedures. Her redemption was richly rewarded with her first podium of the campaign in second, fending off Pin’s advances.
Firing herself into title contention in fifth, Bustamante has clearly kicked her season up a notch. Dedicating her time to preparations at the ART Grand Prix factory and McLaren MTC, the Filipina must show that her speed can be sustained if she wants to bridge the 60-point gap to Pulling.
5. Nerea Martí – 18 points
Podiums looked to be on the cards for Nerea Martí, but ultimately it wasn’t to be. Showing top three pace in Practice, Qualifying P6 and P5 were below what she felt she was capable of. Whilst she was able to secure a top four finish in Race 1, several overtaking errors littered her race and cost her a shot at silverware.
READ MORE: Nerea Martí’s Miami Weekend Round-Up: Always searching for improvement
By comparison, Race 2 was a much cleaner affair, but the promising race pace seemed to have faded away and the Tommy Hilfiger driver fought to find a rhythm behind the wheel. Whilst the second round ended on a disappointing note, Martí was satisfied by her personal improvement from Jeddah to now, which should stand her in good stead when she races on home soil in Barcelona.
6. Hamda Al Qubaisi – 18 points
Round 2 was a weekend much more to Hamda Al Qubaisi’s liking. Her one-lap pace in Qualifying secured her a top-three start for Race 1, although the Red Bull Racing driver admitted that the result was bit unexpected. Whilst her race pace wasn’t quite able to match those heights, she fought hard and maximised her package’s potential to claim P5 and P6 finishes, respectively.
A hefty haul of points on the board will give the Emirati racer a boost before Round 3’s visit to Barcelona. After two rounds locked in a heated midfield battle, the best is still yet to come from Al Qubaisi if she can qualify well and focus her attentions towards the podium ahead rather than needing to fight her way back through the pack.
7. Maya Weug – 18 points
Solidifying her hold on third in the Standings, Ferrari’s Maya Weug had to put all her experience into practice in Miami. Qualifying in fifth and sixth after struggling to get her tyres up to temperature on her second run, the Dutch driver was locked in a hard-fought midfield battle, needing to be on full alert to fend off her rivals and seize any openings ahead.
Whilst her continued consistency with sixth in Race 1 and a top-five result in Race 1 is a strength, she can’t afford to deal with compromised Qualifyings if she hopes to play the long-game this season.
8. Amna Al Qubaisi – 8 points
Amna Al Qubaisi managed to turn her Miami weekend around. Missing out on the benefit of the slipstream in Qualifying, the RB driver turned in two robust drives. Yet the clock wasn’t on her side, as by the time she’d found her rhythm, the chequered flag was being flown.
Going from P14 to P8 in both races earned the Emirati racer a valuable eight points, but an incident at the start of Race 2 denied her a chance to make up more ground, finishing just two tenths behind Martí. Taking victory in Barcelona Race 2 last year, Al Qubaisi will have some homework to do if she hopes to repeat the feat next time out.
9. Jessica Edgar – 6 points
It was a frustrating end to Jessica Edgar’s first visit to the Miami International Autodrome. Qualifying narrowly outside the top 10, 0.081s off teammate Lola Lovinfosse, she was promoted to a fifth row start for Race 1 courtesy of Lovinfosse’s carryover penalty. Steadily climbing up the order, the American Express driver flew under the radar on her way to seventh.
Sunday’s race saw her get her elbows out and put on a show, going toe-to-toe with Martí for seventh with three laps to go. Completing the move out of Turn 1 after a back-and-forth battle with the Tommy Hilfiger driver, an uncharacteristic error saw her lose the rear of her Rodin Motorsport car, spinning wide over the runoff through Turns 6 and 7 as she tumbled down the order. Whilst mistakes like that have been rare for the Briton, Edgar won’t want to rue any more costly slipups going forward.
10. Carrie Schreiner – 2 points
Initially struggling with the unfamiliar American circuit, Carrie Schreiner showed that it’s not how you start but how you finish a race weekend that really matters. Two P13-worthy performances in Qualifying did put her on the backfoot, but the Kick Sauber driver kept her head down in the races, securing a P9 finish in Race 2.
READ MORE: Schreiner satisfied by Race 2 improvements but fell short of pre-weekend targets
Although satisfied to get more points on the board, Schreiner was disappointed not to meet her pre-round target of two top eight finishes. After overcoming Miami’s unknowns, the German racer is relishing a return to the familiarity of Barcelona, which should provide her with a more solid foundation to build points-scoring results from.
11. Lola Lovinfosse – 1 point
The potential was there for Lola Lovinfosse in Miami, but unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver. Eyeing up a spot inside the top five, the Charlotte Tilbury driver couldn’t get the perfect lap together in Qualifying, with a five-place carryover penalty from Jeddah turning her top-10 slot for Race 1 into a P15 start.
Carving her way back into the points in 10th, Lovinfosse set about doing the same on Sunday. However, opening lap contact with Tina Hausmann and a tangle with Aurelia Nobels later on earned her penalties from the Stewards. A clean weekend is the only ingredient Lovinfosse is missing to bring home the points to match the pace she has.
12. Lia Block – 1 point
Our newest F1 ACADEMY points scorer, Lia Block kicked off her rookie tally in Miami, but the path to points was far from straightforward for the Williams racer. Only a second covered P2 to P15 in Qualifying and the tight margins left Block just over a tenth off two top-10 starts.
Nailing her getaway to gain two places on the opening lap of Race 1, the American driver was firmly in the hunt for points until a spin at the halfway mark demoted her to P15. Race 2 was a more put together affair, steering clear of the incidents around her. Her disappointment at a P11 finish was momentary, as a post-race penalty for Emely De Heus elevated her into the points. Having gotten off the mark, now Block’s target turns to becoming a regular fixture inside the top 10.
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13. Emely De Heus – 0 points
A mixed bag for Emely De Heus in Miami ultimately left the Red Bull Ford driver with no points to show for her efforts. Securing the ninth-fastest time of FP2 was a source of optimism, which failed to follow through into Qualifying.
Making up three places in Race 1, De Heus’ second race looked more promising. Taking full advantage of Block going in too deep in her attempted move on Schreiner, the Dutch driver looked to have wrestled the final point her way. However, she later received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track at Turn 11 and gaining an advantage, overtaking the ART car on re-entry, which demoted her to P12.
Barcelona should be a circuit that plays more to De Heus’ strengths, as she revisits the site of her maiden pole position and victory in the series.
14. Courtney Crone – 0 points
Tackling a run of firsts head on, Courtney Crone’s progress throughout her debut F1 ACADEMY weekend was remarkable to see. Selected as Round 2’s Wild Card entry, the American driver had only three days of running at the Zandvoort test before diving into not only the pressures of racing at a street track for the first time, but the fanfare of a Grand Prix weekend.
The margin between her and the rest of the field steadily began to shrink with every lap behind the wheel. Growing in confidence, Crone took the chequered flag in both races inside the QVC-liveried car, with a best result of 11th in an error-free Race 2.
15. Aurelia Nobels – 0 points
Aurelia Nobels left Miami without points, but the results don’t tell the full story of the PUMA driver’s performance. Taking another step forward from her first round showing, Nobels secured P8 and P7 starts and seemed to have the speed to fight in amongst the top six.
However, contact with Tina Hausmann at Turn 8 on the opening lap derailed her plans, with the Brazilian handed a 10-second penalty for the incident and finishing P13. Starting anew for Race 2, Nobels was gutsy, sending a move on Weug for sixth rather than fixating on defending from Lovinfosse behind. Yet she couldn’t shake off the French driver and the two tangled after a lock-up for Lovinfosse, spinning Nobels out of the points. Whilst things didn’t go her way this time, she’ll learn from the experience and continue her upwards momentum.
16. Tina Hausmann – 0 points
In racing, sometimes luck isn’t on your side and that was the case for Tina Hausmann in Miami. All the signs were there for a strong weekend for the Aston Martin driver, who qualified inside the top 10 for both races.
However, both of her races were over no sooner than they had started. Contact with Nobels in their battle over seventh sent the Swiss racer into the wall at Turn 12. Her second consecutive opening lap retirement came courtesy of a lock-up from Lovinfosse into Turn 1, tagging Hausmann’s PREMA car and forcing her to pull over with a puncture.