Pin goes quickest once again on Day 2 in Qatar

There was a familiar name at the head of the order, as Doriane Pin set the fastest time for the second consecutive day at Qatar’s in-season test.

In the quicker of the two sessions around the Lusail International Circuit, the Mercedes driver was the one to beat across the morning, eventually setting a 1:57.177 to finish four tenths ahead of Abbi Pulling.

However, it was her title rival who led the afternoon running, as the Alpine driver’s 1:57.183 narrowly edged out Maya Weug and Pin by four hundredths.

MORNING

Day 1 pace-setter Pin kicked off the session, setting the initial benchmark at a 1:58.628 inside the opening 10 minutes. The #28 car improved further to a 1:57.984, a tenth ahead of Pulling, before bettering her previous effort to go 0.384s clear of the Alpine driver.

Weug moved up into P2, before Pulling got to within five thousandths of the top spot. Pin found more speed, extending her advantage back to over three tenths on a 1:57.444. With their initial runs complete, the top of the timing sheets remained unchallenged as the leading of Pin, Pulling and Weug returned to the pits.

Amna Al Qubaisi brought out a brief Red Flag inside the opening hour. Once Green Flag conditions resumed, Aston Martin’s Tina Hausmann lifted herself up into fourth.

With just over an hour to go, Pin set a new personal best of a 1:57.427 to remain quickest. The Frenchwoman had one more lap up her sleeve, putting a four-tenth buffer between herself and Pulling to end the morning fastest on a 1:57.177.

Pulling and Weug rounded out the top three times, whilst a last-second improvement from Hamda Al Qubaisi elevated her to fourth ahead of Hausmann. Lia Block secured the seventh-fastest time followed by Emely De Heus, Campos Racing’s Chloe Chambers and Nerea Martí, who completed the top 10.

AFTERNOON

Weug was first out of the box, opening her afternoon account with a 1:59.432. Her effort was immediately beaten by Pin, who bettered her PREMA Racing teammate’s time by four tenths.

The pair continued to exchange the top spot until Pin took charge with 45 minutes gone, setting a 1:58:085, whilst Hamda Al Qubaisi slotted into second by only 0.005s. Further improvements trickled in as the Mercedes driver broke into the 1:57s and set the benchmark at 1:57.544 by the end of the opening hour.

Hausmann momentarily climbed up into second at the midway mark, but the Aston Martin driver was leapfrogged by Hamda Al Qubaisi, whose time put her four tenths off Pin.

READ MORE: Pin ‘building confidence’ and relishing Qatar challenges after promising Day 1 pace

The track action ramped up for the final 15 minutes of the day as the field re-emerged from their garages. Red Bull Racing’s Hamda Al Qubaisi initially went quickest on a 1:57.447, only to be immediately deposed by Pulling.

Weug then moved her #64 Ferrari-liveried car up the order, narrowly edging ahead of the Briton by 0.081s. However, the Standings leader wasn’t done yet and Pulling managed to better her time by 0.041s to restore herself to the P1 spot ahead of Weug and Pin.

Hamda Al Qubaisi rounded out the top five, 0.219s off Pulling’s best effort, whilst sixth-fastest Chambers made the most use of the track, logging in 41 laps. Hausmann finished in seventh ahead of Block, Martí and American Express driver Jessica Edgar.

The third and final day of running at the Lusail International Circuit will commence at 09:00 local time (GMT +3) tomorrow.