RACE 1: Pulling drives to perfection with fourth win on the bounce

Abbi Pulling was in a league of her own as she sealed her fourth consecutive F1 ACADEMY victory in Barcelona. Fending off Nerea Martí at the start, the Alpine driver steadily built an assured lead, taking the chequered flag 4.7s clear of the pack.

A double podium finish for Campos Racing will taste even sweeter on home soil, as Martí kept teammate Chambers at bay for second.

Pulling instantly reacted at lights out, but the Alpine driver’s start was bettered by third-placed Martí. The two went side-by-side on the run down to Turn 1, but the Tommy Hilfiger driver had to yield as Chambers clipped her side going through the opening chicane.

A disastrous start for Doriane Pin saw her get bogged down off the line, sending the Mercedes driver tumbling down into P12. PREMA Racing teammate Maya Weug got caught up in the midfield melee on the opening lap, as she tried to dive up the inside of Turn 5.

Contact with Lola Lovinfosse’s left rear tyre ahead, the Ferrari driver bounced into the side of RB’s Amna Al Qubaisi and beached the pair in the gravel, triggering a Safety Car.

After a lengthy Safety Car stint, Pulling knew exactly how to play the restart into Lap 7. Slowing the pack down, the Briton floored it out of Turn 12, leaving Martí in her wake.

In the battle for P6, Jessica Edgar slipstreamed her way past Tina Hausmann down the main straight, before receiving a 5-second penalty for a false start. Hausmann then came under pressure from Emely De Heus, with the Red Bull Ford driver swooping past and leaving the Aston Martin driver to fend off Lia Block.

Attempting to salvage some points, Pin snook her way past Carrie Schreiner and Lovinfosse. The Frenchwoman capitalised on Block’s attempts to put Hausmann under pressure, pushing her way past the Williams-liveried car and attacking the Aston Martin driver. Hausmann tried to defend, but with her tyres fading quickly and a wide moment at Turn 8, Pin pounced to take eighth.

Out front, Pulling had driven off into the distance to comfortably take another clean sweep — with pole, fastest lap and a lights-to-flag victory. Martí and Chambers completed the podium, as Bianca Bustamante added 12 valuable points to her tally in fourth.

Hamda Al Qubaisi finished fifth ahead of De Heus and Pin, with Edgar’s penalty demoting her from sixth to eighth after Pin sliced away her 5-second buffer. Hausmann claimed her first points since Jeddah Race 1 in ninth ahead of Block.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Pulling has another opportunity to strengthen her grip on the lead of the Drivers’ Standings when she lines up on pole once again. Race 2 gets underway bright and early at 08:50 local time on Sunday morning.