Larsen ecstatic about unexpected top-five spot after ‘really amazing’ weekend in Jeddah

It was another impressive outing from rookie Alba Larsen in Round 2 as she extended her points scoring streak in Jeddah, leaving her fifth in the Standings amid tough competition.

After securing a total of 14 points across her series debut in Shanghai, the Dane matched the achievement again at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, improving on her Round 1 P7 and P4 finishes to claim a hat-trick of P5 results across Qualifying, Race 1 and 2 in Saudi Arabia.

Reflecting on her achievement, Larsen said: “It has been very amazing. I think the track is really nice to drive and the races and Qualifying went really well for me, so all in all I’m very happy about everything.

“I’m very happy about being fifth in the Standings. I think it’s really amazing to already be in the top five – I didn’t expect that before Shanghai.

“I think I need to keep driving clean races, keep being in the points because I think that will be very important for the final Standings when we get to Las Vegas, the last race.

“I’ll just try and build on it. I think Alisha (Palmowski) and (I) will have some great battles and I think it will be quite good.”

The 16-year-old finds herself eight points adrift of fellow rookie Palmowski, who claimed a remarkable victory in Race 1 in Shanghai, leaving Larsen keen to set her sights on the podium and taste similar success next time out in Miami.

READ MORE: ‘After Shanghai we should have been in the lead’ – Weug relieved to seize control of the Drivers’ Standings with Race 2 victory

With just two 40-minute Free Practice sessions to acclimatise to the fast-flowing American circuit before the competitive sessions get underway, Round 3 will be a challenge for both the rookies and more experienced drivers.

“I’ve learned quite a lot with the track – getting used to a street circuit in this heat as well, it’s been really nice,” she explained. “I think for Miami it’s also going to be very hot.

“I think it’s been quite something that we can use when we go to Miami. I need to learn even quicker. We don’t have that much time on track before Qualifying so (I will) just adapt to the track faster. I think I’ve learned a lot that I can use moving forward.”

Larsen added: “I really hope that I can get close to the podium. Hopefully I’ll have some podiums coming soon.”