This past weekend was F1 Academy's first trip to Qatar, a new track for the majority of the grid! This challenging circuit comprises of 16 medium and high speed corners along 5.419km of asphalt, and includes a 1.068km straight which provides great overtaking opportunities.
After 2 days of highly competitive sessions, and a cancelled Sunday race due to track repairs, let's digest 3 things we learnt from F1 Academy racing in Qatar...
#1: Abbi Pulling will be racing in GB3 next season.
After securing herself a further 18 Championship points in Race 1 on Saturday, Pulling was officially crowned Champion of the 2024 F1 Academy season. With this victory comes a fully funded seat in the GB3 Championship for 2025 with her current F1 Academy team Rodin. F1 Academy confirmed this prize at the start of November, and in addition to the full-time race seat, Pulling will also receive 20 days of testing in the GB3 car, also funded by F1 Academy.
This initiative is designed to help female racing talent progress through the series, a feat which has so far proved difficult due to a lack of funding and opportunities. This is something Pulling knows all too well after having to pull out of British F4 during this season due to funding issues. We're so excited to see what she can achieve going forward in what has already been an outstanding career!
#2 Once Doriane Pin is out front, she is impossible to catch!
Mercedes / Prema driver Pin truly lived up to her nickname, 'the Pocket Rocket' this weekend, setting the fastest times in every session, including taking pole position for both races, and won Race 1 with a dominant 6.7 second lead over now-Champion Pulling.
Pin had a very strong start to the season , claiming the first F1 Academy win of 2024 in Jeddah. In Race 2 that same weekend she was the first to take the chequered flag, but after accidentally taking the flag twice she received a penalty which saw her forfeit the win. Unfortunately things took a turn for the worst after the second round in Miami as Pin sustained broken ribs in a cyc
ling accident, forcing her to withdraw from a round of her FRECA campaign as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After putting in consistent results during her recovery process, Pin eventually claimed her second win in Zandvoort, 2 seconds ahead of her Prema teammate Maya Weug who she will now be competing against in Abu Dhabi for P2 in the Championship.
Although her injury leaves us with a lot of what if's about her 2024 season, one thing we know for sure if she is Pin is a force to be reckoned with, and will 100% be competing for the F1 Academy Championship win in 2025.
#3 The fight will continue in Abu Dhabi
The Race 2 cancellation in Qatar means the close battles in both the Drivers' and Teams' Championships will continue into the final 2 races of the season in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
In the Drivers' Championship the battle for P2 and P3 is mainly a fight between Pin and Weug, however, Nerea Martí, Chloe Chambers and Hamda Al Qubaisi are all still within striking distance of P3, and as we know in motorsport, anything can happen!
Only 28 points currently separate Prema and Rodin at the top of the Teams' Championship, so all is still to play for with a maximum of 118 points available across the weekend. Technically this means Campos in P3 are still in this title fight, but, as they're 72 points behind, their chances are looking slim. Out of the fight are ART and MP who currently sit on 125 and 122 points respectively, although if either can maximise their weekend, they can potentially claim P3.
So the stage is set and the finale of what has been an outstanding second season for F1 Academy will kick off this Friday at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi! Make sure to tune in and catch the action, the series is available to stream live on both X and YouTube for free on the official F1 Academy pages.
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