Abbi Pulling was quickest in the F1 Academy Practice 1 session of the 2024 Dutch GP weekend.
The Championship leader showed her dominance around the Circuit Zandvoort, setting a 1:38.066. While Doriane Pin and Bianca Bustamante were hot on the Brit’s heels in P2 and P3 respectively, 13 of 16 drivers were within a second of each other. The drivers will look to get some more all-important practice time later in the day in a second practice session before racing commences tomorrow.
As it Happened
As the session began, half of the field headed out onto track, while the likes of the Championship frontrunners, Pulling, Pin and Chloe Chambers, stayed put in the pits. Aurelia Nobels and Lia Block were first to post a lap time, sitting in the 1:40s. Bustamante, however, was out and straight into P1 with a 1:39.633. However, following the speedy lap, the McLaren junior found herself spinning at Turn 1, caught out by the strong tailwind. While a brief yellow was waved, Bustamante managed to stay out of the gravel and the green flag was waved once again as she got back underway.
The majority of the drivers on-track then re-entered the pits, leaving just Amna Al Qubaisi and one of the home-race heroes, Emily De Heus, on track. The Dutchwoman slotted into P4 with a 1:41.313 and A. Al Qubaisi found herself in P5, struggling to keep the VCARB livery car on-track.
25 Minutes to Go
With just over 25 minutes to go in the session, A. Al Qubaisi went for a second flying lap while half of the grid began their outlaps. Bustamante remained at the top of the times as more laps came flooding in, while De Heus moved into P2. As another round of flying laps began, Hamda Al Qubaisi bettered the time of Bustamante with a 1:39.266, before De Heus, on yet another consecutive flying lap, snatched the top spot from the Red Bull livery with a 1:39.104.
20 minutes remained on the clock for the F1 Academy Practice 1 session at the 2024 Dutch GP. Seven drivers were yet to post a lap time. A few minutes later the first preparation lap times began to filter in for those who had remained in the pits for the first part of the session. Pulling embarked on her first flying lap with 17 minutes to go, taking her into P4. Meanwhile, H. Al Qubaisi was into the 1:38s up-front, setting a comfortable 1:38.400. Chambers settled into P2, before Pulling bettered her time to take over the lead with a 1:38.066.
Home-Racers Begin Their Running
Two of the three Dutch drivers were yet to set a representative lap time with just over 15 minutes to go – both Gademan and Weug sat at the bottom of the pack, leaving their running to the end. Following their first flying laps, they found themselves down in P14 and P15, only behind Tina Hausmann. Gademan, however, shot up to P7 with her next lap in her first session of the weekend as a wildcard.
With ten minutes to go, the home-race drivers of Weug, Gademan and De Heus were making themselves known sitting in P4, P6 and P7 respectively. Pulling sat out-front threatening the 1:37s, but rain was starting to fall on-track, making the already-tricky Zandvoort track even more difficult for the drivers.
Rain Falls Heavier
Five minutes remained on the clock as the rain began to fall heavier. Multiple drivers were locking up and heading off-track at Turn 1, taking the escape road to avoid an incident. However even with the weather worsening, half of the grid persevered, knowing that the racing this weekend would most likely entail some wet-weather driving.
In the last minute of the session, only three drivers remained on track to maximise their time in the rain. While none of the drivers were out to post a lap, they most likely were out on track to prepare a set of wet tyres for Qualifying tomorrow.
The chequered flag was waved as the rain continued to fall across the Zandvoort circuit. Pulling finished the session in P1 with a. 1:38.066, followed by Pin and Bustamante in P2 and P3 respectively. P1 to P13 were separated by less than a second, and the wildcard entry of Gademan came home in P7.
Featured image photo: BWT Alpine F1 Team
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