Abbi Pulling achieved her eighth win of the season in Race 1 of the 2024 F1 Academy Abu Dhabi GP weekend ahead of home hero Hamda Al Qubaisi and Doriane Pin.
Abbi Pulling, the official 2024 F1 Academy Champion, is on pole for all three races this weekend after the second F1 Academy race in Qatar was canceled. While the championship has already been sewn up, second and third in the championship has yet to be cemented. The battle for the Teams’ Championship is also still up for grabs.
Lights Out in Abu Dhabi
Chloe Chambers in second place got a great start when the lights went out, overtaking Abbi Pulling for the race lead at the first corner. However, Pulling was immediately on her gearbox, searching for a way past.
The Haas Junior driver spun as they came towards turn nine. She lost the lead and dropped to last on the grid as a result. Pulling now led ahead of Hamda Al Qubaisi and Emily De Heus, who jumped a few places on the start.
Penalties for Chambers and Hausmann
Chambers was given a five-second time penalty for rejoining the track unsafely after her spin. Tina Hausmann also received a five-second penalty.
Doriane Pin fought past De Heus, improving to third place.
Tina Hausmann was battling with Lola Lovinfosse, and Hausmann was forced wide by Lovinfosse while trying to go around the outside. Hausmann overtook Lovinfosse as a result, but she gave the position back to ensure she avoided a penalty for gaining an advantage by going off-track.
Tine Hausmann went down the inside of Lola Lovinfosse and overtook her for tenth, but there was contact between them. Lovinfosse was also hit from behind by Chambers in the same corner, causing her to spin and lose more places. The incident was immediately under investigation by the stewards.
The Rodin driver Lola Lovinfosse’s troubles could be crucial in the Teams’ Championship fight between Rodin Motorsport and Prema Racing.
Chambers, who had been slowly moving up the grid after her spin, overtook Hausmann for tenth place. Hausmann was immediately under pressure from Nobels and Block behind her.
Maya Weug was in a race-long battle with Nerea Martì for sixth place. With just a few laps left, she was trying everything to find her way past as her pace improved.
Another Penalty for Hausmann
Hausmann was given a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision with Lola Lovinfosse. However, Chloe Chambers was not given a penalty for her contact with Lovinfosse.
In her home race, Amna Al Qubaisi overtook Carrie Schreiner after she made a small mistake. Amna’s sister Hamda was under pressure from Doriane Pin for second place with just a few laps to go.
Weug and Martì’s battle allowed Amna Al Qubaisi, Carrie Schreiner, and Chloe Chambers to catch up to them. It was quickly becoming a five-car battle for sixth place with just two laps left.
Rodin Motorsport driver Abbi Pulling was told to give Campos Racing driver Hamda Al Qubaisi a tow to stop Doriane Pin from overtaking her. Because Pin races for Prema Racing, Rodin’s championship rivals, the team was willing to help Campos Racing to stop Prema from gaining extra points.
On the last lap, Maya Weug was continuing to fight Nerea Martì for sixth place, but Martì managed to just hold on ahead of Weug.
Abbi Pulling won from pole in Race 1 of the 2024 F1 Academy Abu Dhabi GP weekend ahead of home hero Hamda Al Qubaisi and Doriane Pin.
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F1 Academy Race 1 – Photo Credit: Alpine F1 Team