Doriane Pin topped the timesheets in the opening Free Practice session of the F1 Academy Miami weekend. The Mercedes driver held off Abbi pulling, who finished 0.070s behind while feeling under the weather. McLaren’s Bianca Bustamante finished in P3.
Landing in Miami, almost two thirds of the grid were brand new to the spectacular street track heading into the first session of the weekend. Abbi Pulling, Chloe Chambers, Bianca Bustamante, Emely de Heus and Nerea Martí are the only drivers who have been on the track prior to the F1 Academy Miami Weekend, with Martí securing a podium on her first appearance there. All teams bar PREMA have at least one driver with previous experience, but that didn’t stop Pin from finishing the session ahead of the rest of the field.
Keeping up with Pin, Alpine’s Abbi Pulling drove to P2 all while feeling slightly unwell. Bustamante drove to P3, finishing three tenths behind the Brit. Martí and Weug finished in fourth and fifth respectively on the tricky street track. Emely De Heus had a problem in the pits as she received a fine for speeding in the pit lane, and finished in P7 behind Chambers. Jess Edgar in the American Express car, Aurelia Nobels and Lia Block rounded out the top ten.
Looking ahead to Qualifying tomorrow, the drivers will have to contend with a potential increase in tyre degradation and keep it within the lines – it could be a matter of who can get the braking zones right and avoid track limits. After a promising start to the weekend, the drivers have another Free Practice session later today to fine tune their drives and get used to the tricky Miami street circuit.
Photo by Pauline Ballet – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
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