Doriane Pin led from pole to win in Race 1 of the 2024 F1 Academy Qatar GP. Abbi Pulling finished second, securing the 2024 F1 Academy Championship as a result. Pin’s teammate Maya Weug rounded out the podium in third place.
By finishing second, British driver Abbi Pulling was crowned champion in her second season in the series. She secured the title with three races to go, earning a fully-funded seat in GB3 for 2025.
Lights Out in Qatar
It was a clean start to Race 1 in Qatar. The top three all got off the line well, Abbi Pulling overtaking Maya Weug for P2 into Turn 1.
Chloe Chambers was starting to make moves as the drivers towards the end of the grid were swapping positions. Many of them were dropping wheels in the gravel traps as they were all pushing hard.
Pin quickly pulled out over a second gap to Pulling in second, who was almost two seconds ahead of Weug just two laps in.
Penalties for Chambers and Hausmann
Haas Junior Chloe Chambers and Aston Martin Junior Tina Hausmann were both noted for a false start. Chambers’s car seemed to be slowly rolling on the start. Both drivers received a five-second penalty.
Wildcard entry Alisha Palmowski was making a great impression on debut in fifth place. She was putting pressure on fourth place Hamda Al Qubaisi, searching for a way by.
Chloe Chambers was also battling with Aurelia Nobels, a train starting to form behind the two. The American driver eventually passed Nobels for 10th, who continued to be under pressure from the cars behind.
Holding Station Out Front
Doriane Pin pulled out a three second gap over Abbi Pulling with five laps to go. The top five had stagnant gaps between them and continued in the same order from Lap 1.
Hausmann passed Lola Lovinfosse for 15th, letting her escape to try and build a five-second gap. Meanwhile, Williams Junior Lia Block was beginning to catch Wildcard Palmowski.
Bianca Bustamante spun on Lap 12 after dipping a wheel into the gravel. She kept the engine running and was able to rejoin the race, but she dropped to the back of the field.
A Champion Is Crowned
Chloe Chambers went three-wide on the last lap with Edgar and Martì to improve to seventh place.
Doriane Pin led the entire race, building a steady gap of almost seven seconds to Abbi Pulling by the finish. Despite Pin’s brilliant performance, it was Abbi Pulling who won the 2024 F1 Academy Championship under the lights in Qatar.
The 21-year-old will receive a fully-funded seat in GB3 for 2025 as a result of her performances this year. She is the second F1 Academy Champion, after Marta Garcia won the inaugural F1 Academy Championship.
Doriane Pin won from pole in Race 1 of the 2024 F1 Academy Qatar GP weekend ahead of the championship-winner Abbi Pulling and third place Maya Weug.
Featured Image Credit: Alpine F1 Team and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
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