Just over an hour after the conclusion of Race 1 (which was rescheduled from yesterday due to bad weather), the F1 Academy drivers were back out on track for Race 2 at the 2024 Dutch GP.
It would be Doriane Pin who would come home in P1, beating Championship leader Abbi Pulling who reached the chequered flag in P3. Home-hero Maya Weug came home in P2 to mark her second podium of the day at her home GP weekend and making it a 1-2 for PREMA Racing. Weekend wildcard Nina Gademan impressed once again, running in P4-5 for the entirety of the race, but being demoted to P10 at the flag with a ten-second penalty for forcing Aurelia Nobels off the track.
An early incident for Nerea Martí seen her drop like a stone down the order, along with Lia Block and Jess Edgar, who both stalled at lights-out.
At Lights Out
A great start for Pin saw the Mercedes junior retain the lead, while a slow start for Pulling demoted her to P3. Weug, capitalising on Pulling’s slow start, sent her PREMA into P3. Both Lia Block and Jess Edgar found themselves having to make up a lot of ground after both stalled at lights out, remaining stationery on the grid while the others overtook them.
Martí was also left to make up ground after a battle with Aurelia Nobels for P4 saw the Spaniard forced into the gravel. Martí consequently ended up stuck in the midfield.
Throughout the first lap, Pulling was hot on the heels of Weug on the hunt to regain her P2 position. The scrap for P2 rumbled on into Lap 2, with Weug still managing to holding the Championship leader off. Meanwhile, Nobels was holding up the Gademan, who was challenging for P4.
The opening laps were fraught with battles here, there and everywhere. Weug was making up ground to take the battle to Pin out-front, but also still under attack from Pulling. Similarly, Gademan was feeling the pressure from Hamda Al Qubaisi behind in P6, locking up in her attempts to keep that P5 position – all while trying to get past Nobels. The fighting behind had allowed the top three to scamper off up the road, now five seconds ahead by Lap 6 and etching out more of a gap on every lap.
Wild Racing for the Wildcard
Gademan was now on the attack on Nobels, jostling for P4 in her first ever F1 Academy weekend. The wildcard entry has impressed this weekend, scoring points in Race 1 and already holding the title of the most successful wildcard entry so far this season. However, her inexperience would begin to show after an attempted overtake on Nobels would see her force the ART off the track for P4.
Nobels dropped down to P6 after Gademan and Al Qubaisi shot through. More bad news for Nobels – Schreiner was now on her gearbox and attempting to capitalise on the Puma livery’s trip through the gravel. The incident between Gademan and Nobels was noted by stewards, and Gademan was dealt a ten-second penalty for pushing Nobels off the track.
The cars in positions P6 to P16 at the back of the grid were separated by less than a second each with five laps to go. Dutchwoman Emely De Heus capitalised on the close racing, heading down the inside of Amna Al Qubaisi and slotting into P13.
Pin Pushes On
Our race leader Doriane Pin was still pushing on in an attempt to get some space between herself and Weug in P2. The Mercedes junior had created a few seconds gap, but the home hero was on the hunt for a home win. Weug was looking quick, cutting down the gap to two seconds with three laps to go.
On the penultimate lap of the race, Pin was holding the two-second lead out front, followed by Weug and Pulling in P3, hot on the heels of the Dutchwoman. H. Al Qubaisi was breathing down the neck of Gademan for P4 – but she wouldn’t need to go on the attack due to Gademan’s penalty.
It was Pin who would take chequered flag first during the F1 Academy Race 2 at the 2024 Dutch GP, claiming her second victory of the season. Weug took her second home-podium of the day in P2, followed by Championship leader Pulling in P3. Despite the ten-second penalty, Gademan would come home in P10 with a point added to her tally from Race 1.
Featured Image credit: Mercedes AMG Patronas F1 Team.
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