Official F1 Journal F1 Academy Thursday Round Up- Saudi Arabia Practice & Qualifying

Welcome to 1st F1 Academy race weekend of 2024 and the 2nd season of the new all female Formula series, lead by non other than female racing driver and former Williams test driver F1 Academy CEO Susie Wolff, who has done a mega job of not only putting this series together but working with the FIA and Formula 1 to get all 10 F1 teams to back 1 driver each in the series. 
So its 16 drivers and 5 teams, 10 drivers backed by an F1 team but driving for a team within the series and 5 drivers chosen by the team they race for. 
Lets see who they all are and how they got on in their first competitive days running of 2024.

Teams & Drivers 

Driver                               Team                     F1 Backer 
Lola Lovinfosse (3)      Rodin Motorsport       
Abbi Pulling                 Rodin Motorsport           Alpine 
Jessica Edgar              Rodin Motorsport 
Emely de Heus              MP Motorsport 
Hamda Al Qubaisi          MP Motorsport           Redbull
Amna Al Qubaisi            MP Motorsport               RB 
Chloe Chambers          Campos Racing            HAAS
Carrie Schreiner           Campos Racing           Sauber
Nerea Marti                  Campos Racing 
Bianca Bustamante      ART Grand Prix            Mclaren 
Aurelia Nobels              ART Grand Prix 
Lia Block                       ART Grand Prix            Williams          
Tina Hausmann             Prema Racing            Aston Martin 
Doriane Pin                   Prema Racing             Mercedes  
​Maya Weug                   Prema Racing             Ferrari 
Reema Juffali                   Muhra                     Wild card 

Practice 

The track went green on the 1st 40 minute Practice session of the season and it was a steady stream of cars out onto the track with only 15 cars on the grid, traffic is less of an issue for the F1 Academy than other series, especial at a street track like Jeddah. Weug topped the times first before being beaten by Bustamante and then Pin by over a second.
Bustamante kissed the wall at turn 1 after misjudging the braking zone but saved it and carried on with no damage.  

Williams backed Lia Block found the run off at turn 22 after going deep on the brakes, later riding the kerbs hard in her first ever single seater weekend while Amna al Qubaisi  spun her MP car after out braking herself. 
20 minutes on the clock French driver Doriane Pin was fastest with  Abbi Pulling in 2nd & Marti in 3rd. 
14 minutes to go on track and most cars where in the pits  making those all important set up changes and look at their data to try to make the most of such a small amount of practice time before Qualifying later that day and the 2 races to come tomorrow and Saturday.  

10 to go and on her first Qualifying simulation run Bustemante found the run off at turn 8 after a big wobble under steering mid turn 8. Wild card driver & the 1st ever Saudi Arabian Female racing driver was down in 16th in her Muhra car. 
The battle at the top was  Pin & Pulling as the swapped fastest sector on their flying laps, Marti was still 3rd, Ferrari driver Weug was 4th and Lia Block had found her form and put herself up to 5th. Mclarens Bustemante dropped down the times to 11th as others set their Qualifying practice laps as the session drew to a close.
2 minutes to go, Lola Lovinfosse puts her self up to 3rd fastest, Pulling puts in a flying lap to try and beat Pin but ended 0.272 behind the French  Mercedes backed Driver as Block went 3rd fastest in her ART.
As the Chequered flag fell on the session Haussen caught some air off the kerbs at turn 22. Bustemante couldn't set a better time finishing 13th for Mclaren and ART. Lia Block had a brilliant session finishing 3rd in her first ever single seater session. Pin topped the time, closely followed by Pulling. 

Practice Result 

1 PIN 2'04.889
2 PUL +0.212
3BLO +0.757
4 MAR +0.785
5 WEU +0.969
6 LOV +1.050
7 CHA +1.077
8 SCH +1.312
9 HAU+1.1.465
10 EDG 1.466
11 AAL +1.474
12 NOB +1.1639
13 BUS + 1.639
​14 DEH +1.709
​15 HAL + 2.082
16 JUF +2.308

Qualifying 

All the cars straight out eager to get out and set the first of the 2 fast laps they need to qualify  well for both Races. 
Pin was straight to the top of the times as she was in Practice this morning but Abbi Pulling was on a great lap to try and knock the French driver off the top spot and doing so going almost a second ahead of Pin 1st time. Hausmann went 2nd fastest with Pin 3rd till she crossed the timing line next and went top over Pulling also by almost a second. Bustemante was 7th in her repaired ART car after she damaged the front suspension tapping the wall into turn1.

18 minutes to go and thew top 3 was Pin, Pulling & Hausmann but with Pulling on a rapid lap, almost going deep at turn 22 but kept it going and losing as little time as possible but it did cost her the pole and she ended up +0.329 down on Pin who just seemed in total control of her Prema and the Qualifying session. Edgar jumped up the order to 3rd in her Rodin Motorsport car and Nobel joined the top 5 ahead of Lia Block in 6th. Marti & Chambers crossed the line together and jump to 3rd and 4th in the order showing the mid field battle is tight among these talented Female drivers. 

Lovinfosse jumped up to 4th before Weug went 2nd fastest ahead of Pulling, before Pulling took the place back but Pin is just mighty here and is 1.212 seconds faster than than 2nd place. 
4 minutes to go and Weug again beat the time of Pulling taking 2nd fastest back as Lia Bloc went 5th fastest behind Lovinfosse. With the second ticking down Bustemante did well to get up to 4th with time to complete 1 more lap. Block lost time in the middle sector and stayed 6th fastest with just enough time for 1 more crack at it, Al Qubaisi couldn't improve in the Redbull livery car  as Pulling again took back 2nd place but just couldn't get within 7 tenths of Pin in 1st. 

Qualifying Result 

1 PIN 2'03.472
2 PUL +0.785
3 WEU +1.058
4 MAR +1.427
5 BUS +1.465
6 LOV + 1.500
7 BLO + 1.615
8 CHA +1.720
9 NOB +1.843
10 EDG +1.892
11 HAU +1.941
12 SCH + 2.193 
13 HAL +2.525
14 JUF +2.640
​15 AAL + 2.691
​16 DEH +2.804

Joanna Blackmore 
Writer @f1journal.co.uk