The F1 Academy qualifying session at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi ended on Friday with Abbi Pulling securing the pole position for all three races scheduled for the weekend. Here are the results!
After sealing her title as the Women’s Championship winner in Qatar, Abbi Pulling was once again crowned at the end of the F1 Academy qualifying session in Abu Dhabi, having claimed the pole position for all three races scheduled for the weekend. The event in Lusail had left a bitter taste when Race 2 was canceled due to some technical issues on the track, but the lost race was rescheduled, adding a third race on Sunday morning at Yas Marina. This increased the points available, which could have allowed Doriane Pin to fight for the championship.
However, the French driver would have had to secure the pole position for all races and achieve maximum success in each. Unfortunately, the PREMA driver struggled with track limits during the qualifying session, managing to set only one valid lap for Race 1, where she will start from fifth position. In front of her, the grid is led by Abbi Pulling, still in pole, followed by Chloe Chambers, who has been shining this weekend in the Emirates, then home driver Hamda Al Qubaisi, and Bianca Bustamante, who now has the perfect opportunity to redeem herself after five rounds outside the points.
During the session, Aurelia Nobels set a particularly impressive time of 1:55.39, but the Brazilian’s advantage was due to a lock-up that allowed her to gain valuable seconds by cutting the chicane. Her time was later canceled for track limits, and she finished the session in 14th place.
In addition to Doriane Pin, Maya Weug, another PREMA driver, opted for a different strategy compared to the rest of the grid by waiting before going out on track. However, the Italian team’s strategy did not favor the Ferrari Driver Academy driver, who ended up in 7th place, ahead of Nerea Martì, Carrie Schreiner, Lia Block – who was renewed by Williams for next season’s F1 Academy – and her teammate Tina Hausmann. There were no notable achievements for Logan Hannah, the weekend’s wild card from the UAE, who occupies the last place on the grid.
Now, all that remains is to wait for tomorrow’s race at 09:15 (CET) for the first of the three F1 Academy races in Abu Dhabi, with Abbi Pulling leading the way!
Photos: F1 Academy.