The sole F1 Academy practice session in Jeddah has come to an end. Maya Weug topped the timesheets, followed by Alisha Palmowski and Doriane Pin.
This weekend, the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia is also hosting the F1 Academy — the all-female racing series led by former driver Susie Wolff. Now in its third season, the series shares several race weekends with Formula 1 and its junior categories.
After a one-month break, teams and drivers of the F1 Academy returned to action for the second round of the year, following the season opener in China.
Last year on the Saudi track, Doriane Pin showcased remarkable consistency, which allowed her to dominate both races over the weekend. This season, the French driver from the Silver Arrows Academy arrives in Jeddah as the championship leader, after sending strong signals in Shanghai against Maya Weug, her main rival this year.
In the first and only free practice session in Jeddah, the clock stopped with Maya Weug topping the timesheets with a 2:05.357, followed closely by Alisha Palmowski (+0.030), Doriane Pin (+0.209), and Chloe Chambers (+0.268). These results mirror the situation seen in China, highlighting the anticipated duel between the MP Motorsport driver and PREMA’s top contender.
F1 Academy Free Practice Recap – Jeddah
The first half of the 40-minute session unfolded rather quietly, with Maya Weug setting the benchmark at 2:05.750, followed by Doriane Pin (+0.639) and Lia Block (+0.866). Times remained relatively high, with the top five drivers all within a one-second gap.
Meanwhile, Race Control announced the deletion of Farah AlYousef’s lap time. The Saudi wildcard had a difficult session, spinning twice — though without damaging the car and managing to continue.
In the closing minutes, Doriane Pin found some extra pace to briefly edge ahead of the Dutch Ferrari Driver Academy driver by just +0.006. However, Weug quickly responded, reclaiming the top spot in the opening session of the weekend. Alisha Palmowski slotted into second, with the Mercedes-backed Frenchwoman rounding out the top three.
Now, all eyes turn to 8:30 PM (Italian time) this evening for Qualifying, which will determine the pole-sitter for Race 1— where the top eight positions will be reversed — and the grid for Race 2.
Photo: F1 Academy.
