The F1 Academy Sprint Race in Saudi Arabia has just concluded with Ella Lloyd securing her first victory in the category, supported by McLaren. Maya Weug and Alisha Palmowski completed the podium in the first race at the Jeddah circuit.
The F1 Academy Sprint Race kicked off the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, with Ella Lloyd dominating the race and leaving no opportunity for her rivals, earning her first career win. Behind the McLaren-supported driver, Maya Weug and Alisha Palmowski completed the podium in Race 1 at the Jeddah circuit. Doriane Pin, Alba Larsen, Tina Haussman, Chloe Chambers, and Nina Gademan rounded out the top eight.
Starting from the pole position – thanks to the newly implemented reversed grid for the Sprint Race – was Emma Felbermayr, who had started from the front row for the second consecutive weekend. However, the Austrian driver finished outside the points. It was also an unlucky race for Courtney Crone, who will serve a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Lia Block, as well as for Chloe Chong. Both drivers were unable to finish the race.
As for the Saudi wildcard entry, Farah AlYousef, Race 1 ended in second-to-last place, following a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for violating the starting procedure, along with an additional 5-second penalty for moving before the starting signal.
Race Recap of the F1 Academy Sprint Race in Saudi Arabia
As the lights went out, Emma Felbermayr couldn’t defend against Ella Lloyd, who immediately took the lead in Race 1 ahead of her teammate. Taking advantage of a duel between Tina Haussman and Alba Larsen, Alisha Palmowski managed to move up two positions, while Lia Block, after the unfortunate incident the previous day, quickly dropped to 15th place.
Doriane Pin tried to pass Tina Hausmann without success; the Swiss driver, supported by Aston Martin, was able to maintain sixth place ahead of her Mercedes AMG-Petronas teammate and Chloe Chambers.
In the lead group, Emma Felbermayr lost ground and was passed first by Alisha Palmowski, then by Maya Weug. Alba Larsen also got through, following the slipstream of the Red Bull driver and the Ferrari Driver Academy’s Dutch driver. In the back, Lia Block spun in turn 2 following contact with Courtney Crone; however, the young American driver, daughter of racing royalty, managed to rejoin the race, albeit in last position after an initial notable comeback.
On lap four, the Safety Car came out due to an incident involving Chloe Chong, the British driver returning for her second season in F1 Academy after a year-long break. The positions after the early laps of the Sprint Race on the Saudi track saw Ella Lloyd leading the group, followed by Alisha Palmowski, Maya Weug, Alba Larsen, Emma Felbermayr, Doriane Pin, Tina Hausmann, and Chloe Chambers rounding out the points positions.
The Safety Car came in at the end of lap seven, leaving six laps available for the final twists. Maya Weug tried to pass Alisha Palmowski but was unable to complete the move. Further back, Doriane Pin passed the Sauber driver, setting her sights on Alba Larsen and taking her position on lap nine. Meanwhile, Emma Felbermayr, starting from pole, had slipped to eighth, also losing a position to Nina Gademan. The Ferrari Driver Academy driver eventually managed to pass Alisha Palmowski in the penultimate lap, climbing to second place.
The next F1 Academy event in Jeddah will take place tomorrow, April 20, at 14:05 (Italian time), with Race 2, where Chloe Chambers will start from pole position, followed by Doriane Pin.
Photo: F1 Academy.
