Representing Red Bull Racing in the all-female racing series, Hamda Al Qubaisi enjoyed a successful weekend in Miami, after a tough season opener in Jeddah last month. The 21-year-old qualified P3 for Race 1, finishing P5 and then started Race 2 in P4, crossing the line in P6. In total, she brings home 18 points from the sun-lit Miami, currently being seventh in the Drivers’ Championship.
“Overall, it was a good weekend here in Miami. Qualifying went really well for me, it was honestly a bit unexpected to be in the top three [Race 1] but really happy with the result and the ability to get the car in that position,” Al Qubaisi summarized her performance.
Last year, the Emirati driver was quite comfortable on the podium throughout the inaugural F1 Academy season, and even managed to get on the top step of it four times. Finishing third in the over-all 2023 standings, she is the highest-placed returning driver for 2024 — the champion and runner-up parting ways with the all-female series.
Speaking about the course of the two races in Miami, Al Qubaisi commented: “Qualifying made the races much easier, and I started P3 in Race 1 and had some good battles on track and was able to finish in the top five.
“Same thing for Race 2 with starting P4, I had a good start, and we were able to maximize our opportunities to finish in P6 and bring home some good points.”
In addition to being sponsored by Red Bull, Al Qubaisi is part of the MP Motorsport team — which does certainly need “some good points”, because they are last in the Constructors’ Championship at the moment. She and her teammates brought the team total of 42 points with two out of seven race weekends behind us, that being her older sister Amna Al Qubaisi and Emely De Heus.
Just like multiple other drivers, the 21-year-old is already looking ahead, waiting for 21st of June, when Round 3 of F1 Academy will start along with the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Having previous experience on it and memories of a P2 finish from last year, it’s very much possible Al Qubaisi will have big ambitions coming there.
“We collected what we could from this weekend in Miami, and we’re already looking forward to Barcelona,” she concluded.
