The F1 Academy Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, saw Maya Weug storm to the top of the timesheets, setting the benchmark for the weekend.
The action is heating up as F1 ACADEMY heads to the high-speed Saudi Arabian Jeddah Corniche Circuit for Round 2 of the 2025 season. Less than two weeks since in-season testing at the same venue, the grid returns to familiar ground, but this time, it’s for real. With soaring daytime temperatures and the added challenge of qualifying under floodlights, drivers have to face their toughest test yet.
Championship leader Doriane Pin arrives with momentum on her side after a dominant display in Shanghai, but she won’t have it easy. Maya Weug looks to bounce back and capitalise on strong testing form, while teams like Campos Racing are brimming with confidence. Pole position will be critical around Jeddah’s narrow streets, and with limited overtaking opportunities, every tenth in qualifying could be decisive.
Green light for F1 Academy at the Jeddah Circuit
With 40 minutes on the clock, all drivers set off on the fast track in Saudi Arabia. After three days of testing a few days ago, all drivers were already familiar with the track, which was an advantage in getting back into the flow quickly.
Nina Gademann, who suffered an accident in Turn 5 during testing, sustained minor injuries but is still in the car this weekend. She said she would only withdraw if the pain became too severe.
After approximately 10 minutes off the clock, the drivers crossed the finish line for the first time, achieving fast times. Doriane Pin immediately set a time of 2:07.687, followed by Maya Weug with a time of 2:08.016.
Tina Hausmann, the Aston Martin-backed driver, set a time of 2:08.176 on her first lap during the Saudi Arabian GP.
Maya Weug took the kerb in turn three a little too hard on her second fast lap, which compromised her lap. On her next lap, she learned from her mistake and set a time of 2:06.286, the fastest lap of the practice session so far.
Nina Gademann initially took seventh place, 1.2 seconds behind Weug. Lia Block, backed by Williams Racing, tries to put a rather poor start to the season behind her to take third place behind Pin and Weug with a time of 2:06.616. Alisha Palmowski, who was the fastest during testing in Saudi Arabia, set a time of 2:06.813.
Alba Larson narrowly missed the braking point in Turn 22, resulting in her lap time being deleted.
Second half of Practice at the Saudi Arabian GP
Farah Alyousef, the wildcard driver for the Saudi Arabian GP, had a brief moment when she spun her car, but was able to continue without any further problems.
Alisha Palmowski, backed by Red Bull, set a time of 2:05.813, and although her first two sectors were the fastest of the session, she was almost 0.2 seconds slower than Weug’s fastest time and initially finished in second place.
More bad news followed for Alyousef when she brought out the yellow flag in the final corner after another 360-degree spin on the Saudi Arabian track. The yellow flag was lifted after a short time, and Alyousef was able to continue.
However, no one could improve their time during this period, but Palmowski set another fastest sector 1. Chloe Chambers set a time of 2:05.735 to move up to second place on the leaderboard.
The final laps
Ella Lloyd and Doriane Pin almost collided on the narrow Saudi Arabian track, but Lloyd backed off, allowing both drivers to continue. Lloyd was 0.740 behind Weug’s fastest time at that point.
The final fast laps in the only free practice session of the Saudi Arabian GP were set by Pin, who clocked a time of 2:05.610.
Ella Lloyd and Doriane Pin almost collided on the narrow Saudi Arabian track, but Ella backed off so that both riders could continue. Lloyd was 0.740 behind Weug’s fastest time at that point.
The final fast laps in the only free practice session of the Saudi Arabian GP were set by Pin, who clocked a time of 2:05.610.
However, Palmowski set an even faster time after the chequered flag fell, with a 2:05.387. Pin thus slipped to second place. But in the end, Maya Weug was the last driver to set a fast lap, clocking a 2:05.357.
The top three places were thus taken by Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes drivers – something that makes the scene even more exciting for qualifying later today.
Full results F1 Academy Practice:
- Maya Weug
- Alisha Palmowski
- Doriane Pin
- Chloe Chambers
- Lia Block
- Ella Lloyd
- Aurelia Nobels
- Tina Hausmann
- Chloe Chong
- Emma Fellbermayr
- Nina Gademann
- Courtney Crone
- Rafaela Ferreira
- Joanne Ciconte
- Alba Larsen
- Aiva Anagnostiadis
- Nicole Havdra
- Farah Alyousef
