The summer break is over and sessions were back in order, with F1 Academy starting the day off with their first practice session of the weekend.
The session began with half the field heading out onto the track, while top contenders such as Pulling, Pin, and Chloe Chambers remained in the pits. Early lap times were set by Aurelia Nobels and Lia Block, who posted times in the 1:40 range. However, it was Bustamante who initially set the pace, clocking a 1:39.633. Her impressive lap was followed by a spin at Turn 1, caused by a strong tailwind, though she managed to avoid the gravel and continue.
As the session progressed, most drivers returned to the pits, leaving Amna Al Qubaisi and home-race favourite Emily De Heus on track. De Heus moved into P4 with a 1:41.313, while A. Al Qubaisi struggled to maintain control of her VCARB-liveried car.
With 25 minutes remaining, more drivers began their outlaps, and the timing screens lit up with flying laps. Bustamante maintained her position at the top, but De Heus soon surpassed her with a 1:39.104. Hamda Al Qubaisi also made her presence known, setting a 1:39.266 to briefly take the lead before being overtaken by De Heus.
As the session neared its halfway point, the frontrunners who had stayed in the pits early on began to post their times. Pulling, on her first flying lap, quickly moved into P4 before taking the top spot with a commanding 1:38.066, pushing H. Al Qubaisi and Chambers down the order.
With just over 15 minutes to go, the focus shifted to the three Dutch drivers—De Heus, Emely De Heus, and F1 wildcard entry Nicky Gademan—who were yet to set representative lap times. After a cautious start, they began climbing the leaderboard, with Gademan eventually securing P7 in her first session of the weekend.
As the session wound down, all three Dutch drivers found themselves in the top ten, with Weug, De Heus, and Gademan sitting in P4, P6, and P7, respectively. Meanwhile, Pulling remained unchallenged at the top, edging closer to the 1:37 mark.
With five minutes left in the session, rain began to fall more heavily, creating challenging conditions for the drivers. Several competitors experienced lock-ups and off-track excursions at Turn 1, but the majority stayed on track, anticipating similar wet conditions during the weekend’s races.
As the session concluded, only three drivers remained on the circuit, likely using the time to prepare their wet tires for tomorrow’s qualifying session. Despite the worsening weather, Pulling’s earlier time remained unbeaten, securing her position at the top of the timesheets.
The session ended with Pulling in P1, followed closely by Pin and Bustamante.
Here's the top 10 quickest cars in Free Practice 1 ⚡️#F1Academy #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/hX36KVBijQ
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) August 23, 2024
