PREMA Racing and Mercedes Driver Academy’s Doriane Pin (PIN) will be hoping to earn her second win of the season at the Circuit Zandvoort. The French driver, currently second in the drivers’ championship, will start the second race of the F1 Academy weekend off pole, ahead of Rodin Motorsport and Alpine Academy’s Abbi Pulling (PUL). The French driver will be keen to avoid another false start, however, having lost second place due to a five-place time penalty given for a false start.
As the drivers await the start of the race, pole-sitter Pin leads the pack around the 4.3-kilometre Circuit Zandvoort on the formation lap, followed by Abbi Pulling in second and the Ferrari Driver Academy duo of Maya Weug (WEU) and Aurelia Nobels (NOB) in third and fourth respectively.
The drivers have returned to the grid with the starting line up confirmed as PIN, PUL, WEU, NOB, MAR, GAD, BLO, HAL SCH, HAU, CHA, LOV, DEH, EDG, BUS, and AAL. With everyone at a standstill, the green flag is waved, allowing the countdown to begin.
As the lights go out at the Circuit Zandvoort, Pin gets a fantastic start off the line. She takes the lead of the race down the first straight. Behind her, Pulling falls to third, losing place to Weug. Campos Racing’s Nerea Martí (MAR) in the Tommy Hilfiger livery goes wide at Turn 1, after some wheel-to-wheel contact with Nobels. She falls to ninth, behind Rodin Motorsport’s Lola Lovinfosse (LOV) in the Charlotte Tilbury livery.
At the back of the grid, fifteen-place starter, ART Grand Prix’s Bianca Bustamante (BUS) in the McLaren livery, has risen to thirteenth. She soon gets ahead of MP Motorsport and Red Bull Academy’s Emely de Haus (HAU) to claim twelfth position. Meanwhile, ART Grand Prix and Williams Driver Academy’ Lia Block (BLO), who started seventh, has fallen to fifteenth, having stalled at the start of the race. This will be a blow to the American who will now have to fight her way back to the points.
As the drivers get into the second lap of the seventeenth-lap race, Pin continues to build up the distance between herself and second-placed Weug. Weug, however, is pressured from Pulling, with the British driver just behind. Just behind them, fourth-place Nobels is holding up wild-card entry Nina Gademan (GAD) and MP Motorsport and Red Bull Racing’s Hamda Al Qubaisi (HAL). As they get into the fifth lap, H. Al Qubaisi increases the pressure on Gademan. Gademan however, manages to keep ahead, allowing Nobels a moment of relief.
With the first five laps complete, the standing is PIN, WEU, PUL, NOB, GAD, HAL, SCH, LOV, MAR, HAU, BUS, CHA, AAL, DEH, BLO, and EDG.
Gademan attempts another challenge on Nobels who defends well to keep the Dutch driver behind. Up ahead, Pulling’s engineer comes onto the radio, informing her that she needs to pass Weug within the next two laps. Nobels continues to defend well, keeping Gademan behind her despite another close challenge. Pin, still at the front of the grid, Pin holds on to a 1.2-second lead over Weug.
As they get into the eighth lap, PREMA Racing’s Tina Hausmann (HAU), in the Aston Martin livery, is under pressure from Bustamante. The ART Grand Prix driver, in the McLaren livery, has worked her way up to eleventh, having got ahead of Campos Racing’s Chloe Chambers (CHA) in the Haas livery and MP Motorsport’s Amna Al Qubaisi (AAL) in the RB livery.
Up ahead, Gademan attempts another challenge on Nobels, as they get into Turn 11 of the ninth lap. The two drivers go side-by-side. Nobels runs wide into the gravel, allowing Gademan into fourth. Hamda Al Qubaisi also capitalises on the opportunity, taking fifth ahead of Nobels who returns to the track in sixth position. The Brazilian is now under pressure from seventh-place Schreiner but manages to keep ahead. Race Control has noted the incident between Gademan and Nobels, and a penalty may be incoming for the Dutch driver.
With the first ten laps now complete, the standing is PIN, WEU, PUL, GAD, HAL, NOB, SCH, LOV, MAR, HAU, BUS, CHA, AAL, DEH, BLO, and EDG.
Pulling is keeping up the pressure on Weug. The British driver is within 0.5 seconds of Weug, who will want to add some space between them. Meanwhile, Race Control announces a 10-second time penalty for Gademan, having found her responsible for causing the Lap 9 collision which sees Nobels drop back to sixth. This will be of little comfort to Nobels, who had lost another place to Al Qubaisi. Gademan will likely lose a significant number of places, however, and a points finish is now under threat.
At the back of the grid, Amna Al Qubaisi and Chloe Chambers almost go side-by-side, but a lock-up by A. Al Qubaisi allows Chambers to keep ahead. A. Al Qubaisi is not so lucky when she comes under challenge from De Haus. The Dutch driver is late on the brakes and takes thirteenth place ahead of A. Al Qubaisi who immediately comes under pressure from the fifteenth-place Block.
With only three laps to go, the standings are PIN, WEU, PUL, GAD, HAL, NOB, SCH, LOV, MAR, HAU, BUS, CHA, DEH, AAL, BLO, and EDG. Pin, who currently holds on to the fastest lap, is just about two seconds ahead of Weug and will need to keep an eye on Weug and Pulling just behind her. Towards the middle of the pack, Hausmann and Bustamante are in close competition for the final points position, with eleventh-place Bustamante less than 0.5 seconds behind Hausmann.
As she gets into the final turn of the race, Pin is careful to keep well ahead of her rivals. After leading the entire race, she is the first across the finish line, just about two seconds ahead of Weug who holds on to second. Pulling is the third across the line, ahead of Gademan, who ends up tenth after her 10-second penalty.
With all drivers across the line, the final standing are PIN, WEU, PUL, HAL, NOB, SCH, LOV, MAR, HAU, GAD, BUS, CHA, DEH, AAL, BLO, and EDG. Pin, who has secured her second win of the 2024 season, also takes the point for the fastest lap, bringing her tally for the race up to 28 points.
