The F1 Academy marked its halfway point at Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands with a rescheduled Race 1, where Abbi Pulling clinched her fifth victory of the season.
Originally scheduled for the previous day, Race 1 faced an unexpected delay when rain loomed over the circuit just as the cars were lining up on the grid. As the rain intensified, race control made the call to abort the start. Mechanics swiftly returned to the grid, swapping slicks for wet-weather tyres. Despite the adjustments, the worsening conditions led to the race being postponed until the following morning. Due to the delay, the race length was reduced from 17 to 13 laps.
With clearer skies the next day, the race finally got underway. Pulling, in her Alpine-liveried car, made a brilliant start from pole position, immediately pulling away from the pack. Nerea Martí and Doriane Pin battled wheel-to-wheel into the first corner, with Pin managing to hold on to P2. Further back, Weug challenged Martí but couldn’t find a way past.
As Pulling extended her lead, the midfield action intensified. Local wildcard driver Emely de Gademan made a move on Aurelia Nobels for P5, while Tina Hausmann and Carrie Schreiner engaged in a fierce battle for P11. Chloe Chambers also found herself in the thick of the action, closely pursuing Nobels, while Lia Block kept the pressure on Hausmann.
By the third lap, the top ten order was Pulling, Pin, Martí, Weug, Gademan, Nobels, Chambers, Block, Hamda Al Qubaisi, and Schreiner.
Race control soon flagged several incidents. False starts were noted for Pin, Amna Al Qubaisi, and Lola Lovinfosse, with both Pin and A. Al Qubaisi receiving five-second penalties. Additionally, an incident between Hausmann and Jess Edgar at Turn 3 on the opening lap caught the stewards’ attention. As the race progressed, Chambers successfully overtook Nobels for P6, and another incident between H. Al Qubaisi and Block was noted.
Meanwhile, the fight for P3 intensified, with Weug closing in on Martí. By lap 10, Pulling had stretched her lead over Pin to 3.4 seconds. However, with her penalty, Pin needed to create a significant gap to Martí in P3 to maintain her position.
As the race neared its conclusion, the battle for P8 between H. Al Qubaisi and Block stole the spotlight. On the final lap, H. Al Qubaisi made a decisive move into Turn 1, securing the position.
Abbi Pulling crossed the line unchallenged, claiming her fifth victory of the season for Alpine. Although Pin finished second on track, her five-second penalty dropped her to P5, promoting Martí to P2 and Weug to P3.
