With everyone excited for the second weekend of F1 Academy, and with a different driver on pole, the public in Miami had to wait a little longer as there were some fluid spills from the support programme that needed cleaning up. That meant the formation lap started 15 minutes after the planned starting time.
After most of the kitty litter was cleaned up and all the celebrities were escorted of the grid it was time for the race. When the five red lights went out Bianca Bustamante stalled, dropping the McLaren-backed driver to the back of the pack. The rest get cleanly through first few corners. Carrie Schreiner is battling with Lia Block and Amna Al Qubaisi fighting into turn 11. Aurelia Nobels taps Tina Hausmann in turn 12, sending the Aston Martin-backed driver straight into the wall. The Swiss driver is out of the race, while the Brazilian gets awarded a 10 second penalty for causing a colission.
Maya Weug fights with Nerea Martí, but the Dutch keeps her behind for the moment. Out of sight of the camera Bustamante is making up places after her poor start. At the end of lap 3 Amna Al Qubaisi passes Block for ninth.
Weug has a bad turn 8, resulting in a drag race to braking zone between her and Martí. Chloe Chambers makes it three wide and goes from sixth to fourth in one go. At the end of lap Martí passes Weug in turn 17.
Up front Abbi Pulling is slowly but surely getting away from Doriane Pin, but since the action is happening behing them the director only briefly shows them.
Nerea Martí makes a mistake in the quick section, prompting her to go wide, and giving Weug and Nobel a free pass. She re-passes Nobel in turn 17, but outbrakes herself and has to defend from the Puma-sponsored driver again in the first few turns of the next lap.
Halfway through the race Block spins going into turn 4, dropping her all the way to the back. The girl that came from the back, Bustamante, is challenging Amna Al Qubaisi for ninth. The Emirati stays in front into turn 11, all while the Filipino picks up a five second penalty for cutting the chicane earlier in the race. Bustamante does pass the RB-sponsored driver into turn 17, but goes a bit deep and has to finish the move into turn 1. At the back De Heus and Schreiner battle for twelfth, with Courtney Crone biding her time in 14th.
After her daring pass Chambers has closed up gap to Hamda Al Qubaisi, challenging the Red Bull-supported junior into the first turn. Maya Weug isn’t too far away either. The Ferrari-academy driver tries to replicate Chambers’ move, but outbrakes herself and helps the American to the podium. Bustamante in the meantime is passing Jessica Edgar for seventh, having a great comeback drive after her abysmal start.
Hamda Al Qubaisi is under pressure from Martí and has to defend into turn 17. She overshoots the corner, giving the spot to the Spaniard.
After 13 laps it is the unseen Abbi Pulling that wins by five seconds over Doriane Pin. Chambers beats Weug to the line for third, but Weug is given a five second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage after her overenthusiastic move on Al Qubaisi and Martí, dropping her to sixt. That means Martí is fourth and Hamda Al Qubaisi fifth, Edgar eventually is classified as seventh for Amna Al Qubaisi and Bustamante, with Lola Lovinfosse rounding up the top 10.
