It is quite an early morning in Barcelona, and the Spanish Grand Prix kicks off with the first session of the race weekend — practice of the all-female racing series F1 Academy. Considering that the schedule is very full due to the presence of not only Formula 1 and F1 Academy, but also Formula 2 and Formula 3, this is the only practice session these drivers will get before heading to the Qualifying in the evening.
These first forty minutes on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya were once again dominated by Abbi Pulling, tied with Bianca Bustamante, who later managed to set the exact same time. Two tenths of a second behind is Hamda Al Qubaisi whose sister Amna Al Qubaisi won a race here last year. Home hero Nerea Martí follows in P4 and one of the favorites to win, Doriane Pin, ends the practice session all the way down in P10.
One of the first drivers to go out is Lola Lovinfosse sponsored by Charlotte Tilbury, but she dives back into the pits and does not set any time, managing and changing something on her car. With the morning sun shining on the track, the first driver to actually set a leading time is Doriane Pin with 1:44.503.
Soon after, Aston Martin’s Tina Hausmann sets 1:43.759, but McLaren Development Driver Bianca Bustamante sweeps the first place from her with 1:43.359, then improving to 1:42.833.
Chloe Chambers backed by Haas bounces over the exit curb of Turn 7 and home hero Nerea Martí driving a Tommy Hilfiger livery runs a little bit wide as well. However, both are improving their times and are consistently in the top six.
1:42.687 is a new time to beat, set by Hamda Al Qubaisi from Red Bull Racing, and Abbi Pulling soon takes the challenge with 1:42.474.
The girls are learning the track and improving all their times, with sixteen minutes in the session left, only one second divides the top ten — and it is about to come even closer together.
Lovinfosse can’t seem to find the right pace, staying last for most of the time, not finding the seconds to move further up the table, the Red Bull Ford-connected Emely de Heus that won Race 1 in Barcelona last year staying in the back as well.
It is clear that the issue later this week, especially during the two races, will be the tyre management, especially the rear tyres. Most of the drivers come into the pits with less than twelve minutes to go, checking the cars and tyres.
Even with a pretty clear track, Spanish driver Martí sets slow times in every sector, not improving from her position in P3. Chambers finds herself in a similar situation, only in P11, and runs wide again in Turn 5, driving over the outside curb.
Pulling stays first, her time of 1:42.474 still a one to beat. Her possible challenger Doriane Pin is struggling with tyre degradation, missing seven tenths on the Drivers’ Championship current leader in only the first sector and finishing her lap in P10.
Closest to Pulling seems to be Bustamante in P2, that sets the exact same time, tied with 1:42.474.
On the other hand, Lovinfosse is almost two seconds down on them, still not able to move from P15 with her push lap. Hausmann, currently P12, is struggling with the rear end and the rear tyre in Turn 9. The Aston Martin driver is visibly unhappy with the balance, battling with her own car.
As the checkered flag is waved, we don’t see anyone try too hard to change the placement on the last lap of the session, Pulling staying in P1 as she was for almost the whole practice. It seems her and Bustamante are going to be fighting over the pole position later today in Qualifying, though the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is known for its surprises.
