The Unstoppable Force: Abbi Pulling's Spectacular Fourth Consecutive F1 Academy Victory in Barcelona
Abbi Pulling transformed pole position into another triumph, securing her fourth victory of the 2024 F1 Academy season with an outstanding performance in Barcelona.
Unmatched from Start to Finish
The Alpine driver delivered a flawless performance, commanding the race right from the get-go. Home favorite Nerea Marti attempted to challenge Pulling's dominance with a powerful start from third place, managing to get side-by-side with her on the run down to Turn 1. However, Marti, racing for Tommy Hilfiger, couldn't maintain the pace, ultimately finishing over four seconds behind the leader. Chloe Chambers ensured a double podium finish for Campos Racing, even though she lost ground to Marti at the start.
Drama on the Opening Lap
PREMA Racing's Doriane Pin faced early turbulence as a poor start dropped the Mercedes driver from a promising P4 to a disappointing P12. Simultaneously, Ferrari's Maya Weug and Amna Al Qubaisi collided, sending both drivers into the gravel trap and necessitating a Safety Car deployment.
Fierce Midfield Battles
Bianca Bustamante made a valiant effort to close in on the podium positions, but she had to settle for fourth, just ahead of Hamda Al Qubaisi. Emely De Heus was impressive, gaining three places from P11 and securing her first points of the season with a P6 finish.
In a spirited fightback, Doriane Pin managed to recover to seventh. A five-second time penalty for a false start demoted Jessica Edgar from sixth to eighth, enabling Pin to close the gap in just three laps. Tina Hausmann and Lia Block engaged in a tough battle, yet Hausmann held firm to secure ninth place, keeping the Williams driver at bay.
Eyes on the Next Race
With this victory, Pulling extends her lead in the Drivers' Standings to 56 points. She has the opportunity to further solidify her dominance when she starts from pole in Race 2. Mark your calendars for 08:50 local time on Sunday for the lights out.
For more on the F1 Academy's thrilling races and storylines, visit the official website here.