Gademan becomes F1 Academy race-winner on birthday at Zandvoort

Photo: F1 Academy

Nina Gademan celebrated her 22nd birthday by claiming her maiden F1 Academy victory on home soil in the reversed-grid race at Zandvoort.

There was pre-race drama as Hitech GP’s wildcard driver Esmee Kosterman was instructed to head to the pits on the formation lap and team-mate Aiva Anagnostiadis had a spin.

Gademan started from pole and had a big gap by the opening corner as ART Grand Prix’s Lia Block went around the outside of Prema’s Tina Hausmann for second. Her team-mate Doriane Pin was fourth and made contact with Campos Racing’s Chloe Chambers before turn two, with the latter going off and dropping to eighth.

MP Motorsport’s Maya Weug, who has pole for race two, started eighth and made up two spots on the opening lap. She tried diving past Rodin Motorsport’s Ella Lloyd at turn nine and was side-by-side with her through turn 10 before tucking back in behind, then moved up to fifth when Hausmann crashed out at turn eight on lap two.

That brought out the safety car, and when racing resumed on lap five Weug attacked Lloyd on the outside at turn one. She was then freed of pressure as Pin ran wide at turn three and conceded third, and by lap six Campos’s Alisha Palmowski was attacking Weug.

But the local talent was soon the fastest driver on track again and cleared Pin in the esses on lap seven while Chambers overtook Palmowski. By lap eight she was attempting to pass Lloyd again, this time into turn three, and on lap nine they ran side-by-side until Weug got ahead at turn two.

Pin and Chambers were on their tail, and the latter made her move at turn eight to recover to her starting position of fifth.

Gademan had managed a small gap over Block, and continued without pressure up front through the race’s second half while Weug went on a charge to reduce a 2.5-second gap to second place.

She got onto Block’s tail on the penultimate lap and was very close on the inside into turn one. She filled her mirrors there again on the final tour, and looked to the inside at turn 10. Block planted her car in the middle of the road into turn 11, so Weug sat behind.

Through the last two corners they got closer again and finished 0.127s apart, with Block keeping second for her first podium of 2025, while Gademan had a 2.116s gap ahead.

Lloyd finished fourth, holding off Chambers’ turn 11 attack on lap 12 and surviving turn nine contact a lap later, and Pin did not have to worry about Palmowski behind after she lost time with an off exiting turn three.

ART GP’s Aurelia Nobels made several diving moves as she rose from 17th to ninth, while Rodin’s Chloe Chong punctured early and finished 15th and Alba Hurup Larsen had a pitstop and got a 10s penalty following a clash.

Race results (17 laps)