Pin resists Pulling challenge to win F1 Academy opener

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Doriane Pin had to hold off a challenge from Abbi Pulling to win her first F1 Academy race at the Jeddah season opener.

After dominating Thursday night’s qualifying session, Pin kept the lead from pole position at the start ahead of Pulling and Maya Weug, and had a lead of one second at the end of the first lap.

Mercedes Formula 1 junior Pin added another half a second to her advantage on the second lap, before the safety car was triggered by contact involving wildcard entrant Reema Juffali and Amna Al Qubaisi at the rear of the field.

While Pin made a good restart, Pulling had to defend into the first corner from Weug, but the first two would pull away over the rest of the race.

Pulling set the fastest lap on lap 9 of 12 as she brought the gap to Pin down below one second.

Pin was told over the radio to try and take the fastest lap back for an extra point, but her focus was on maintaining the gap to Pulling which ended up at 0.848s.

While Weug completed the podium, there was final-lap drama in the battle for fourth after Lola Lovinfosse hit Nerea Marti under braking for turn 1, sending her into a spin and retirement.

Chloe Chambers made it three series debutants in the top four after a strong race from eighth on the grid, having cleared a struggling Bianca Bustamante in the early laps.

Lia Block was on the tail of Bustamante before a kerb impact caused her to spin and stop on the penultimate lap.

Jessica Edgar had earlier passed the battling Block and Tina Hausmann in the final corner before slowing with a rear-right puncture just a few hundred metres later.

Race result (12 laps)