The first weekend saw the female drivers shine in their debut race. Alisha Palmowski put in a strong performance in practice and qualifying. The two races of the weekend had surprises, crashes, and spectacular manoeuvres. Nina Gademan secured an impressive victory. Emma Felbermayr also secured an impressive victory.
Free Practice & Qualifiying Sessions: A Promising Start for Alisha Palmowski
The Shanghai International Circuit in China is the first event on the calendar. For the second consecutive year, it has served as the opening round of the competition. During the sole Free Practice session on Friday, Red Bull Racing driver Alisha Palmowski stood out with her fastest lap. It was a memorable experience for the female drivers, taking to the track in their single-seaters for the first time.
The following day, the track was still warm from the Formula 1 Free Practice session and ready for the eagerly awaited qualifying session. This would determine the starting positions for the two races scheduled under this year’s format. Interestingly, despite the results being derived from the same qualifying session, the starting grid was expected to differ. Race 1 saw a grid reversed for the top eight positions, while Race 2 saw the drivers line up in ascending order based on their fastest lap during qualifying.
Bearing this in mind, the undisputed pole sitter on Saturday was Alisha Palmowski, who set the fastest time despite the circumstances in which the session took place. This was due to the brief delay at the start of the session and the red flag caused by Haas driver Kaylee Countryman stopping on the track. Moreover, the race direction cancelled Payton Westcott’s fastest lap, placing her fourth in the standings. However, it was reinstated following a stewards’ review of the lap.
Race 1: Nina Gademan dominates from Start to Finish
In the first race of the season, Nina Gademan started from pole position. The Alpine driver managed to hold onto the lead from start to finish. Other drivers battled it out behind her for a place in the points. After just a few laps, Alba Larsen suffered a front wing failure, causing her to crash onto the track. The consequence was a yellow flag and the safety car to recover her car. The race resumed two laps later. Gademan secured a resounding victory, finishing six-tenths of a second ahead of Natalia Granada of Sephora, who came second. Following was Audi driver Emma Felbermayr, who completed the top three.
Make sure you don’t miss the highlights of Race 1.
Race 2: A dramatic Start and a Victory for Emma Felbermayr
Meanwhile, Sunday began with Race 2, which saw an incredible start from Alba Larsen. She immediately overtook Palmowski, who had started from pole position. Unfortunately, the Ferrari driver’s lead was cut short following a crash involving Esmee Kosterman (Lego) and Jade Jacquet (Williams), in which Jacquet collided with the rear of Kosterman’s car, bringing out the Safety Car. With the cars bunched up during the yellow flag period, Larsen got off to a good start at the restart but then made a mistake in a corner that saw her drop back down the field by more than halfway. Felbermayr won the race, finishing two-tenths of a second ahead of Alisha Palmowski. Third to cross the line was Mercedes driver Payton Westcott.
At the moment, Felbermayr is leading the drivers’ championship standings with 31 points, having finished on the podium twice this weekend. However, she is just seven points ahead of Palmowski in second place. By contrast, seven drivers failed to score any points this weekend, including Wild Card driver Wei Shi, who is sponsored by Juss Sports.
Don’t miss the highlights of the Race 2.
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If you’re new to this category, don’t worry, you’ll find all the information you need to prepare for the season “F1 Academy Returns – Season Opener Preview” here. Even if you already know how it works, it’s worth taking a look at the “F1 Academy Line Up: Who Are They? after reading this article to refresh your memory.
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