F1 Academy: Doriane Pin leads opening practice in Qatar

Doriane Pin topped the first practice session of the F1 Academy's penultimate round in Qatar, leading title rival Abbi Pulling as the championship battle intensifies ahead of the final races.

Photo credits: Prema Racing

Mercedes junior and Iron Dame Doriane Pin led the first practice session of the F1 Academy round in Qatar, the penultimate race meeting of the season, as the title battle enters its decisive stages. Pin, still in championship contention, set the pace with a lap almost three-tenths quicker than title rival Abbi Pulling, who overcame an early technical issue that kept her car stationary in the pits for much of the session.

The Qatar round is the first of a back-to-back finale, with the season concluding next week in the United Arab Emirates. This event follows a two-month gap after the Singapore round, during which most of the drivers participated in various promotional activities. A highlight was their presence at last week’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will host next year’s F1 Academy season finale.

Abbi Pulling, who dominated the Singapore races, heads into the weekend with a commanding 95-point lead over Pin. The British driver could secure the championship in the first race with a second-place finish, mathematically confirming her as the second-ever F1 Academy champion. For Pin to keep her hopes alive, she would need to outscore Pulling by nearly 40 points this weekend, making it a challenging but not impossible task.

A recent pre-event test at Lusail International Circuit offered drivers valuable preparation on a track where most had never raced before. Pin showed strong form in testing, but lap times across the field were competitive, pointing to a closely fought weekend. Tyre management is expected to play a key role, given the high temperatures and significant tyre degradation at the circuit.

Only a few drivers, including Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi, and Aurelia Nobels, have prior experience at Lusail from F4 Saudi appearances earlier this year, though they will face different conditions this time.

GB4 vice-champion Aisha Palmowski joins the grid as a Wild Card with Prema Racing. She made an impressive mark in testing, even topping one session.

The first practice session got underway under slightly cooler and windy conditions, with drivers initially cautious about heading out on track, waiting for the track evolution. Aurelia Nobels posted the first representative lap time, with Jess Edgar, Emely De Heus, and Lola Lovinfosse following suit. Meanwhile, Pulling’s car remained in the pits as engineers worked to resolve what looked like an engine issue.

Jess Edgar, who recently had the opportunity to drive in a demo run at the Las Vegas GP, became the first driver to dip below the 1:58 mark. Soon after, Nobels, Edgar, and Hamda Al Qubaisi set competitive times in the 1:57 range.

As the session progressed, teams opted to conserve tyres due to the high-degradation nature of the track, delaying runs for front-running drivers like Pin, Weug and Pulling until the final 17 minutes.

Palmowski clocked a 1:57.197 on her first timed lap, briefly placing second. However, Doriane Pin soon posted a session-best 1:56.654 with 12 minutes remaining. Pulling finally joined the action with 10 minutes to go and quickly found her rhythm, improving steadily with each lap.

Maya Weug claimed second place late in the session, followed by Edgar and Hamda Al Qubaisi, both within half a second of Pin’s benchmark. Pulling, despite limited track time, slotted into second place, finishing less than three-tenths behind Pin as the checkered flag fell.

Pin ended the session at the top of the timesheets, leading Pulling, Weug, Edgar, and Bianca Bustamante, who rounded out the top five with an encouraging start to her weekend. Hamda Al Qubaisi secured sixth, ahead of wildcard Palmowski in seventh.

Carrie Schreiner impressed in eighth, while Lia Block and compatriot Chloe Chambers completed the top ten. Nerea Martí and Aurelia Nobels followed in 11th and 12th, while Hausmann, De Heus, and Lovinfosse were just a few tenths behind. Amna Al Qubaisi wrapped up the session in 16th place.

The second 40-minute practice session is scheduled for 18:00 local time, with qualifying and the first race set to take place tomorrow.