Abbi Pulling of Rodin Motorsport celebrates her first place position in parc ferme. On May 4, 2024, at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, USA, Pulling secured victory in Race 1 of the FIA Formula Academy. As an Alpine Junior Driver, Pulling’s win further solidified her lead in the Drivers’ Standings. She finished the race five seconds ahead of Doriane Pin, a Mercedes Junior Driver, while Chloe Chambers fought her way to third place in her home race.
The start of Race 1 was delayed by 20 minutes due to track cleaning after an oil spill during the Porsche Carrera Cup race. The race itself consisted of just 13 laps, with no pit stops allowed in the intense Miami heat. Pulling had a strong start, smoothly exiting the first corner, while the McLaren Development Driver experienced a slow start to the race.
Unfortunately, Tina Hausmann retired early from the race after colliding with Aurelia Nobels in the third sector, resulting in a brief yellow flag on the first lap. Williams Academy Driver Lia Block initially made up some places in the first lap but dropped to ninth position amidst the chaos. However, she quickly climbed back up to 12th place by the third lap.
Block faced a tough battle with Emirati racer Amna Al Qubaisi, ultimately losing her position in the points as Al Qubaisi overtook her on the third lap. Meanwhile, Chloe Chambers made an impressive move, overtaking Nerea Marti and Maya Weug to secure fourth place in a three-way battle.
Marti eventually overtook the Ferrari Academy Driver to claim seventh place on the following straight. Bustamente also made progress, gaining two positions by the sixth lap and closing in on Amna Al Qubaisi of MP Motorsport.
At the halfway point of Race 1, Abbi Pulling, the Championship leader, was leading the pack with a 2.5-second advantage over the second-place driver, known as the Iron Dame. However, Block’s race took a turn when she spun going into Turn 6, losing control of her car while engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle with one of the Campos Racing cars.
The Wildcard Entrant Courtney Crone struggled throughout the race, remaining at the back of the grid until Block entered the pits. Despite Bustamente’s efforts to move up to ninth place, she received a time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage towards the end of the race.
Carrie Schreiner put up a strong defense against the Red Bull Ford-sponsored driver, forcing her to cut the corner. The battle between them continued as Emely De Heus attempted to overtake the German driver on the outside but lost speed on the straight.
Chambers surprised everyone at her home race by overtaking two drivers in Race 1. In the 11th lap, she passed Weug and Al Qubaisi to secure third place. Pulling, who was leading the race, maintained a four-second gap ahead of Chambers as she tried to catch up to Pin, who was three seconds ahead. In the final lap, Hamda Al Qubaisi faced pressure from Nerea Marti and eventually lost her position to her. Despite being closely pursued by the Ferrari Academy Driver, Chambers successfully defended her position and achieved her first podium finish at her home race. Marti finished in fourth place after a tough battle with the Ferrari Academy Driver, who received a penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, dropping her to sixth place. The Red Bull-nominated driver secured fifth place, while Jessica Edgar finished firmly in seventh place, ahead of the Emirati driver in eighth. Despite a stalled start and a time penalty, Bustamente managed to finish in ninth place, and the Charlotte Tilbury driver completed the top 10. The all-female series in Miami received overwhelming support from F1 Academy sponsors Charlotte Tilbury and Tommy Hilfiger throughout the weekend. As the drivers become more competitive with each event, the Championship standings are expected to change in Race 2 tomorrow evening.