F1 Academy Spanish Grand Prix: Abbi Pulling delivers a qualifying sweep
Heading into the third race weekend of the 2024 F1 Academy schedule, the biggest question was whether anyone could catch Abbi Pulling.
During Fridayâs qualifying session, the answer was no.
The Alpine driver swept qualifying on Friday and will start both races up front at this weekendâs Spanish Grand Prix. However, Pulling certainly had to work for those pole positions, as several drivers put themselves on provisional pole position throughout the session.
Track evolution was a massive part of the story. As time wound down in the qualifying session the sun was doing the same in the sky, and the lap times began to tick down lap-by-lap. With two minutes to go Pulling was atop the timing sheets and on provisional pole, but several drivers were still on the track looking for those critical tenths â or more â to catch Pulling at the top of the timing sheets.
Ultimately, however, they could not.
Haas driver Chloe Chambers came closest, just 0.059 seconds behind Pullingâs fastest time. Nerea MartĂ, the hometown heroine, qualified third.
Doriane Pin, recovering from the rib injury that kept her out of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will start fourth. Bianca Bustamante, who enters this F1 Academy weekend sitting fifth in the standings, will start in that position in the first race.
âThat was a nailbiting one, wasnât it?â radioed in Pulling to her team following the session.
As for the second race, Pulling will be again starting up front. Under F1 Academy rules, the fastest time in a qualifying session sets the grid for the first race, but the starting order for the second race is set by each driverâs second-fastest time. Chambers will start third, with Pin in P3 for the second race this weekend, which takes place on Sunday.
Here are the full qualifying results:
F1 Academy Race 1 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Results
Position
Driver
Team
Time
Position
Driver
Team
Time
1
Abbi Pulling
Alpine
1:41.396
2
Chloe Chambers
Haas
+0.059
3
Nerea MartĂ
Hilfiger
+0.133
4
Doriane Pin
Mercedes
+0.384
5
Bianca Bustamante
McLaren
+0.525
6
Tina Hausmann
Aston Martin
+0.597
7
Hamda Al Qubaisi
Red Bull
+0.727
8
Lia Block
Williams
+0.837
9
Jessica Edgar
American Express
+0.838
10
Lola Lovinfosse
Charlotte Tilbury
+0.980
11
Emely de Heus
Red Bull Ford
+1.023
12
Maya Weug
Ferrari HP
+1.049
13
Amna Al Qubaisi
VCARB
+1.099
14
Carrie Schreiner
Sauber
+1.106
15
Aurelia Nobels
Puma
+1.359
F1 Academy Race 2 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Results
Position
Driver
Team
Time
Position
Driver
Team
Time
1
Abbi Pulling
Alpine
1:41.544
2
Chloe Chambers
Haas
+0.076
3
Doriane Pin
Mercedes
+0.255
4
Nerea MartĂ
Hilfiger
+0.378
5
Hamda Al Qubaisi
Red Bull
+0.704
6
Lia Block
Williams
+0.720
7
Tina Hausmann
Aston Martin
+0.725
8
Bianca Bustamante
McLaren
+0.771
9
Jessica Edgar
American Express
+0.776
10
Lola Lovingosse
Charlotte Tilbury
+0.834
11
Emely de Heus
Red Bull Ford
+0.982
12
Carrie Schreiner
Sauber
+1.012
13
Maya Weug
Ferrari
+1.017
14
Aurelia Nobels
Puma
+1.346
15
Amna Al Qubaisi
VCARB
+1.468
