REPORT OF THE FIRST DAY OF F1 ACADEMY
At the Dutch Grand Prix 2025, the F1 Academy drivers began their weekend with two competitive practice sessions around the twisting, high-banked curves of Zandvoort, a track that demands confidence and precision.
In Free Practice 1, it was Alisha Palmowski who surprised many in the paddock by setting the fastest lap of the session with a 1:38.196. Her time was unbeated due to the red flag that came with eight minutes to the end, and saw the session finish as it was.
This early marker not only gave Palmowski a confidence boost heading into qualifying but also signaled that she could be a disruptive force in the weekend’s competitive order.
Maya Weug and Chloe Chambers closed the top 3 by a small gap ahead of the championship leader Doriane Pin, who aims to extend the gap in the lead.
The story evolved in Free Practice 2, where the conditions were more representative of what drivers are likely to face in qualifying and the races, due to the rain coming down. Chloe Chambers was going quickest with a 1:36.873, showing strong pace and underlining her reputation as one of the most in-form drivers of the last few races.
Just behind her, Maya Weug thrilled the home crowd by putting her MP Motorsport car second on the timesheets, only 0.150 seconds away from Chambers’ fastest time. For Weug, who carries the support of both Dutch and Belgian fans as well as her Ferrari Driver Academy backing, the result at the end of the weekend will be an important statement of intent on home soil.
Doriane Pin, the current championship leader, completed the top three, less than half a second away from Chambers, reinforcing her consistency and proving that she remains very much in control of her title campaign despite not topping the session.
Nicole Havrda has been handed a 10-place grid penalty for both races after overtaking under red flag conditions, a serious infringement that will heavily compromise her qualifying results no matter her performance. At a track demanding as Zandvoort, recovering positions will be extremely difficult as there is only one point of overtaking, meaning Havrda faces two uphill battles if she wants to leave with valuable points.
Even more unfortunate is the absence of Nina Gademan, who has been ruled out of competing this weekend due to having to deal with back pain sustained during testing in Jeddah. Therefore, the Dutch fans will see only one driver representing them at their home track, Maya Weug.
Taken all together, the two practice sessions and the surrounding news set the stage for the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. Palmowski’s FP1 pace showed she can challenge the established frontrunners, Chambers’ FP2 performance confirmed her momentum and strength, and Weug’s home advantage could motivate her toward a standout result. Pin continues to hold the upper hand in the title fight, while Havrda’s penalty and Gademan´s absence add further complexity to the weekend.
With the field so tightly matched, qualifying promises to be fiercely contested, and the races are shaping up to deliver another unpredictable and thrilling chapter in the 2025 F1 Academy season.
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