NINA GADEMAN WINS FROM POLE IN F1 ACADEMY RACE 1
It was the perfect race for the Alpine driver Nina Gademan, who took her maiden win at home and on her 22nd birthday, after being declared unfit by the medical staff on Friday, and having to go through further medical checks to continue the weekend this morning. Leading from start to finish and managing a Safety Car restart with ease, Gademan earned redemption after the heartbreak of losing out on the penultimate lap at the season opener in Shanghai due to technical issues.
At the start, Gademan started well and immediately pulled up a gap behind. Title contender Chloe Chambers, however, suffered a blow to her race after running wide in a close fight with Doriane Pin, tumbling to P8 by the end of the opening lap.
Block quickly closed in on the Alpine driver for the lead, but the fiercer fight emerged behind. Ella Lloyd and Weug capitalised on Chambers’ mistake, climbing to fifth and sixth respectively.
Elsewhere, Aston Martin’s Tina Hausmann lost her best shot yet at a podium. Starting from the front row, she slid into the barriers after clipping a board, triggering the Safety Car.
When racing resumed, Gademan held firm at the front. Pin, however, slipped wide over track limits, letting Lloyd snatch third. The Mercedes driver then came under pressure from Weug, who swept past on Lap 7 before turning her focus to Lloyd. Their fierce duel on Lap 9 ended with the Ferrari-backed racer prevailing and setting off in pursuit of the leader, though nearly four seconds behind.
Further back, Alba Larsen and Chloe Chong tangled, with Chong forced to pit for a new front wing. She rejoined at the rear and was later penalised 10 seconds for the collision.
In the closing laps, Chambers hunted Lloyd for fourth, even making light contact before wisely backing off. At the front, Gademan finished 1.8s clear of Block, who resisted intense late pressure from Weug to hold on to second.
Lloyd took fourth ahead of Chambers and Pin, while Red Bull’s Alisha Palmowski maintained her starting position. Kick Sauber’s Emma Felbermayr claimed the final point in P10.
Weug will be looking to carry her momentum into Race 2, where she starts from pole. The race is set to begin at 10:40 CET Time on Sunday.
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