Ciconte was under investigation before the race even began, having committed a starting procedure infringement during the formation lap. She later received a 10-second time penalty for the violation. Meanwhile, Shi struggled to get her car started but eventually managed to join the formation lap. Lloyd was required to start from the pit lane, waiting for the entire field to pass before she could join the race.
Gademan and Felbermayr lined up on the front row for Race 1, thanks to the reversed grid from qualifying. However, Gademan got a much stronger launch. Chambers and Palmowski quickly made their way through the pack, with Palmowski overtaking Felbermayr, who had admitted before the race that she lacked racing experience, having only recently stepped up from karting.
Weug, starting on used tyres, had a lightning-fast getaway, climbing from P8 to P5 before the race was neutralized by a Safety Car. The incident was caused by home racer Shi spinning off track and getting her car stuck on the curb.
Chambers took advantage of the restart to overtake Felbermayr, who then dropped further down the order, losing positions to Weug and Pin in quick succession. They made their moves just in time, as another Safety Car was deployed – this time due to Nobels suffering rear suspension damage after being hit from behind by Block. Race control reviewed the contact and handed Block a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision.
The race restarted on lap 7 of 13. Hausmann struggled off the line, allowing Larsen to overtake her. Havrda – American Express racer with Czech roots – had an even worse restart, getting hit from behind by Chong. Unable to get her car going again, she brought out the third Safety Car in quick succession. During the caution period, Ciconte served her penalty in the pits, while Chong received a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision with Havrda.
For the restart with three laps to go, Weug received a radio message from her engineer, urging her to be smart and aim for a podium finish. As the Ferrari Driver Academy protégé attempted to move forward, Ciconte’s troubles continued. Race control determined that she had served her penalty incorrectly, issuing her another penalty – a 10-second stop-and-go.
In a surprising twist on the penultimate lap, Crone was investigated for an incorrect Safety Car line position and received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty. At the same time, Gademan suffered a technical issue, rapidly dropping to the back of the field.
With Gademan out of contention, Palmowski and Chambers suddenly found themselves battling for the win. They fought wheel-to-wheel all the way to the finish line, while Weug closely followed in P3.
Pin locked up in the final turn, allowing Larsen to snatch P4. Behind them, Hausmann and Felbermayr made contact at the same corner, both dropping down to P11 and P12 before they managed to get their cars going again.
Palmowski, Chambers, and Weug celebrated on the podium, while further penalties remained under review. The final classification is still uncertain at the time of writing, pending official decisions from race control.