Round three of the F1 Academy headed under the bright skies of Miami. Following yesterday’s premiere of F1: The Academy, set to release on Netflix at the end of May, the drivers got back behind the wheel for the first practice session of the weekend.
With four different winners so far, the stakes are higher than ever, as only 12 points separate the top three in the Drivers’ standings.
Apart from Campos Racing, the rest of the drivers headed out on track early. For half of the grid, it was their first time driving this circuit in an F1 Academy car, so the opening laps were all about getting comfortable, learning the corners, and gaining valuable track time. That, however, didn’t apply to Doriane Pin. The French driver, in a special Mercedes livery, topped the timesheets with a lap of 1:59.153.
Second place was taken by Alisha Palmowski, 0.339 seconds behind, with championship leader Maya Weug close behind in third, just 0.083 seconds off Palmowski.
The grid was incredibly close as usual, and the session remained relatively calm, with only a few lock-ups and a spin from Rafaela Ferreira in the second sector, which brought out a brief yellow flag. The Brazilian driver kept her cool and returned to action immediately, without any complications.
Home favourite Chloe Chambers remained near the top of the standings as well. After setting an early benchmark, she finished the session in P5. The American driver is maintaining her momentum and keeping her fans hopeful for strong results this weekend.
Chambers wasn’t the only American driver on the grid, as Lia Bloc and Courtney Crone kept her company as usual. The Miami International Autodrome also welcomed Ava Dobson as a Wild Card. The newcomer finished the session in P17, as she adjusted to all the new experiences of the F1 Academy weekend.
As the conditions are expected to heat up even more, the grid is preparing for another free practice session later today to gather important data for the weekend’s action.