Under sunny skies anticipation was high for Race 1. Chloe Chambers led the grid, but after a difficult practice and qualifying, she faced stiff competition from Alisha Palmowski, Doriane Pin, Ella Lloyd, and a possibly recovered Maya Weug. The stage was set for an unpredictable race.
As we awaited the start of Race 1, the weather in Montreal was sunny and clear. Chambers will have to prove herself in this race to see if she can hold the lead and make it a birthday podium.
Analyzing free practice and qualifying, they were extremely challenging for our driver standing leader, so even though everyone’s sights were on Chloe Chambers, Alisha Palmowski, Doriane Pin, and Ella Lloyd for the first turn, Maya Weug was still a potential podium contender if her car was finally fixed.
Race Start
Nobels was hit by Pin and emerged from it with damage to her front wing. Chambers maintains the lead into turn 1, with Lloyd trailing Nobels by a narrow margin before she touches tires with Felbermayr, who wants to join the fight for P4.
Chambers and Palmowski were engaged in a fierce battle when they made contact, raising a yellow flag as Palmowski spun around before rejoining. Numerous places were lost as she dropped from P2 to P15 in that incident, which appeared to be the result of Palmowski’s locking up. Both Campos drivers were noted for causing a collision.
Lap 3
It’s clear that Maya Weug’s issues with the car persisted while she was in pit lane, and the championship standings will change this weekend. Pin gained the lead, but Chambers tried to catch up, but it was unsuccessful, and Pin maintained her lead while continuing to defend.
Lap 4
Despite Chambers’ broken front wing being under her car, she wasn’t stopping her attacks. Chambers was given a black and orange flag to repair the broken front wing, and Lloyd passed and moved into P2.
Mathilda Paatz, a wild card entry, has improved significantly and is now P10 ahead of Palmowski. Weug was back in the pits, sitting in P18, while the crew tried to figure out what was wrong with the vehicle. It’s clear that Race 1 isn’t going well for her.
Lap 7
Gademan and Ferreira in P3 were battling and are being investigated for getting an advantage by leaving the circuit; Ferreira was cleared of this soon after. While Weug was back in the pits, Palmowski increased the pressure on Chloe Chong.
Lap 10
Hausmann is retaken for P7 even though she passed Larsen at an earlier turn. For P14, Ciconte topped Havrda. Paatz is remaining close enough to engage in a three-way fight with Chong and Palmowski, who are engaged in a fierce battle.
Paatz gets near enough to make a move after Palmowski’s inside move gets by Chong, but Chong overshoots it and passes through the runoff before coming back in. The safety car is brought out, and the wild card entry is out of the race after Paatz makes contact after emerging from an inside curb, adding another driver to meet the Wall of Champions.
Laps 11-14
Safety car: As the marshals started to clear the circuit, all drivers were to follow into the pit lane. Lap 14: Safety car in this lap, and a reminder that Weug has been in the pits the entire time while the team continues to try to identify the problem. It went back to green, and Lloyd was caught off guard by Pin’s race restart as Felbermayr and Gademan closed in on Lloyd.
After locking up and driving down the escape road, Ferreira returns and squeezes Chong. Ferreira’s extremely risky rejoin that ended Chong’s race has severely damaged Chong’s car. Due to the previous incident, Ciconte has made contact with Crone, and the safety car is back out!
Ciconte received a black and orange flag, and Ferreira, Chong, Crone, and Ciconte are being investigated for causing a collision; the outcome will be determined after the race. As Race 1 comes to a close under the safety car, Ferreira has exited the vehicle and left it close to the marshals.
Checkered Flag
Pin, Lloyd, and Felbermayr finish 1-2-3 in Race 1 in Montreal. After Weug’s unsuccessful race, Doriane Pin emerged as the new champion, leading by 24 points; however, Weug is now in second place, with Chambers after her. Gademan in P4, Block P5, Hausmann P7, Palmowski P8, Chambers P9, Anagnostiadis P10, Nobels P11, Havrda P12, Crone P13, Ferreira P14, and Ciconte P15 make up the remainder of the grid, and our three DNFs are Chong, Paatz, and Weug.
This race, which wraps up Miami and shows how the drivers will handle the remainder of Montreal this weekend, is incredibly exciting and action-packed. Although it was a success for some, it is obvious that there are a lot of problems and damage to be fixed, so not everyone can leave this race with high hopes. Race 2 later this afternoon will be a powerful demonstration of the driver’s ability to avoid the barriers and other cars in addition to being lightning-fast.