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The fight for pole position under the floodlights of Singapore was on for the F1 Academy drivers.
What happened in Free Practice in Singapore?
Alpine’s Abbi Pulling set the pace in Free Practice at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, clocking the only sub-2:04 lap with a 2:03.993, finishing three-tenths ahead of Nerea Martí.
Doriane Pin set the early benchmark, but Pulling quickly took over, with Maya Weug also briefly leading. Pulling and Martí solidified their positions at the top as the session progressed, while some drivers, including Jessica Edgar and Lia Block, encountered minor incidents.
Pulling ultimately finished fastest, followed by Martí, Pin, Weug, and Carrie Schreiner.
We've had our first taste of Marina Bay.
It's all to play for in Qualifying this evening ?#F1Academy #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/iKx9vxjMts
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) September 20, 2024
The first quick laps
A quick reminder:
In Qualifying, each driver’s fastest lap will determine the starting grid for Race 1, while their second-fastest lap will set the grid for Race 2.
The thirty minutes of qualifying began to tick away. Doriane Pin had a brake problem in free practice that could be solved in time for qualifying.
Abbi Pulling initially set the fastest time, a 2:04.66. Hamda al Qubaisi followed in second place with a 2:05.159.
As the drivers set their first lap times, Doriane Pin set a 2:04.375, 0.139 seconds faster than Pulling’s previous time.
The more the track was used, the more it developed and the grip built.
Chloe Chambers skidded through the last two corners but kept the Haas-sponsored car on the track.
In the meantime, Maya Weug set a time of 2:04.179 between the two Championship Contenders. While the drivers were finishing their first stint, Doriane Pin was initially in P1 with a 2:03.905, followed by Weug and Pulling in P3 with a 2:04.335.
Ella Lloyd, the wildcard entry for the race in Singapore, was 7th on the grid, 1.2 seconds behind Pin.
A mega effort from Wild Card entry Ella Lloyd as she goes 7th quickest! ?#F1Academy #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/eMoTq780fn
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) September 20, 2024
Looking at the rest of the grid, Jessica Edgar was in 16th place before the second run with a 2:06.557.
The final minutes
Carrie Schreiner, sponsored by Stake F1, was initially able to improve in her second run with a 2:04.553. This put her in 5th place for the time being.
Abbi Pulling set a new best time – the fastest time of the day so far – with a 2:03.631.
With the last few minutes on the clock, all drivers could take one last lap to secure better places on the grid.
In the fight for a double pole, Pulling also improved in sector one on her last lap, but Pin could not improve her time.
Final Results
Pulling will start both races from pole position.
- Pulling
- Weug
- Pin
- Block
- H. Al Qubaisi
- Chambers
- Marti
- Lloyd
- Bustamante
- Schreiner
- Hausmann
- Lovinfosse
- Edgar
- De Heus
- Nobels
- A. Al Qubaisi
Feature Image Credit: Photo by Joe Portlock via Getty Images