Amna Al Qubaisi completes Porsche Carrera Cup Asia with charging drives in Singapore
Amna Al Qubaisi completed her rookie Porsche Carrera Cup Asia campaign with two recovery drives at the Singapore Grand Prix support round, repeatedly making up positions in both the races.
Amna Al Qubaisi completed her rookie Porsche Carrera Cup Asia campaign with two recovery drives at the Singapore Grand Prix support round, repeatedly making up positions in both the races.
The Team Jebsen driver crossed the line 12th overall in Saturday's opening contest after gaining eight places, while she recovered from 22nd on the grid to finish 14th in Sunday's season finale. However, two ten-second penalties for jump starts left her classified 16th and 22nd overall respectively, with the Emirati driver taking ninth and eighth in the Pro class. Despite the frustrating outcomes, her pace and racecraft offered further evidence of the progress she made throughout her first season in GT racing.
Al Qubaisi arrived in Singapore following a promising run of results, having secured overall top-ten finishes at Zhuhai, Fuji and Bangsaen, where she charged to sixth among the Pro drivers in the second race. The former F1 Academy racer, who became the first Arab woman to win a single-seater race, joined Team Jebsen in 2026 after switching to sportscar competition in the Ligier European Series the previous year. Her selection for the Porsche Talent Pool Asia made her the first Arab driver and first Arab woman to enter the programme, marking another milestone in her career.
The Singapore weekend, supporting Formula 1, also brought Al Qubaisi back to a circuit she raced on during her 2024 F1 Academy campaign. She made an encouraging start in practice, recording a 2:05.383 to finish 12th in FP1 after spending much of the session inside the overall top ten.
Qualifying, however, proved more frustrating. Al Qubaisi's best lap of 2:05.509 placed her 20th overall and 12th in the Pro class for Race 1, while her second-best time of 2:06.357 left her 22nd on the grid for the second contest. Her session had been compromised by traffic and bad timing: after her fastest lap was cancelled, she encountered traffic on subsequent attempts before a red flag interrupted the session just as she was preparing to improve, leaving her without a clean opportunity to show her potential.
Starting Saturday's race from 20th overall and 12th in the Pro class, Al Qubaisi immediately found herself in the middle of a busy opening lap. A congested turn 1 forced her onto the run-off area, but she rejoined without losing too much ground and quickly began fighting back through the field.
The Emirati driver gained three places almost immediately, moving up to 17th before reaching 16th by the end of the opening lap. She then settled into the slipstream of the cars ahead, looking to build on her early progress while opening a gap to the competitors behind.
Al Qubaisi remained close to Tang and completed the pass on lap five, moving further up the order as Azlan was hit and spun ahead. The incident promoted her to 13th before the safety car was deployed to recover Azlan's stranded car.
The race resumed on lap seven, with Al Qubaisi setting her sights on Kwong. She made her move on the following lap to take another position, climbing to 12th overall and leaving herself around three seconds behind Flack. With two laps remaining, she continued to pull away from the #79 car behind and held her position to the chequered flag.
It was an impressive recovery from 20th on the grid, with Al Qubaisi gaining eight places on track in one of the strongest advances through the field. However, the result was subsequently compromised by a ten-second penalty for a jump start, issued alongside penalties for four other drivers. The sanction dropped her to 16th overall and ninth in the Pro class, denying her the reward her performance on track had suggested.
Al Qubaisi returned to the track on Sunday for the final race of the season, starting 22nd overall and facing another challenge from the back of the grid. After a campaign marked by several strong recoveries, she was determined to finish the year with another competitive performance.
She made an excellent start, immediately gaining several positions before a collision involving Liu, Sawer and Berry caused further chaos in the opening corners. Al Qubaisi reacted quickly to avoid the incident and emerged unscathed, reaching 17th by the end of the first lap after gaining five places. She continued her progress on lap two, passing Cao to claim another position as she closed on the #25 car of Tang ahead.
Further drama unfolded when Dias Almeida was spun around by Azlan and collected by Ling at Turn 3, leaving a significant amount of fluid on the circuit. Al Qubaisi moved up to 14th and was less than a second behind Tang when the safety car was deployed to allow the recovery of the stricken car and clear the debris.
The race resumed on lap six, and Al Qubaisi immediately took advantage of the restart to pass Tang for 13th. Her progress was interrupted once again, however, when Simon Chan hit the wall heavily further down the order, prompting another safety car period.
With the clock running down, the field was given one final lap to race. Al Qubaisi found herself in 15th position and under pressure from Kwong, but successfully defended her place. She then gained another position when Azlan dropped down the order after receiving a penalty, allowing the Emirati driver to cross the finish line 14th overall.
It was another determined drive on a circuit where overtaking opportunities are limited, particularly after extended safety car periods had reduced the available racing time. Yet, as in Saturday's race, a ten-second penalty for a false start changed the final classification, dropping Al Qubaisi to 22nd overall and eighth in the Pro class.
Although the final classifications did not fully reflect her performances on track in Singapore, Al Qubaisi ended her first Porsche Carrera Cup Asia campaign with clear signs of progress. She finished 12th in the championship standings among 29 entries, scoring 60 points while gaining valuable experience in one of Asia's competitive one-make series, where she faced established drivers from across the world.
From her early adaptation to the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to repeated top-ten finishes and strong recovery drives, the Team Jebsen racer demonstrated that she could compete in close battles and make up ground under pressure. Singapore brought a frustrating end to the season on paper, but her performances throughout the year highlighted her potential as she continues to develop her career in sportscar racing.
