F1 Academy: Abbi Pulling sweeps Singapore weekend

Abbi Pulling dominated the Singapore weekend with back-to-back lights-to-flag victories, extending her championship lead and finishing ahead of Maya Weug - who secured her third consecutive runner-up finish - and Doriane Pin, who missed the fastest lap by 0.07 of a second at the very end.

Photo credits: James Gasperotti Photo

After securing a dominant victory in Race 1, Abbi Pulling completed a weekend sweep at the Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit, taking another lights-to-flag victory in Race 2, setting the fastest lap, and thus earning maximum points to further extend her championship lead over Doriane Pin, who lost second place at the start to her Prema Racing teammate Maya Weug.

Pin had qualified on the front row but was unable to challenge Pulling for the lead and, unlike in Saturday’s race, couldn’t secure the fastest lap despite a late attempt.

Pulling had already secured double pole positions on Friday night, sharing the front row with Pin based on the second-fastest laps classification for Race 2. On Sunday morning, in another hot and humid race that tested the drivers' endurance, Pulling got a better start and retained the lead, with Weug snatching second from Pin into Turn 1. The two Prema drivers fought hard down to Turn 3 and 4, but Weug kept second place.

Meanwhile, Lia Block held off Nerea Marti, Hamda Al Qubaisi, and Ella Lloyd, who gained a position at the start. Chloe Chambers had a difficult start but quickly made up ground, overtaking Aurelia Nobels and Emely De Heus to regain the top ten. Nobels scraped the wall but continued without damage.

Block set the fastest first sector, closing in on the leading trio, while Chambers continued to recover, making a great pass on Bianca Bustamante on lap 2. Starting from the back due to a technical issue in qualifying, Amna Al Qubaisi also made progress, overtaking Tina Hausmann and Jessica Edgar.

Pulling built a one-second lead over Weug, but her run was interrupted by a safety car on lap 3 after Bustamante spun. The Filipina rejoined the race at the back as it was neutralized.

With no cars stranded, the race resumed the following lap, and Pulling accelerated away with Weug close behind. Nerea Marti took advantage of the restart, attacking Block, while Hamda Al Qubaisi battled Lloyd. Amna Al Qubaisi passed Lola Lovinfosse for P12 and set her sights on Nobels, just a second ahead.

A collision between Bustamante and Hausmann at Turn 1 saw Bustamante’s car go airborne, while the Aston Martin liveried car sustained damage, though both continued.

Pulling then went under the 2:06 mark, extending her lead over Weug and Pin, who also set personal best laps but couldn’t close the gap. Behind them, battles continued throughout the field: Chambers pressured Carrie Schreiner, who defended well, allowing De Heus and Nobels to join the group. After several attempts, Chambers made a daring move on lap 10, passing Schreiner for eighth; this opened a gap also for Amna Al Qubaisi, who overtook Nobels for 11th.

In the closing stages, Hamda Al Qubaisi attacked Marti, who struggled to pass Block on the difficult-to-overtake circuit. However, the Emirati had to settle for sixth.

Pulling maintained her dominant pace and took her second victory of the weekend. Weug finished second, securing her third consecutive runner-up result. On the final lap, Pin attempted to set the fastest lap for the extra point but fell just 0.07 seconds short, with Pulling claiming it.

Lia Block had a remarkable weekend with two fourth-place finishes, her best performance to date in her impressive rookie single-seater campaign. The Williams Academy driver finished ahead of Marti and Hamda Al Qubaisi, the latter being one of just three drivers on the grid to have finished every race in the points.

Ella Lloyd completed her wild card weekend with a strong seventh-place finish, scoring points again in her debut. Chambers, battling for third in the standings, had strong race pace but was held up on the tight circuit, finishing eighth.

Schreiner finished ninth, scoring points in her fourth consecutive race, and moved up to ninth in the championship standings. De Heus took the final point in tenth - her third top-ten finish of the year.

Amna Al Qubaisi was the biggest mover of the race and gained five places to finish just outside the points in 11th, followed by Nobels and Lovinfosse. Bustamante overtook Edgar for 14th, but after a challenging weekend, she will look to bounce back at Lusail. Despite damage, Hausmann completed the race.

With two rounds and four races remaining, Pulling now leads the championship by 95 points, with 112 points still available.

The sixth round is scheduled for November 30th and December 1st at Lusail International Circuit, Qatar, where most drivers have limited experience.

Photo credits: James Gasperotti Photo