F1 Academy: Nerea Martí promoted to race 1 pole position, García keeps Q2 pole

The post session inspections of the track limits resulted in dramatically changed starting grids for the F1 Academy Valencia round, as Nerea Martí now stars on race 1 pole position.

Photo credits: Racers - Behind the Helmet

Track limits have been the topic of the weekend at Circuito Ricardo Tormo, as an avalanche of times were deleted across the two practice sessions. Drivers were left frustrated by several cancellations and the race direction, in order to allow for a fairer system of monitoring, communicated to the teams and drivers that all video onboards of all cars would be reviewed at the end of the qualifying sessions, as results remained provisional.

At the chequered flags, Marta García had secured two pole positions, claiming the top spot in both Q1 and Q2, ahead of Bianca Bustamante in race 1 and Hamda Al Qubaisi in race 3.

After the review, though, the new classifications have dramatically changed: another Valencian will start from pole in race 1 – Campos Racing’s Nerea Martí, who had also topped the timing sheets in FP1.

Alongside Martí will be Hamda Al Qubaisi, with a spectacular third for Chloe Grant. Amna Al Qubaisi - initially eleventh and very disappointed by a tyre pressure issue that had hindered her qualifying - returns in the battle for the podium with a fourth place, ahead of Jessica Edgar, Léna Bühler and Chloe Chong, seventh.

Bianca Bustamante drops from second to eighth, while Maite Caceres keeps her highly positive ninth place in Q1.

Megan Gilkes will start from P10, as De Heus is demoted to P11, therefore losing the second race reverse grid pole position – now in the hands of Filipina Bianca Bustamante.

Lola Lovinfosse had not set times due to a technical issue - and now moves ahead of Carrie Schreiner, Abbi Pulling and Marta García, with all times being disallowed for these three drivers.

García keeps the second pole position for race 3, having retained the 1:34.683 recorded in Q2. Second by 88 thousands of a second, Hamda Al Qubaisi loses all laps and will have to recover from the back in race 3. It would be Abbi Pulling to line up on the front row, with Martí a consistent third.

Jessica Edgar emerges as one of the driver most sticking to the limits of the track, as the Rodin Carlin driver moves up to fourth. Initially third, Léna Bühler will line up in fifth place, with ART Grand Prix teammate Chloe Grant alongside.

Amna Al Qubaisi and Maite Caceres complete the fourth row - in another superb run for the Uruguayan. Lola Lovinfosse and Chloe Chong complete the top ten. Megan Gilkes, Hamda Al Qubaisi, Emely de Heus, Carrie Schreiner and Bianca Bustamante end the second session with no legal times set.

In the shorter 20 minute race, Bustamante will share the front row with Chloe Chong, in a Prema lockout. Léna Bühler and Jessica Edgar will follow.

Results will be made official on Saturday morning.

The first of the three races is scheduled to get underway on Saturday at 12:10 local time.