The last time the F1 Academy was active, Abi Pring swept the weekend at the Miami Grand Prix, winning both races.
And the Alpine driver picked up where he left off.
Having won the first of two F1 Academy races at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Pring is on track to dominate again. Pring started the race from pole position and held off a phenomenal start from Nerea Martí to take the lead on the first lap. Martí took advantage of a slow start from Dorian Ping, jumping up the inside and getting into Pring’s slipstream into Turn 1.
Marti then went out on the outside and tried to gain the advantage on Pulling by going around the outside racing line, but the Alpine driver quickly closed the door and led the opening lap.
However, an accident involving Maya Wehg, Amna Al Qubaisi and Laura Lovinfosse brought out the safety car at the end of the first lap, with Wehg and Al Qubaisi falling onto the gravel road after three-car contact.
That meant Pring had to survive the restart, but the British driver built up a nearly one-second lead over Marti on the rolling restart and began to pull away, and by the time the chequered flag was waved the Alpine driver had opened up a nearly five-second lead over Marti, who held on to second place.
Haas driver Chloe Chambers took third place to claim the team’s second podium after finishing third in the first race in Miami, while McLaren’s Bianca Bustamante finished fourth and Hamda Al Qubaisi fifth.
Ping recovered from a slow start to drop down the order and finish in seventh place.
But it was Pring who was the talk of the town. It was her fourth consecutive win and she remains at the top of the F1 Academy Drivers Championship standings. Pring set the fastest lap of the session and also earned a bonus point for her impressive performance. She will start from the front tomorrow in the second round of the F1 Academy, the Spanish Grand Prix, and aim to dominate the weekend.
