F1 Academy driver line-up complete – who will take P1? Big question which needs break-down of facts on driver’s lining up in the Opening Round at Jeddah on March 7 – 9 for 3 races, from 5 Teams, with 3 driver’s per Team.
Will the experience of women who will race their second F1 Academy Series carry all necessary abilities to compete at pointy end of results, or will debut entries with amazing list of talent, capabilities behind the wheel, along with diverse background cross disciplines match and even surpass their fellow competitors?
Starting with 2023 F1 Academy driver’s whose results out performed the 15 grid line-up taking single and multiple wins across 7 Rounds. Heading the list last season, are returning driver’s with MP Motorsport: Hamda Al Qubaisi: 4 wins, Amna Al Qubaisi: 2 wins, and Emely du Heus: 1 win.
With all 3 joining Red Bull Driver Academy, Hamda, Amna, and Emely will bring plenty of fierce determination to the track, knowing showcasing their race-craft over 21 races, which includes racing 5 new circuits from previous season, the opportunity to increase career profile will be high on the agenda.
As Red Bull deployed exact strategy to secure known quantities of driver talent for 2024 F1 Academy season, windows of opportunity have been realized by women who tipped the scale of results during last season, attracting attention from high profile Brands with their respective Teams.
Filipino driver Bianca Bustamante gained nice affirmation to join McLaren Driver Development programme – the second female ever, following the signing of NZ’s Emma Gilmour in 2022. Following a successful campaign in 2023 F1 Academy – taking 2 wins – along with previous racing WSeries finishing P15 in 2022, Bianca looks smart and street savvy to fulfill ART Grand Prix Team objectives – of developing driver talent in formula racing.
Coming off the back of achieving 1 win each in F1 Academy debut season – Campos Racing driver’s Nerea Marti and Carrie Schreiner have made the most of maximizing their profile ratings with Nerea gaining endorsement from iconic Brand – Tommy Hilfiger – and Carrie securing backing with Sauber Academy.
Round up of winner’s in F1 Academy 2023 season boasts British driver Jessica Edgar who took Round 7 Race 3 win at Austin, and although fellow Brit Abbi Pulling produced oh-so-close-results last season taking pole 2x, fastest lap 4x, and 7 podiums – this season could well witness Abbi shining her light on the top step for the pair’s Rodin Motorsport Team.
Now, to the women who will mix-up standings and eclipse all expectations of performance as each brings loads of experience, skill, and race-craft to the track – albeit from career pathways in single seaters to cross disciplines.
Starting with French driver extra-ordinaire – Dorian Pin. Facts state, Dorian’s capabilities behind the wheel from podiums in Karting, to GT3, to WEC LMP2, to recently finishing P10 in 2024 Formula 4 UAE Championship confirm the scale and scope of talent Dorian produces from one race to the next. Joining Mercedes Junior Team for F1 Academy 2024 with Prema Racing, the potential for size-doesn’t-matter when racing will become more a reality than just a proverb.
Fellow Prema Racing driver Maya Weug matches the list of qualities required to edge out competition on debut. The Dutch-Belgian-Spanish driver has not only accumulated massive amounts of experience from early years in Karting through to racing Italian F4 Championship, ADAC Formula 4 Championships, and Formula Regional European Championships, but has also been included in Ferrari Driver Academy since 2021.
And, there is Wildcard entry of Reema Juffali. Notwithstanding the massive challenges Reema has faced and overcome to become Saudi Arabia’s first woman to hold a racing license – including competing in F4 British Championship, and Formula 4 UAE Championship – Reema holds strength of mind to produce desired results at the Opening Round in her home country, on March 7 – 9.
So, who will take P1 in F1 Academy Opening Round at Jeddah in a couple of weeks time? Yes, the odds lean in favour of previous season’s winner’s, yet the impact of Prema Racing line-up of Dorian Pin, Maya Weug, and one-off entry Reema Juffali will change the running order from Qualifying, to who gains pole, to R1, Reverse grid R2, and R3.
Lot’s to be excited about – let’s wait, watch, and see what plays out on track.
Header photo: Image and Graphics MXLink.
Words: Sharon Cox.
Comments are closed.