The F1 Academy Qualifying session was underway at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. All eyes were on Maya Weug to see if she could convert her strong performance during Free Practice, into a pole position.
Maya Weug topped the timesheets during Free Practice with a time of 2:05.357, set in the final moments of the session. Red Bull-backed Alisha Palmowski followed, posting a 2:05.387, with championship leader Doriane Pin rounding out the top three.
The session saw several drivers taking turns at the top of the timesheets, with Pin initially setting the early pace before others improved. The qualifying took place under floodlights at the high-speed Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where drivers had recently completed testing days earlier.
Notable moments included a near-collision between Ella Lloyd and Doriane Pin, while wildcard entry Farah Alyousef experienced two spins during the session but was able to continue. Nina Gademann, who suffered an accident during testing, competed despite minor injuries.
With overtaking opportunities limited on the narrow street circuit, Weug’s pole position could prove crucial for her race prospects in Round 2 of the 2025 F1 Academy season.
Green light for F1A Qualifying
The lights went green for the F1 Academy Saudi Arabian GP Qualifying session and the drivers were eager to make it out on track to set their fastest lap times. While some drivers opted to familiarise themselves with the track, Ella Lloyd was the first to set a benchmark time of 2:06.550, despite a brief lockup. Behind Lloyd was Emma Felbermayr. Rounding up the first top three was Chloe Chong.
A red flag halts the F1 Academy Qualifying session
The session was flagged and put to a halt when Lia Block crashed into the barrier after T27, after a late lockup. Moments before the crash, she reported a lack of grip. This led to a small mistake leading up to the collision.
As soon as Block’s car was cleared, the session quickly resumed. Not long after, Weug was determined to stay on top and set the new fastest time of 2:05.645. Newcomer Alba Larsen, pushed her way to third, while Alisha Palmowski dropped to fourth.
Nina Gademan, who came back after an accident, was not in her strongest form. Currently sat in P11, Gademan admitted to still feeling pain. Nevertheless, she seemed to be managing it quite well.
The first pit stops
While some drivers began to pit for a fresh set of tyres, Red Bull backed drivers, Palmowski and Chloe Chambers opted to stay out. Chambers sped her way to the top with a 2:05.097s. Larsen’s time stayed in P3, and she was back on track.
With under 10 minutes left, the drivers were beginning to push. Lloyd was trying her best to fight for pole. Despite a brief moment with the kerbs in the first corner, she improved to P3.
The track was hot, and the final times flew in and Palmowski looked strong with a purple sector 1, this bumped her up to provisional pole. However, Doriane Pin came out of nowhere and took P1 from Palmowski. Chambers was very determined to take pole and pushed her way to the top.
During the final moments, there was a tight battle for pole position between Chambers, Pin and Palmowski. Palmowski made a small mistake into T1, going over the kerbs. Eyes now went to Chambers and Pin. Chambers crossed the finish line in P2, followed by the French driver, but Maya Weug pulled through and fought her way to P3.
F1 Academy Saudi Arabian GP: Qualifying Results
- Chambers
- Pin
- Weug
- Palmowski
- Larsen
- Hausmann
- Lloyd
- Felbermayr
- Gademan
- Chong
- Ciconte
- Nobels
- Ferreira
- Crone
- Havrda
- Anagnostiadis
- Alyousef (WCD)
- Block
