Maya Weug goes fastest in the sole free practice session during the Saudi Arabian GP. The intense practice session highlighted how close this weekend will be for the teams.
F1 Academy is back at the circuit where its journey alongside F1 began. The drivers have forty minutes to get accustomed to the fast street circuit of Jeddah. Something vastly different to the Shanghai circuit they last raced at.
Update on Nina Gademan
PREMA’s Nina Gademan had an unfortunate crash during day two of the in-season test for F1 Academy. The Alpine academy driver was rushed to the hospital immediately for precautionary checks. She was let go and cleared to race this weekend in Jeddah.
However, Gademan is still experiencing quite severe back pain in the aftermath of the crash. She will take this practice session to see how she is feeling; if the pain is too intense for her to manage, she will not partake in the rest of the weekend, for her own safety.
Early laps
Campos’ Alisha Palmowski was the fastest driver throughout the in-season test for F1 Academy. After her sprint race win in China, she and Campos will be wanting to continue their spectacular form.
The fastest times shared between the championship 1-2. Ferrari-backed Maya Weug set a blistering 2:06.286, only six tenths ahead of her championship rival Dorianne Pin. Close behind this pair is Pin’s teammate, Tina Hausmann, with a 2:06.825.
Despite it only being free practice, these early laps are a clear indication of the close championship fight F1 Academy fans can expect in Jeddah.
All drivers set their first few flying laps. Weug remains P1, with a 2:05.616. Behind her, Palmowski is four tenths off the pace, once again proving the pace that Campos have to insert themselves into this championship fight. In third is Pin, the championship leader.
Farah Al Yousef is the 2025 Saudi Arabian wild card entry for the F1 Academy. She is looking to see a name for herself in the F1 Academy, and hopefully return as a full-time driver in 2026. The Saudi driver has an unfortunate spin on her flying lap. Luckily, she was able to keep the car going to set some more laps.
Final 10 minutes
The final two minutes are upon these drivers, the yellow flags are momentarily brought out in sector 3. Due to Al Yousef’s spin on track, however, the wildcard can get away by herself, and the track is green again.
Chambers sets the second fastest lap with nine minutes remaining, the American is 0.119 seconds off the pace of Weug. The Ford-backed driver is also a part of the ever-consistent Campos racing team and will be fighting to make her way into this championship battle for her final season in the F1 Academy.
Ella Lloyd sets a flying lap of 2:06.356. After a difficult weekend in China, the McLaren driver is fighting to score some points in the races this weekend.
With only two minutes remaining in the session, there are three drivers within fifteen thousandths of each other for P1. Dorianne Pin has the fastest time of 2:05.610, her championship rival is 0.006s behind her in second. Chloe Chambers is a bit further back, 0.015s behind Pin’s fastest time.
As the chequered flag flies, Chambers’ teammate Palmowski sets the fastest lap of the session. Beating Weug’s previous time by 0.052s, she managed to set a 2:05.387. However, the time is short-lived, as the Ferrari driver comes back to set a 2:05:357, three tenths faster than the Campos driver’s time.
The close margins within this free practice session have set an exciting stage for qualifying later today. Will Pin go back-to-back in pole positions, or will there be a new pole sitter for 2025?
F1 Academy Saudi Arabian GP free practice full classification
| Pos | No. | Name | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 64 | M. Weug | 2:05.357 |
| 2 | 21 | A. Palmowski | 2:05.387 |
| 3 | 28 | D. Pin | 2:05.566 |
| 4 | 14 | C. Chambers | 2:05.625 |
| 5 | 57 | L. Block | 2:05.795 |
| 6 | 20 | E. Lloyd | 2:06.147 |
| 7 | 22 | A. Nobels | 2:06.360 |
| 8 | 78 | T. Hausmann | 2:06.407 |
| 9 | 27 | C. Chong | 2:06.440 |
| 10 | 5 | E. Felbermayr | 2:06.505 |
| 11 | 3 | N. Gademan | 2:06.742 |
| 12 | 7 | C. Crone | 2:06.827 |
| 13 | 18 | R. Ferreira | 2:06.833 |
| 14 | 25 | J. Ciconte | 2:06.840 |
| 15 | 12 | A. Larsen | 2:07.364 |
| 16 | 11 | A. Anagnostiadis | 2:07.799 |
| 17 | 2 | N. Havrda | 2:07.824 |
| 18 | 4 | F. Alyousef (WCD) | 2:09.702 |
