In a thrilling F1 ACADEMY race, Alisha Palmowski of Red Bull Racing clinched her first victory, holding off her teammate Chloe Chambers to secure a 1-2 finish for Campos Racing. The race was a rollercoaster of action, with multiple Safety Car restarts and dramatic overtakes.
Starting from reverse pole, Nina Gademan of Alpine made a spectacular launch, leading the pack into Turn 1. Chambers also had a strong start, overtaking Joanne Ciconte and putting pressure on the leaders. However, as the track tightened, Chambers couldn’t pass both Palmowski and Emma Felbermayr, allowing Palmowski to sneak into second place.
Maya Weug of Ferrari began her charge from eighth, climbing to fifth on the first lap with a bold move on teammate Alba Larsen. The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 2 after Shi Wei spun at Turn 7. Racing resumed three laps later, with Chambers overtaking Felbermayr for third place. Weug seized the opportunity to pass Felbermayr at Turn 7, with Doriane Pin following suit.
A second Safety Car appeared after Lia Block collided with Aurelia Nobels, sending her spinning. Palmowski stayed close to Gademan on the restart, while Chloe Chong’s attempt to overtake Nicole Havrda resulted in contact and a third Safety Car. Chong also received a 10-second penalty for the incident.
Ciconte’s race ended early with two 10-second penalties for starting procedure infringements. On Lap 11, Gademan extended her lead but was forced to retire on the penultimate lap due to a technical issue. Palmowski took the lead and defended fiercely against Chambers in a nail-biting finish.
Weug crossed the line in third, followed by Pin, who narrowly avoided a collision between Larsen and Felbermayr. Rafaela Ferreira and Ella Lloyd rounded out the top six, with Larsen dropping to seventh after a penalty. Courtney Crone finished eighth but was penalised, promoting Aiva Anagnostiadis to the final point.
Looking ahead, Maya Weug will aim for victory from pole position in Race 2, scheduled for Sunday at 10:45 local time (GMT+8). Fans can expect another exciting race as the drivers battle for supremacy on the track.