F1 Academy was back for the Dutch GP in Zandvoort. The all-female series gave the Dutch crowd plenty to cheer for with success for all three home heroes. There was also great racing action throughout the weekend, brand new faces on the podium and drama in the overall Championship Standings. Here’s everything that you need to know.
The Paddock Headlines
- Alisha Palmowski and Chloe Chambers topped the time sheets at the end of the two practice sessions of the Dutch GP.
- Maya Weug took Pole Position in Zandvoort after a frantic mixed conditions qualifying session.
- Nina Gademan converted her reverse pole into her first F1 Academy win on Saturday, leading the race from start to finish.
- Lia Block achieved her first ever F1 Academy Podium in Race I, finishing just behind Gademan in P2.
- Maya Weug dominated Sunday’s Race II and took victory at home.
- Doriane Pin leads the Championship but the margin has narrowed to just twenty points to Maya Weug.
Practice I – First Steps
Dunes of Zandvoort
F1 Academy got underway in Zandvoort with the first of two practice sessions on Friday. There were very dusty conditions out on track that initially saw both PREMA and Campos opting to not join the session.
Out on track with the remainder of the drivers, fans in the grandstands and watching from all around the world were treated to a potential tease of what was to come during the weekend’s races. Lloyd, Larsen and Ciconte battled it out with one another around Turns 8, 9 and 10 in the opening minutes. Lloyd was the driver who came out victorious of the three on this occasion.
As the time ticked away, drivers began to ramp up their pace and started trading fastest lap times. Wild Card Driver for Zandvoort, Esmee Kosterman impressed immediately. She was consistently in the top five lap after lap after lap. The Dutch driver was one to push her car over the limit though as she span just before T11. But, in no time at all, Kosterman was able to get the car going again. A lack of grip for the rear tyres was revealed to have been the culprit that sent the car around. For a wild card driver with nothing to lose, it was great to see Kosterman pushing the car to its limits to find out what both she and it were capable of.
Pushing the Limits – and Beyond
The yellow flag came out briefly with just under twenty minutes left on the clock. This was thanks to Nicole Havrda spinning around at T12. Ella Lloyd was just behind her and the pair were narrowly able to avoid making contact with one another.
Campos did then come out on track with around 15 minutes to go. PREMA joined the party five minutes later. Onboards with Pin and Lloyd showed how much the drivers were all fighting their cars to stay on the track. This was further evidenced a couple of minutes later, courtesy of Joanne Ciconte. The Australian driver made contact with the barriers at the exit of T8. She’d gone wide, locked up, driven over the grass and into the barriers. The session was subsequently red flagged and did not resume.
Palmowski, Weug, Chambers, Pin and Chong were the top five at the end of the session. Just 0.005 seconds separated P1 and P2.
Following the session, Nicole Havrda was given a ten place penalty for both of the weekend’s races. This was for overtaking Doriane Pin under red flag conditions at the end of the first practice session.
Practice II
Ahead of the second practice session for F1 Academy in Zandvoort, there were two pieces of F1 Academy news that came out of the paddock. First was the unfortunate news that PREMA Racing driver Nina Gademan had been ruled unfit to drive until further inspection by the medical examiners at track. At that point in time, it was unclear if the Dutch driver would get to resume competing in her home race weekend. The second piece of news was that Anastasia Beverly Hills have teamed up with Red Bull for the future in F1 Academy. They will be supporting both the Red Bull and Racing Bulls cars.
Getting Back into the Groove
Everyone rushed out when the green light came on to signal the start of the second and final forty minute practice session of the weekend. This was due partly because of the darkening clouds looming ever closer overhead that threatened to bring rain down onto the track. Everything was busy as usual to begin with as drivers became reacquainted with the track after the morning session.
Then, with just under thirty minutes left on the clock, rain began to fall in Zandvoort. Chambers, Pin and Weug kept trading positions in the top three on the timing pages. Ten minutes later, all of the drivers came in to switch for wet tyres as the rain began to pour down harder onto the track. Some wet weather running then did take place. Naturally, none of the lap times set were any faster. than those from before. For the F1 Academy drivers, this was now just about getting experience in wet conditions.
Clearer Skies and Off-Track Excursions
The rain then eased off in the last ten minutes of the session. The conditions saw a split on the grid of who went out on slick tyres and who went out on full wets. With six minutes to go, the yellow flags came out in sector three at the exit of T9. This was thanks to Chloe Chambers spinning off the track. The American driver was able to get back onto the track though and continue. Replays of the incident showed the Red Bull Ford backed driver went off track, across the gravel and nudged the barrier slightly before spinning around.
Aiva Anagnostiadis went off at the same place as Chambers a couple of minutes later. But this excursion was nowhere near as bad and she was able to recover before heading into the gravel. Meanwhile, Emma Felbermayr was busy overtaking Rafaela Ferreira down into T1 in another tease of the racing action to come.
When the checkered flag fell on the session, the top five had remain unchanged since the rain had begun. Chambers, Weug, Pin, Palmowski and Larsen lead the way at the close of practice.
Qualifying – Home Heroes on Top
Last time out in Canada, it was Chloe Chambers on Pole Position. The American driver was up there at points this time, but she would fall short of achieving Pole Position honours in Zandvoort.
The thirty minute qualifying session commenced with the welcome news of Nina Gademan’s return. The Dutch driver was cleared on Saturday morning after further tests by the medical team. Saturday in Zandvoort also marked Gademan’s twenty second birthday – and she’d soon receive a small F1 Academy shaped present to mark the occasion.
An Early Red Flag for Anagnostiadis
Just three minutes into the qualifying session, Aiva Anagnostiadis beached her car in the in the gravel at T1. Replays showed that Canadian driver Nicole Havrda had made contact with young Australian, sending her off the track. Havrda was able to go onto the escape road and continue, leaving the Australian behind. The incident was soon marked for an investigation by the stewards. They would later award Nicole with a three place grid penalty for each race. This was on top of the ten place grid penalty she had already collected for both races due to her red flag infringement in practice.
The circuit at Zandvoort was damp when the drivers took to it but as the sun became more pronounced in the sky above, it began to try up. The focus now was on who would be the first to switch from the wet tyre to the slick tyre.
As we waited for an answer to that question, Chambers, Gademan, Larsen and Kosterman were all also forced onto the escape road at T1 at separate occasions. This further highlighted the challenging nature of an evolving track. Ella Lloyd was a driver that kept her foot in instead as she went over the gravel at T1. The Welsh driver was able to prevent her car from being beached as a result.
Tyre Gambles and Close Encounters
With just under twenty minutes to go, Lia Block was the first driver to gamble from the wet to the slick tyres. The American did a tentative first lap with the slicks and wasn’t too far off the pace overall. But she was then yet another driver to go wide onto the escape road at T1.
Rafaela Ferreira had a very close encounter going into T3. The Brazilian span and brushed the rear end of her car against the wall. Tina Hausmann soon did something similar with the right hand side of her car at the same corner. Both returned to the pits for some minor repairs but otherwise escaped unscathed.
A Late Red Flag for Nobels
Aurelia Nobels brought out the second red flag of the session. She beached her car in the gravel trap at T7 with just nine minutes to go in the session. The Brazilian Belgian was understandably distraught on the team radio after such a minor excursion excluded her from the rest of the session.
Frantic Frenzied Finish
When qualifying resumed, the track evolution had ramped up considerably. Fastest lap times were being exchanged in a stock market style frenzy and nobody could predict who would end up on top at any given moment. In the closing stages, times dipped down into the 1:39s and it went right down to the wire to determine who would start Sunday’s race on Pole Position.
In the end, that honour went to home hero Maya Weug. She clinched P1 by just 0.039 of a second from Alisha Palmowski in P2. Lloyd, Chambers, Pin, Block, Hausmann and Gademan rounded out the top eight. P8 was enough to secure Gademan Reverse Pole for the first race of the weekend later that day. The stage was set. Now all that remained to be done was to go racing.
Race I – Stylish Birthday Celebrations
Pre-Race Antics
Wild Card Driver Esmee Kosterman was forced to pit at the end of the formation lap and start Saturday’s race from the pitlane. Aiva Anagnostiadis’ bad luck would carry over into the formation lap too. She had a little off on the way back around to the starting grid, going off onto the grass on the exit of T10. But fortunately, she was able to keep going.
Opening Gambits
When the lights did go out to signal the start of the race, Nina Gademan got a fantastic launch from the line to propel herself firmly into the lead of the race. Lia Block behind her had a similarly good ignition and sailed past Tina Hausmann ahead of her to claim second place. Hausmann was forced immediately to defend from a quick moving Doriane Pin behind. She in turn had Lloyd, Weug and Chambers in hot pursuit. Weug was wasting no time in trying to get past Lloyd. But the Welsh driver was standing firm and despite some close calls, her defensive manoeuvres were more than a match for the Dutch-Belgian driver at this stage of the race.
Collisions and an Early Safety Car
Contact between Alba Larsen and Chloe Chong set the latter into the pits with a puncture. The former would later be investigated for the collision and be handed a ten second penalty. She’d also be given an orange and black flag signalling for her to also come into the pits and change her front wing for safety reasons. It was a shame for the Danish driver because after qualifying in fourteenth, she’d put in a brilliant effort to ascend up to ninth.
Tina Hausmann’s day would go from bad to worse. Simply driving off circuit at T8, the Aston Martin junior would end her race in the barriers. The incident would bring out the Safety Car and bunch the field back up. Bad news for Hausmann but good news for Kosterman who could now catch back up to the pack.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know. I’m so stupid.” – Tina Hausmann on the radio
Racing Resumes at Zandvoort
At the end of lap four, the safety car returned to the pits and Nina Gademan kicked her car back into top gear and darted away from the rest of the field on the race restart. Behind her, Weug and Lloyd wasted no time again in battling each other. But a rare mistake from Doriane Pin ahead of the pair of them, going wide at T3, would allow Lloyd past, frustrating Weug. Palmowski meanwhile would take advantage of the chaos to get past Chloe Chambers for P6.
Weug would have to wait a couple of laps to get past Pin. But get past her she did. Weug overtook Pin coming through T5 and T6 – an unusual and difficult spot to overtake normally. Apparently, Weug hadn’t received that particular memo. Her battle with Lloyd ahead could now continue. Behind them, Chambers got past Palmowski in another fun battle that would span the entire race.
Battle for Third
Weug and Lloyd would continue to joust for another two laps. Then on lap nine, Weug drew alongside Lloyd heading down into the sweeping first corner. Maintaining momentum, she was able to just pull ahead by the time they got to the end of the second corner and as they went into T3, Weug was ahead. Third place was now hers. Lloyd would now have Pin, Chambers and Palmowski in hot pursuit.
On the same lap, Chambers would make a daring move past Pin on the exit of T7, taking fifth place away from the Mercedes junior.
Midfield Scraps
Aurelia Nobels got past Courtney Crone for P11 down into T1. The Brazilian driver was driving somewhat in anger after her unfortunate early exit from qualifying. Kosterman would repeat the same move on Crone, including locking up her front right tyre, to clinch P12. Nobels would then get past Ferreira for P10.
Palmowski and Pin would both have awkward moments on the exit of T3 one after another as they rode the kerb. Flirting with the grass on the outside, both were lucky to get away with their antics.
Fight to the Finish
The battle for P3 never waned with Chambers and Lloyd fighting each other to the bitter end. Chambers got close on a few occasions but Lloyd was having none of it. It was a brilliant battle to watch and perfectly illustrated Lloyd’s confidence in taking on and beating a more experienced driver.
Out in front, Block was beginning to close in on Gademan. But the Dutch woman’s victory was never really in doubt. Instead, in the final two laps, it was Block who came under pressure from a charging Maya Weug. In the end though, it was Lia Block who held onto P2 across the line with Weug having to settle for third. Lloyd, Chambers, Pin, Palmowski and Felbermayr would be the other drivers to finish in the points awarded to the top eight.
Nina Gademan – F1 Academy Winner
But out in front, it was Nina Gademan. The Dutch home hero had a true whirlwind of a twenty-four hour period. She went from being told to stand down for the second practice session on medical grounds to being cleared, clinching reverse pole and then winning her first race in F1 Academy. What’s more, she did this on her twenty second birthday and at her home race. The stories that motorsport provides us with at times simply couldn’t be made up.
“It was a challenging start to the weekend with a green track in FP1 and then being declared unfit and fit again for Qualifying. I’m very happy to have taken my first win of the season on my home circuit in front of the Dutch crowd. We got good points and moved up to P6 in the championship. We are not far off the top-5 and we will be looking to get there in the last two races.” – Nina Gademan
Race II – Domination from Weug
Once again, there was drama before the racing in Zandvoort could even get underway. Chloe Chambers had a technical issue with her car prior to the commencement of the formation lap. This resulted in the American driver being taken back into the pits, from which she wouldn’t return. It was a big blow for the Championship contender who would slip back in the title standings.
Her empty grid box hoodwinked Lia Block. The Williams backed driver accidentally filled her slot on the grid before reversing back into her own. She received a ten second penalty for this as the start procedure had already begun while she was still correcting this error. Ella Lloyd had a jump start to the race for which she was awarded a five second time penalty. This mistake would ultimately cost her a podium finish.
Weug Takes Charge
Ferrari Academy Driver got off to an authoritative start as she led the pack away from the grid. Behind her, Ella Lloyd got past Alisha Palmowski for P2 with the Red Bull backed driver sticking close to her. Going down into T6, it appeared for a moment that Lloyd would make a daring move for the lead of the race. But as the track narrowed, the Welsh driver thought better of it and tucked back in behind Weug. Palmowski then came back at Lloyd with Pin waiting eagerly in the wings behind the pair of them. Despite some close moments, there wasn’t a change in the order.
Further back, Nicole Havrda caught herself out as she spun down into T1. Aurelia Nobels was forced onto the escape road in order to take evasive action. Meanwhile, Larson and Chong would commence their battle for P11 – a fight that would go down until the last lap of the race.
Finding a Rhythm
Aside from the battle between Lloyd and Palmowski and Larsen and Chong, things began to settle down throughout the field. Drivers were biding their time, finding a rhythm and keeping an eye out for any opportunities that might come their way. Out in front, Maya Weug had already extended her lead to almost three seconds.
On lap seven, Emma Felbermayr had a moment coming out of turn ten. The Austrian driver had a bit too much of a scandi style flick going on and spun around off the track. Fortunately, she didn’t make contact with anything and was able to re-join the race. Unfortunately, she was now well outside of the points.
Gademan kept close tabs on Hausmann ahead of her while Chong and Larsen got past Crone to continue their battle with each other. Lia Block had a close moment trying to get past Kosterman into T3 but both drivers had to contend instead with just keeping their cars on the track.
Weug Wins
The laps ticked down and on the final one, Alba Larsen finally got ahead of Chloe Chong for what would ultimately be P9. Chong locked up heavily into T1 covering Larsen off but the young Dane was able to still sail past her at last with relative ease. It must have been an incredibly satisfying moment for Larsen after such a long hard fought fight.
Up ahead, Maya Weug took an incredibly controlled victory – seven seconds ahead of Alisha Palmowski in P2. Doriane Pin capitalised on Lloyd’s time penalty to finish on the podium in third.
Lloyd, Hausmann, Gademan, Kosterman, Ferreira, Larson and Chong would complete the top ten and the points paying positions.
“I think the team is just stronger than ever together — we are pushing so hard, everyone wants to win the title and that’s what we’re going to keep pushing for. This weekend showed that if anyone can bounce back with 37 points and three rounds to go, then it’s us. I think we can still do it.” – Maya Weug
F1 Academy Dutch GP
A Good Weekend to be Dutch
The F1 Academy Dutch GP brought us a brand new race winner in Nina Gademan. The Dutch Driver’s victory was very much the resolution of a redemption arc after she lost the victory back in Shanghai due to a technical issue with the car. That she got to win on home soil on her birthday just makes the victory all the sweeter.
It was a great weekend for the other two Dutch drivers too. Maya Weug won her second race of the season. The last time she won was all the way back in Jeddah. She is also now only twenty points away from Doriane Pin at the top of the Championship. Wild Card Driver (WCD) Esmee Kosterman became the first WCD to score points this year. For her to do that at her home race was also one of the feel good stories of the weekend. Her six points puts her in P13 overall – ahead of full time drivers such as Nobels and Anagnostiadis. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if she follows in Gademan’s footsteps and becomes a full time driver in F1 Academy in 2026.
Close but no Cigar
It was a what if weekend for many of the drivers. Chloe Chambers will be ruing the loss of potentially critical points after not being able to start Sunday’s race. Ella Lloyd will also be seething slightly after finishing in P4 twice. So close to the podium – and yet so far. Courtney Crone, another driver left wanting more. Running inside the top ten for parts of Sunday’s race, the Haas backed driver looked set to score her first point of the year thanks to Lia Block’s penalty. But Larsen and Chong had other ideas and she finished in P11.
What’s Next?
Doriane Pin still leads the F1 Academy Championship with 127 points and two rounds left to go. Weug sits in P2 with Chambers fifteen points back from her in third. PREMA lead the Team Standings with 224 points. Campos Racing are in second with 179 while MP Motorsport are just twenty points behind them in third.
F1 Academy will next go racing for their penultimate round in Singapore before the season finale in Las Vegas. Can Weug take the fight to Pin and steal the Championship away from her? Or will someone else be able to grapple it away from the pair of them? We’ll have to wait and see.
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F1 Academy Returns October 3rd in Singapore.
Feature Image Credit: PREMA Racing