PREMA, Doriane Pin make winning start in 2024 F1 Academy opener
PREMA Racing and Doriane Pin delivered a sensational run at Jeddah Corniche Circuit as the F1 Academy series went back underway for season 2024. The French racer dominated the field with a double pole in qualifying and drove away from the pack in the two races. Managing the re-starts to perfection, the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior always sailed away in the distance, securing two wins.
Maya Weug posted two podium finishes, ending up in P3 twice. The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy racer made consistent improvements and even had the chance to contend for second place.
Tina Hausmann also put up a rising performance. After qualifying in P11, the Swisswoman, representing Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team, moved to sixth place by the end of Race 1. After starting from P7 in Race 2, she was slowed down by a turbo issue.
Jeddah Native Reema Juffali joined the team as a wild card this weekend, and the Saudi racer, coming back to single-seater after a solid GT Racing stint, left a positive impression, battling within the pack and coming close to a points finish in Race 1 before being put out of contention by contact in Race 2.
With Pin and PREMA firmly leading the series, F1 Academy will be back in early May in Miami.
#19 TINA HAUSMANN
"It was amazing to be on track in a very cool place like here in Jeddah. It was the first street circuit for me, so there was a lot to learn and adapt to but, all in all, we made good progress throughout the weekend although, there is more to come and unleash to get to full potential. In Qualifying, with the first set of tyres, I could show my potential, while with the second set, it didn't work well anymore, but we still had a good learning experience. Race 1 brought good progress again, and I went from P11 to P6 after some penalties as well, with good speed. Unfortunately, in Race 2 today we had a technical issue that cost us a lot. Still, the team did an amazing job and I'm really happy and grateful for that. I'm really looking forward to being on track soon again."
#28 DORIANE PIN
"Very happy about the whole weekend as it was a really positive one for us. We kept improving in every session, and qualifying was really really good. In Race 1, we converted the pole into a win, but we kept improving, and Race 2 was even better as we found an extra something today. The team did a mega job as always, and I thoroughly enjoyed every lap here at Jeddah, it was my first street track and it's fantastic. You really feel the speed. We keep pushing for Miami, and keep working on race runs. We can make more improvements in terms of balance and driving to be even more consistent, and also do some work on safety car re-starts before we go back on track in Florida."
#64 MAYA WEUG
"First weekend completed in Jeddah, and I was P3 all the time. Not where I wanted to be, I want to fight for wins. We still have to work on race pace and we will do so before Miami. It was a tough couple of races, the safety car re-starts were pretty close, and the pace was competitive, Doriane and Abbi were really fast this weekend. Overall, it's a long championship, we still have good points we can fight for, and we are hungry for more. Let's see how it goes in Miami."
#18 (WC) REEMA JUFFALI
"It has been an honour to race in my home city with a team like PREMA. It's one of the best teams out there and I understand why. It's such a strong team, and it has been an amazing experience to be a part of it. The purpose of my participation was to encourage Saudis to dream big, and hopefully one day we will see them on the street track in Jeddah."