Mercedes Junior Doriane Pin battled with Alpine Junior Abbi Pulling for the fastest time in F1 Academy’s first practice session at the Miami International Autodrome.
Pin set the fastest time of the 30-minute session with 1:59.949s after swapping spots with the Briton throughout the first practice in Miami.
After a two-day in-season testing programme, the drivers return to a race weekend with a deeper understanding of these Formula 4 cars.
The all-female grid is the first to hit the track in Miami at the longest Practice session so far in the 2024 F1 Academy season.
Championship leader Pulling initially set the fastest time on track with a 2:02.745s before the Mercedes Junior Driver took the top spot by two-tenths.
The Miami Wildcard Entry driver Courtney Crone briefly went off track as Pin improved her time by half a second.
Nerea Marti almost snatched the top spot from the Iron Dame but had her fast lap deleted due to exceeding track limits at Turn 5.
British driver Jessica Edgar briefly set the fastest time until Pin cut her time down to 2:01.230s, showing her speed early in the session.
Less than 10 minutes into the first practice session, a handful of drivers had their laps deleted due to exceeding track limits at Turn 5.
A yellow flag was called in Sector 2 as the Williams Junior Driver Lia Block locked up through Turn 8, but she quickly recovered and green flags were waved.
Several drivers struggled through Turn 7 and 8 throughout the session, with race-winner Pin locking up shortly after Block.
Haas Junior Driver Chloe Chambers ran wide at Turn 14, suffering from oversteer and cold tyres coming out of the pit halfway through the session.
Edgar also momentarily lost control of her American Express-sponsored car at Turn 8, locking up before heading to back the pit.
Pin set three purple sectors in her flying lap with 11 minutes left in the session, going half a second clear of the Alpine Junior with a 2:00.186s.
Going a tenth clear of the Iron Dame, Pulling snatched back the top spot before Pin returned with a 1:59.949s.
The top three were separated by just three-tenths in the final five minutes with the two Championship contenders and McLaren Development Driver Bianca Bustamante battling it out with the Tommy Hilfiger driver Marti.
Just one second separated the top 10 in the final moments of the session, but the Wildcard Entry Crone fell two seconds behind Pin in her home race.
American drivers Block and Chambers aim to finish in the points at home, looking to utilise the second practice session later this evening after the Formula 1 cars hit the track.
Despite wanting to challenge for the top spot, Ferrari Junior Driver Maya Weug failed to improve on her consistent fourth-placed spot throughout the session.
As the chequered flag was waved, Pin clocked in the fastest time with a 1:59.949s as the only driver to break free of the two-minute mark.
Pulling ended the session in second after tailing behind the Iron Dame throughout the session, only 0.070s off the leader.
Bustamante secured the third-fastest time ahead of Weug, improving on her pace towards the end of the session.
American driver Chambers set the fifth-fastest time on home soil ahead of the Red Bull Ford-sponsored driver Emely De Heus in sixth.
Edgar finished the first practice session in eighth place in front of Aurelia Nobels as Lia Block rounded out the top 10 at home.
Approximately 1.5s covered the 15 full-time drivers, but the Wildcard Entrant fell approximately six and a half tenths back from the grid.
