A chaotic race in the daylight of Marina Bay saw Williams-backed Lia Block walk away with victory in Race 1 of F1 Academy’s Singapore Grand Prix.
The American driver secured her maiden victory in F1 Academy in a dominant fashion, leading every lap of Race 1 in Singapore.
Sunday’s pole sitter, Maya Weug, showed incredible pace and talent to move her way up the grid from eighth place.
Chloe Chambers came home in third to score crucial points in her final F1 Academy championship campaign.
Doriane Pin saw her hopes of claiming the championship this weekend slowly fade away with a fifth-place finish.
Early chaos in Race 1
Before the race started, there were already interruptions for these young drivers. As barrier repairs took longer than expected, the start was 20 minutes later than expected. However, drivers remained focused on the race ahead.
As the drivers prepared for the penultimate race one of the season, team-mates Block and Aurelia Nobels lined up on the front row, setting the stage for a thrilling Lap 1 battle.
As the lights went out, Block and Nobels both got an equal start and fought for the lead into turn one. However, both drivers fail to make the corner, taking to the run off area and rejoining the track safely.
Behind them Weug had an amazing launch off the line, moving herself from eighth to fifth just behind Chloe Chambers.
At the end of Lap 1, the Safety Car is brought out as Nicole Havrda hits the wall early in the lap, leaving her car stranded in the tyre barrier.
The Safety Car pitted at the end of lap 2, leaving Block to restart the field on the tricky streets of Singapore. With her team-mate close behind, Block created a good gap to the rest of the field, immediately pulling away on the Safety Car restart.
Behind her, Chambers and Emma Felbermayr battled for the final podium place; however, the American ran wide at Turn 1. Having to rejoin the track safely, Chambers ultimately lost two positions for her risky move.
Overtakes galore in Singapore
An unsung hero of the race, six laps in was Red Bull-backed Alisha Palmowski. The rookie started in last place but has made her way up to ninth place in only a few laps.
Palmowski sat just outside the points, but swiftly closed on Nina Gademan.
Overtakes in Singapore are often few and far between due to the track’s nature; however, laps six and seven provided several quality overtakes.
At the end of Lap 6, Weug manoeuvred to put her Red MP into second place on the podium, continuing her string of points haul in Singapore.
Behind her, Ella Lloyd and Chambers were locked in an intense battle for fourth, with the pair touching wheels but keeping it fair.
Lap 8 sees the second Safety Car of the day as Palmowski and Wild Card entry Lisa Billard both stop on track, in separate incidents. Palmowski was having a strong race until she made contact with the wall, ending her running.
On the other hand, it appears to be a mechanical DNF for Billard, who had black smoke emitting from her car. Under Safety Car conditions, Ella Lloyd is given a 5-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on lap one.
Following the end of the Safety Car, Block continues to lead the field, with Weug chasing behind. The Dutch driver currently sits seven hundredths behind the race leader with a few laps remaining.
Behind them, Chambers makes her way to the podium as she passes Nobels into Turn 1. Unfortunately, the Brazilian goes off track and loses another position.
However, the McLaren-backed driver has an earlier penalty, which could impact the final results.
Block holds on to take Race 1 victory
On lap 13, Rafaela Ferreira becomes the second Campos racing driver to retire. The Brazilian had stopped on track twice throughout the race, but managed to continue racing until she was called into the pit lane to retire.
Elsewhere in the field, the top three have managed to create a three-second gap to Lloyd in fourth, allowing them to fight in the final stages of the race.
Chambers is right on the tail of her championship rival, Weug, who is second. Throughout the final lap, the American places the Dutch driver under immense pressure, forcing her to defend extensively to hold onto a crucial second-place finish.
Block claimed her first race win in F1 Academy, leading from lights out to the checkered flag. Behind her, Weug showed a strong pace to move up to second and keep Chambers at bay. The American also made crucial positions, moving up from fifth on the grid.
Championship leader Pin finished in fifth, being outscored by both of her championship rivals. Rounding out the points was Ella Lloyd, who was demoted to seventh following her five-second penalty. Nina Gademan rounded out the points in eighth place.
With one more race before the final weekend of the season, it’s all to play for in the F1 Academy Singapore Grand Prix.
READ MORE – Maya Weug takes pole in Singapore F1 Academy qualifying
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