Quick out of the blocks & crucial first steps made: Round 1 in Review

Doriane Pin and Abbi Pulling were the two drivers to cover themselves in glory in the first round of the 2024 F1 ACADEMY season. However, they weren’t the only two to put together impressive performances, as we take a look at how the field got on around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and where they’ll each be looking for improvement. 1. Abbi Pulling – 44 pointsFew drivers will be leaving Saudi Arabia with a bigger smile than Abbi Pulling. Up there throughout, the Alpine driver put together a clean-cut weekend around a track that pushes drivers into mistakes. Finishing second in Race 1, the Briton denied Doriane Pin the fastest lap, recognising how crucial it is to pick up as many points as possible.Promoted to the victory for Race 2 after Pin’s penalty, Pulling has carved out a spot as one of this season’s title contenders. With that maiden win off her back, she’ll be keen to keep up these kinds of performances to retain her hold on the lead of the Standings.2. Maya Weug – 33 pointsConsistent to her core, Maya Weug also has a lot to show for her efforts in Round 1. Picking up P3 in Race 1 and P2 in Race 2, the double podium finishes have paid off with second in the Standings. Handling the pressure of her first F1 ACADEMY weekend with a calm and collected confidence, the Ferrari driver will be hungry for more next time out.Unable to take full advantage of the Safety Car restarts to get through on Pulling, Weug just needs to find a little bit more race pace to push her into the battle for wins as a potential title contender.Weug kicked off the season strong with P3 and P2 finishes in Jeddah3. Doriane Pin – 32 pointsDoriane Pin proved herself to be one of the stars of the opening round. Topping Practice and securing both pole positions on offer, the Mercedes driver managed three Safety Car appearances to lead every racing lap in Jeddah.Looking assured out front, ultimately a 20-second penalty for passing the chequered flag twice at full speed cost her the second win. Continuing to work on improving things from the driving side, the Frenchwoman will be looking over her restarts — with one lock-up giving Pulling the chance to eye up a move — and focusing on bridging the 12-point gap to her title rival.4. Bianca Bustamante – 18 pointsAlthough Bianca Bustamante’s results might have flown under the radar, the McLaren driver proved she could deliver the goods when it counted. Making the most out of the situations around her, the Filipina racer tallied up two top P6 results.Casting her attention to Round 2 in Miami, Bustamante’s target will be to nail two flying laps in Qualifying. Whilst fifth for Race 1 put her right in the heart of the points, 10th for Race 2 meant she had to get her elbows out to move up the order. 5. Nerea Martí – 15 pointsWhilst she was left with mixed feelings after Qualifying, Nerea Martí had much to be positive about by the end of her weekend. The Tommy Hilfiger driver’s one lap pace was rapid, securing P4 and P5 starts despite only running one set of tyres.Contact with Lola Lovinfosse at the end of Race 1 cost her a fourth-placed finish. Yet Saturday ended on a much sweeter note as she reclaimed P4 and was eventually promoted to the podium. It was bittersweet for the Spaniard to lose out on the 12 points, but if she can keep her pace up, more silverware won’t be far away.Bustamante got her sophomore campaign off to a solid start with ART Grand Prix6. Chloe Chambers – 13 pointsA solid start to the season for Chloe Chambers puts her sixth in the Standings. One of the biggest movers and shakers in Race 1, the Haas driver made up ground from the outset before dispatching Bustamante and Lia Block to take P4.Race 2 wasn’t quite as smooth sailing as she racked up 15 seconds ’ worth of penalties, dropping her from a potential P5 finish to the final point in 10th. Eagerly awaiting her home event next time out, the American racer has all the tools at her disposal to climb her way further up the order.7. Jessica Edgar – 12 pointsThe opening weekend had its ups and downs for Jessica Edgar, but the Briton ultimately came out on a high. A daring double overtake on Tina Hausmann and Lia Block in Race 1 ended in disappointment after contact from behind left her with a puncture. Race 2 was a much more successful event for the Rodin Motorsport driver, as she stayed out of trouble and made some crucial moves to go from P9 to P4.READ MORE: Edgar satisfied with top-four finish in Jeddah but admits Qualifying pace is holding her backReflecting on Round 1, Edgar needs to unlock her one lap pace in order for her Qualifying performances to match the potential her racecraft has already shown.8. Hamda Al Qubaisi – 12 pointsFor Hamda Al Qubaisi, it was all about bouncing back after a difficult Qualifying session. Starting from P13 for Race 1, the Red Bull Racing driver battled hard, applying unrelenting pressure on Aurelia Nobels at the tail end of the points. Race 2 ended on a more positive note, as the Emirati driv