JEDDAH: McLaren’s Ella Lloyd thrived under intense pressure from the more experienced Maya Weug to secure her first F1 Academy win on Saturday, taking victory in race one around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Starting from the front row, the British driver got the better of her Rodin Motorsport teammate Emma Felbermayr at turn one to storm into the lead.
From there, she managed the race calmly, pulling clear as battles raged behind her and building a solid advantage over her rivals.
Felbermayr slipped back, losing P2 to Red Bull Racing’s Alisha Palmowski before Weug worked her way into the top three.
Meanwhile, series leader Doriane Pin found herself locked in a fierce battle for P6 with Tina Hausmann.
But just as the fight was heating up, disaster struck for Williams driver Lia Block — starting from the back of the grid after a qualifying crash — who was tagged from behind by Courtney Crone.
The incident brought out the safety car and forced Chloe Chong into retirement after she sustained damage while trying to avoid the collision.
Lloyd handled the restart well, but as race one approached its conclusion, Weug — having passed Palmowski for P2 — began closing the gap rapidly.
The pair engaged in a thrilling drag race on the final lap, but Lloyd held firm, crossing the line just 0.176 seconds ahead of the Ferrari driver.
Palmowski similarly fended off Pin to secure the final podium spot, with Alba Larsen taking P5 ahead of Aston Martin’s Tina Hausmann. Chloe Chambers, who was to start race two from pole, finished seventh, leaving Nina Gademan to claim the final point in race one.
‘Happiness for Humans’ by P.Z. Reizin‘Happiness for Humans’ by P.Z. Reizin. (Supplied)In Reizin’s 2013 rom-com,…
JEDDAH: During last month’s UN General Assembly in New York, the Jameel Arts & Health…
Palangkaraya: The orangutan clings to the top of a mostly leafless tree in Indonesia’s Borneo,…
ABU DHABI: Latakia Racecourse in the Syrian Arab Republic will host the 16th leg of…
DUBAI: The Saudi Arabia Royal Cup gets underway on Oct. 10 in Tokyo, marking the…
London: The leader of Britain’s left-wing Greens said on Friday he would stay on as…