PREMA, Pin cruise to F1 Academy championship lead in Canada
PREMA Racing posted extremely positive results in the fourth round of F1 Academy in a new track for the series, Montreal. The weekend featured three races to make up for the one cancelled in Miami, and in the opening race, which used the Miami grid, Doriane Pin capitalized on a contact between two competitors to cruise to a brilliant win.
Running not much far behind, Dutchwoman Nina Gademan posted a podium finish and repeated the same result in Race 2 after fighting for victory to underline a solid scoring weekend. Race 3 saw her drop some spots compared to her starting positions, struggling to find chemistry with the car and tyres on the tricky Montreal surface.
Tina Hausmann showcased impressive gains with an outstanding run in qualifying to take her best starting spot with P5 for Race 3, and then proceeded to wrap up a P4. Two more points finishes and handed her a remarkable score, leaping to P7 in points.
The weekend's steady points income propelled Pin to P1 in the driver championship with a hefty 20-point margin. PREMA also vaulted to the lead of the team's championship ahead of Round 5 at Zandvoort.
#3 Nina Gademan
"We got a good start to the weekend, getting used to the new track, which was obviously quite green. There was a lot of sliding, and it was hard to get the tyres in. In qualy, we were going into a long run to adapt to these track conditions. The start was good, but I couldn't get it towards the end. I got P7, and it's not the end of the world, as we got to start P2 in the reverse-grid race. In Race 1, I had to start in P13 as it was the Miami grid, but I made up a lot of positions in the opening laps, managing to get up to P4, where I stayed for most of the race. In the end, another car was disqualified for being underweight, so I moved to the podium. Race 2 was the reverse grid for Canada. I started in P2, and both Chong and I had a good launch, and we got away from the pack. I made a bold move in T6, got in the lead, and instantly opened a gap. I held it until a safety car came out. The final part was chaotic and didn't really have a strong slipstream. I lost a couple of places but still held on to the podium. We finished within tenths of each other. In Race 3, we had a good start, and I felt like the balance was a little off. Went up to P4, but I couldn't keep up, and I also picked up a penalty. Now it's heads down for Zandvoort."
Qualifying: P7
Starting position Race 1: P13
Starting position Race 2: P3
Starting position Race 3: P13
Fastest lap: 1:39.044
Race 1: P3
Race 2: P3
Race 3: P7
#28 Doriane Pin
"Very positive weekend overall. We scored very good points for the championship. We are leading now, and it feels great because we put a lot of work into it with the team. With a win and a double podium, we got ahead of our closest competitor. We have a decent advantage. I keep working on myself and with the team to be even stronger and do well in the next one in Zandvoort."
Qualifying: P3
Starting position Race 1: P6
Starting position Race 2: P3
Starting position Race 3: P3
Fastest lap: 1:38.603
Race 1: P3
Race 2: P4
Race 3: P3
#78 Tina Hausmann
"I think it was a good weekend here in Montreal, very clean and with a very good buildup step by step. Initially, we explored the track, and then for qualy, we made a big step. I put a great lap together, which I'm very happy with, and we got P5. It's my best qualifying result so far, and it shows our progress. All three races were very hectic. We stayed clean and did a very good job of controlling what was in our hands. In Race 3, I had a great first lap and clean racing to finish in P4. Off the podium, but we can take very good points from the weekend. We will continue to learn and improve for the next time."
Qualifying: P5
Starting position Race 1: P9
Starting position Race 2: P5
Starting position Race 3: P5
Fastest lap: 1:38.904
Race 1: P6
Race 2: P7
Race 3: P4
