F1 ACADEMY: Block earns maiden victory with flawless Race 1 drive in Singapore

Lia Block wrote her name into F1 ACADEMY history in Singapore, leading the pack from reverse grid pole and perfecting two Safety Car restarts to bring home her first win in the series.

Narrowly avoiding contact with ART Grand Prix teammate Aurelia Nobels on the opening lap, the Williams driver managed to remain out front and controlled the race.

Block kept a cool head on both restarts, after Nicole Havrda and Alisha Palmowski hit the barrier in separate incidents, to become the eighth different winner this season and the French squad’s first since Léna Bühler’s win at Monza in 2023.

Title contender Maya Weug took advantage of a chaotic opening lap to go from eighth to her seventh podium of the season in second, with Chloe Chambers rounding out the podium finishers for Red Bull Ford.

Nobels vied for the lead on the opening lap with Block but couldn’t hold on to second and had to settle for her best F1 ACADEMY finish in fourth. Standings leader Pin couldn’t make up the same ground as title rival Weug and claimed fifth ahead of Emma Felbermayr.

McLaren’s Ella Lloyd had been on track for a top-four result but was relegated to seventh after receiving a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Alpine driver Nina Gademan collected the final point on offer in P8.

Weug has the chance to make up more ground on Pin when she goes from pole in Race 2, which gets underway at 15:25 local time (UTC+8) on Sunday.

For a full recap of the F1 ACADEMY Race 1 in Singapore, visit the series’ official website here.