After the summer break, the women's category is gearing up for the second half of the current season, which resumes in the Netherlands this weekend
Summer is over, at least for the 2024 F1 Academy season. The all-female racing series, which runs alongside some F1 Grands Prix events, returns to racing this weekend at Zandvoort Circuit, the venue for the fourth of the seven events on the calendar. The Campos Racing trio will once again feature Spain’s Nerea Martí, alongside American Chloe Chambers and Germany’s Carrie Schreiner.
After the first three rounds held in Jeddah, Miami, and Barcelona, Chambers occupies third place in the drivers' standings with 81 points, tied with Doriane Pin. The driver, who sports the Haas F1 colours on her Tatuus, kicked off the year by scoring double points in Saudi Arabia before securing her first podium, a third-place finish, in her home race in Miami. The promising American driver took a further step in Montmeló, where she repeated a third-place finish on Saturday before claiming her first win in the category on Sunday, also setting the fastest lap.
Valencian driver Martí has also been impressive so far, with two podiums in six races. Martí, who was taken out of the opening race at the Corniche Street Circuit by a rival, bounced back by finishing third in the second race held at the Arab track. She then finished fourth and seventh in Miami before securing her best result of the year so far with a second place in Barcelona. In Catalonia, she also took a fourth-place finish in another race, leaving her in fourth place in the standings with 63 points.
Finally, German driver Schreiner, a member of the Sauber Academy, has also been a regular points scorer in the category, with her standout result so far being a seventh place at the Miami International Autodrome. In any case, Zandvoort is one of Schreiner’s favourite circuits, as evidenced by her victory in one of the races held there in the category last year, making her another driver to watch closely.
Campos Racing currently sits in second place in the teams’ standings with 153 points.
Zandvoort is the quintessential Dutch circuit and has been the venue for the country’s F1 Grand Prix since 1950, just two years after its inauguration. Although the track layout has undergone numerous changes over the years for safety reasons, iconic corners like the famous Tarzanbocht still give the circuit a unique character, with the banked Hans Ernst corner also gaining fame in recent years. With a length of just 4.259 metres, it’s a track where starting position almost always works to one’s advantage, given the difficulty of overtaking. Additionally, due to its proximity to the sea and beach, the asphalt is always slippery and lacks grip, improving as the day progresses.
Track activity will begin on Friday with free practice at 10:10, followed by a second session at 17:30. Meanwhile, the qualifying sessions are scheduled for Saturday, starting at 10:15. The first race will take place that same afternoon at 17:05. The weekend's programme will conclude on Sunday with the second race at 10:40. All times are in Spanish time zone.
Adrián Campos (Team Principal of Campos Racing): "After recharging our energy over the past few weeks, we are looking forward to this second half of the season in the Netherlands. Our performance in the category this year has been clearly improving, as evidenced by Nerea’s podiums and Chloe’s victory in Barcelona. Carrie is also a driver who excels at Zandvoort. I am confident we can show our full potential and achieve great results, reducing the gap to the leaders in both the drivers’ and teams’ standings."
Chloe Chambers (Campos Racing Driver in F1 Academy): “I’m excited to be back racing again after the summer break. Coming off of my win in Barcelona is a nice confidence boost heading into the second half of the season. Zandvoort is a track that I don’t have much experience on apart from the in-season test in April where it rained most of the time, so I’ll have my work cut out for me trying to bridge that experience gap to the other drivers, but I’m feeling good and looking to just score solid points this round. Another podium or two would be amazing, so I’ll be working hard at it with the Campos Racing team!”
Nerea Martí (Campos Racing Driver in F1 Academy): "I was really looking forward to this event in Zandvoort. It’s a track where I’ve always had good results, and I’m approaching it with a positive mindset. We did part of the pre-season here, although it rained a lot on that occasion. In any case, we’ve also tested on the simulator. Hopefully, we’ll have a good weekend and can be at the top, scoring plenty of points for the championship."
Carrie Schreiner (Campos Racing Driver in F1 Academy): “Last year it was the highlight of my season when I won. I know it's going to be harder this year, but I feel well prepared and can't wait for a good weekend.”
Photos: © Dutch Photo Agency
