All language subtitles for F1 GP Academy Austin 2023 01 Qualifs

Hello and welcome back to live coverage
of F1 Academy from Austin, Texas. We're

here at the Circuit of the Americas for
the final round of the year of this...

inaugural series two practice sessions
down and things now start to ramp up for

our 15 drivers it's qualifying ahead of
three races held across saturday and

sunday and this is the track they'll be
hurtling their f1 academy cars around

second longest circuit on the f1 academy
calendar it's a hectic lap for the

drivers to get to grips with as well 20
corners undulating bumpy the most amount

of corners of any track that we've been
to this season and this the seventh and

final round of f1 academy we will crown
our champion at some stage across the

weekend there are still three title
contenders marta garcia lena bula and

Al -Qubaisi are in the top three of the
championship and they are still in with

a chance. Garcia currently has a 48
-point lead in front of Elena Bula and

Al -Qubaisi, a further eight points
behind. So Marta Garcia...

has the advantage for now but things in
motorsport can change very quickly ahead

of us in terms of qualifying we have two
15 minute qualifying coming up back to

back the first of which will set the
grid for race one will be as they

then the top eight are reversed for race
two and that sets the grid for race two

then the second qualifying session set
the grid for rate three points are also

up for grabs when it comes to pole
position it's 2 points for race 1 and 2

points for pole for race 3. No point if
you get reverse grid pole.

It's a lovely sunny day. Track
temperature 38 .4 degrees.

Air temperature 35 .3 degrees.

We've had the F1 running. It's now time
for the Academy running and guiding you

through all the coverage is myself,
Harry Benjamin.

And joining me for the coverage this
afternoon is Naomi Schiff. Hello, Naomi.

How are you?

Hello, Harry. I'm very well, thank you.
How are you?

I'm not too bad. I'm looking... forward
to this we've had a good couple of

practice runnings where it's been two
very different characteristics right at

the start of the morning it was such a
cold track the first bit of track

that they got was this morning for f1
academy now we've had some rubber laid

down by the f1 cars we've had another
practice session as well the cars are

getting quicker the drivers are getting
more confident i think it's going to be

an all -out fight

Absolutely, and it's going to be about
how much these drivers can adapt to the

different conditions out there. And
remember, there's only 15 minutes of the

session, so that's not a lot of time to
get up to grips.

You know, it's one of those things that
tests the driver's skills in terms of

how quickly they can adapt to these
changing conditions.

It is so hot out here in Austin. It's 35
degrees air temperature out there right

now. The track temperature is 38 degrees
at 5 .30 in the afternoon. So

challenging for the drivers as well on,
as you mentioned, a track with 20

corners. It's a big challenge for those
drivers out there this afternoon.

But I suppose that's part of the point,
isn't it, of F1 Academy. We've been to

such a wide variety of circuits. We
started at the Red Bull Ring, then

Catalonia, Zandvoort, Monza and Paul
Ricard. And I suppose the idea of...

academy is as well to promote female
talent across the board on and off track

but also to get into grits with such
different types of track than

what's required because i think that's
probably quite easy to underestimate the

different intricacies that are required
for different tracks absolutely and

obviously in this day and age you know
we have fantastic devices like racing

simulators that allow drivers to adapt
to circuits a little quicker than maybe

drivers would have been able to do in
the past.

But what's fantastic about this series
is there's just...

great amount of track time for these
drivers there's 15 days of you know pre

-season testing and on top of that i saw
that quite a lot of the drivers were

out here doing some testing on this
track before this race began so i think

lot of them are up to scratch in terms
of the track but obviously as you said

you know there's been formula one cars
just gone after qualifying so grip

will probably be slightly different to
what they've had the advantage of you

know potentially testing out here a
couple of weeks ago but like you say you

know this is a it's a championship that
tries to you know carve out the talents

of drivers from the rest and these are
moments where drivers like this can

really prove what they can do in these
trickier conditions where you know there

is a bit of an unknown factor going out
there this afternoon absolutely well we

can

Have a little listen to one of our
drivers talking a little earlier on.

is in the car that we spoke to earlier,
Amna Al -Khobassi.

I like the Austin circuit because it's
very challenging. I like how the first

part of the track are the S's. They're
very challenging and hard to, you know,

find a good and right line.

So I really like this track. It's pretty
long.

So we can't really compensate for
mistakes.

So it's going to make it more
challenging for us drivers to be able to

at the top spot. So I'm excited for it.

Amna Al -Khobaisi there. She's excited
for it. I think we all are. The 23 -year

-old from the United Arab Emirates. The
older of the Al -Khobaisi, Hamda Al

-Khobaisi, also in the field. She is
very much still in title contention. But

Amna also managing to get a couple of
wins on the board as well. She probably

lies sixth.

in the Drivers' Championship with two
wins, a pole and four podiums. This is

Abby Pulling, though, and Naomi, you've
raced against Abby Pulling previously in

the W Series as well, and I think it was
here a couple of years ago. Abby

Pulling came in and managed to get pole
position in a podium as well, and it

really set the world alight. How much do
you rate somebody like Abby Pulling?

Yes, unfortunately, I actually didn't
have the...

The luxury of racing against Abby, she
actually came into W Series once I'd

already left.

But from the moment she came into W
Series, she initially came in as a

driver where she had an opportunity to
jump in the car.

And straight off the bat, she just
proved that she was a contender.

And then obviously in the last season of
W Series, she showed exactly how much

talent she had by being at the front of
the pack for quite a lot of the season.

So this season, I've actually been
surprised to see that she's a little bit

further down in the championship order
than I expected.

but obviously there have been some other
factors that have caused her to not

score points on some occasions. But
she's a talented driver. I mean,

don't count her out. She knows what
she's doing in a race car.

Absolutely. Well, as they all peel into
the fast lane for qualifying, we are

about to get underway. But you're right,
Abby pulling down in fifth.

Managed to get a pole position in Paul
Ricard for race one, but then a

disqualification in race three. So, as
you may know, it's been really up and

down for her. Not always within her
control, either. Technical infringements

getting in the way of her and her Roding
Carlin teammate.

But green light at the end of the pit
lane is Stephanie Carlin, the team

principal of Roding Carlin.

Watches on, and they head out on... to
this track, the Circuit of the Americas,

just over 5 .5 kilometres, over 3 .4
miles, 23rd, 11 to the left and

9 to the right, an anti -flock -wide
track. Naomi, what are the drivers doing

now? The first lap out there, getting
their bearings, trying to find space?

Yeah, it's a couple of things.
Obviously, you know, you come out in the

you're in, based on where your teams are
placed in the pit lane.

They've probably got a couple of tricks
up their sleeves. One thing you

mentioned was the El Cabase sisters.

You know, what a fantastic thing to be
racing against them. It must be such an

interesting dynamic. But from what I've
heard, they try their best to use that

to their advantage. So they might be
working together to find...

space on track and maybe give each other
a tow on a track like this that could

really you know give you a bit of an
advantage so it's about track position

about warming up your tires i can't see
so well from where you know from the

monitors here who's on new tires who's
on new tires but getting that

in starting to get your your eye line in
dialed in and knowing exactly where

you're going to place your car where
you're going to brake but heating up the

tires as you can see them you know,
swerving from one side to the other,

to generate heat in the tyres. So it's
all about getting that car dialed in,

getting themselves dialed in, but most
importantly, finding the right spot on

the track so they don't come into
traffic in this very short session.

Yeah, absolutely.

Even weaving left and right to get heat
into the tyres, to get them up to

temperature down that back straight. And
speaking to Alice Powell, a little

earlier on before this qualifying
session, she coaches Abby Pulling, and

saying, actually, in terms of tyres, you
can use some old tyres. if you want to

but she's expecting at least from her
perspective everybody to be out there on

set of new tires but we'll try and bring
you that information when we get a get

to a little bit of a look at here's
bianca bustamante she's recently signed

the mclaren driver program in formula
one and we caught up with her earlier

well i myself i prepared for the So, you
know, for Poli, I think it

requires a lot of mental fortitude to
kind of build yourself up for that one

mega lap that can really set you to
pole.

And so, yeah, a lot of visual thinking,
analysation, of course, all the work

you've done previous, you know, prior to
the event. It definitely counts up to

that moment.

Bianca Bustamante there, currently last
seventh in the drivers.

championship two wins and four podiums
to her name and and how good is that now

i mean for f1 academy we've already got
a couple of f1 affiliates with abby

pulling with alpine and and uh lena
bulla with uh the uh sauber formula one

it's not to get very busy in the pit
lane doesn't it uh very frantic there

also the news on top of this that all 10
f1 teams will have uh an affiliate

driver and subsequent f1 livery on 10 of
the cars in in 2024 for f1 academy

that's exactly what we need to be doing
isn't it absolutely i mean that news

when we heard that all 10 of the teams
were committing to have a car on the

in their livery as well as a driver in
their colors a driver who you know i'm

not entirely sure exactly what extent
each team is going to be giving support

their drivers but This has been the
first announcement with Bianca being the

first driver to be announced as a
McLaren driver.

And she's been put into their
development program. So the value of

enormous. I mean, it's already one thing
for them to be able to be competing.

In this series, with feeder series teams
that are competing in F2 and F3, the

knowledge that they can get from being
involved with these types of teams, like

Tremor who we're seeing on screen here,
as well as in the future, F1 teams, is

absolutely huge. And it's great to see
the commitment from the paddock to

support females in the sport. And I
think it's one thing for us to want it

ourselves. It's a great thing for these
types of initiatives to exist. But we

need our male allies in the sport to be
with us. are going to be touching us

forward, and this is a great example of
that.

It absolutely is. The clock is counting
down. Ten and a half minutes still to go

on this first 15 -minute qualifying
session, which will set the grid for

one and two. The top eight at the end of
this is reversed, and that forms the

grid for race two.

We talk a lot about the drivers and the
opportunities for them, but I think it's

very... We've got to remember it's not
just about...

those on track, is it? Because I think
Megan Jilkes emphasised this massively,

the Canadian race down at Rodencon. This
is going to be her last race. Oh,

here's Chloe Grant, sir. Please make
sure that I go out in front of the car,

else she'll just hold me up.

Chloe Grant, then.

...putting down, laying down the law,
doesn't want to be stuck behind her

teammate Gary Schreiner. But just to see
off the previous points about Megan

Jilkes, she's announced she's going to
end her professional racing career.

22 years old. She ends it after this
round.

But to take up a position as a graduate
performance engineer with Aston Martin

in Formula One, and to be taking up that
kind of position in an engineering

performance role...

I think it's just fantastic. It's not
just about promoting on -track talent.

need to promote the off -track talent as
well.

Of course, and it's amazing to see that,
you know, she has the ability not only

to drive the car, but also to do
something that, you know, it still keeps

this paddock. I was lucky enough that
once I hung up my helmet, I'm able to

in the paddock. But you're absolutely
right. There is a whole ecosystem in

motorsport where, you know, women can
have opportunities.

And for Megan, you know, I remember her
racing in W Series in 2019 as well. She

took some years out. She was racing back
in the U .S., and now she's made a

comeback. for an academy and maybe it's
not gone her way. Obviously, there's

also financial restrictions on these
drivers. They have to pay up to 150 ,000

euros to be in these seats and maybe she
doesn't have to. But we don't know what

the factors are for her to decide at her
young age to hang up her helmet. But,

you know, the future is still bright for
her and there's a lot of opportunities

out there and it's fantastic for her to
be able to get into a role in such a

great program that's going to keep her
involved in the sport that she loves.

Absolutely. I think a lot of people
willing, Meg and Jill's dog for these,

will be her final professional
motorsport races.

So then everyone's starting to peel out
of the garage. In fact, everybody is out

there. So we get our first proper flying
lap with eight minutes to go. The

sunshine still glaring down. This is
Nerea Marti making her way up towards

over a hundred foot incline. 30 Formula
One cars stacked up on top of each

other. That's how steep the hill is.

Up to turn one, and then it's straight
back down again before you head into the

fast. Good job. Got your iron FB2.

Let's have it.

There's Jess Edgar, who was fastest in
free practice two, speaking on the

But Marty actually had an issue in free
practice two. We believe it was a

suspected suspension failure, which
caused her to lose 15 minutes.

Naomi, that obviously puts her a little
bit on the back foot heading into this

qualifying.

absolutely obviously track time is
paramount it's everything you need to

yourself where you want to be you know
15 minutes sounds like not much but when

you've got you know

And the triple right -hander of 16, 17,
18, through the left -hander of 19, one

more corner to go.

bought Nerea Marti to get her first
competitive lap time on the board. You

see how hard she's working the steering
wheel of that F1 Academy car, and she

puts in a 2 .10 .1. Lovenfos, though, a
teammate, immediately displaces her and

goes fastest with a 2 .09 .7. Jilt gets
heads up to third. Bianca Bustamante,

fastest of anybody in the first sector,
hands it out for Macy, heads to the top

of the timing screens. We await Marta
Garcia, our...

title contender in the number 15 red and
white framer she goes fastest

Bustamante can't pip her and our other
title contender of Lena Bullock still

there as well she's fastest of anybody
in the middle set to the Swiss Racer

by the Sauber F1 team. Fastest of
anybody.

Pulling comes across in third.

Jess Edgar will be next across the line.
She's fifth. Then comes Buller. What

can she do? It's fastest for the Swiss.
A 2 .087.

Nice, tidy lap. Early doors from Lena
Buller.

Fantastic effort from Lena. You know,
she's got a lot of pressure on her

shoulders this weekend. She almost
cannot put a foot wrong if she stands a

chance. taking the title away from Marta
Garcia.

And for her to be putting the pressure
out there, you can see her lap times.

Obviously, very, very close out at the
front, just, you know, five hundredths

a second splitting the top three. So
it's very close. Obviously, you're going

go for some more laps. You can see some
people on the board. Marta Garcia's got

a purple sector one right now.

It's going to be tight out there, but
Lena needs to keep it out in front for

to have a chance.

Oh, very wide from Nerea Marti once
again coming out of the back of the main

drain. This is such a fan favourite,
driver favourite circuit, isn't it,

Lock -up from Marty.

Seen that a lot as well, coming into the
tight turn 15.

But, I mean, do you have a particular
favourite part of this track? What's the

most challenging part as a driver around
this Kota circuit?

To go to the beginning of what you just
said there, honestly, I've never raced

on this track, but I've done many, many
laps on this track on a racing

simulator, and it is honestly one of my
favourites. It's tomorrow, you said to

me. Tomorrow you can race on a track
that you've not raced on before, which

would it be? It would absolutely be
Hover.

Fantastic track. It's a track that's got
so much flow, especially in sector one.

Sector two, slightly less challenging.
Obviously, you've got the track limit

issues there as well, as you mentioned.
But sector three is where it really,

really gets tough. It really gets
technical. You've got a couple of

you know, 13, 14, 15, where you've
really got to place the car.

perfectly to get a good exit out of 15
and around 16, 17, 18 so that whole

sector is where you've got to really
focus and it's the end of the lap so you

know at that point you've probably done
you know where you stand in terms of the

lap and you've got to either absolutely
not make a mistake there or you know the

lap's already over or you still have
something to gain so the pressure is on

sector 3 and it's a sector that requires
connecting every single one of the

dots. It is a challenging track.

And while you were chatting, we've had
some fast lap times. And it's only three

thousandths of a second.

Splitting provisional pole, which is
currently occupied by our title

Marta Garcia.

Abby pulling. Here she is in car number
ten in the pink and black.

Rodin Carlin, backed by the Alpine
Formula One team, pulling in second.

Mante, half a tenth behind.

Then Brula Chong, youngest driver on the
grid in fifth.

apparently P2 good job Buller gets up 2
third at the end of that so nice

...feedback from pulling there, where
she can go quicker and where she is

already quick.

Chong Fifth, Marty, Edgar, Hamda
Alkabasi, Amna Alkabasi, and Emily

rounds out the top ten.

That's Jessica Hawkins, the Aston Martin
affiliate driver, most recent driver,

most recent female driver now, who had
taken to the wheel of a Formula One car,

which was fantastic to see her given
that opportunity and spearheading away

our young drivers here in F1 Academy.

Jess Edgar has... been looking quick
very much all weekend long so far

of anybody in practice too Jessica could
bring a surprise here she's fastest of

anybody in that first set so she's not
in the hunt for anything to do with the

title but I suppose knowing me that
means she's got absolutely nothing to

she hasn't and that's probably you know
given giving her less to worry about in

a session there's probably less pressure
on her shoulders she's probably just

enjoying herself out there But there's
always points you want to put on the

table. I mean, there's a championship
order that you still, at the end of the

year, you know, people are going to look
back and say, where did you finish the

championship? So points are always
points. Right down to the end, they

And she's still going to want to claim
everything out there, even if it's not

for the championship prize.

Points, absolutely mean prizes, don't
they? Martha Garcia crosses the line and

stays in P1. Gets a faster time, though.
2 .082 the time to beat Edgar. Personal

best in the middle around the final
corner. Edgar has got two podiums so far

her name this year. Searching for her
first pole position. What can she do?

Loses a bit of time. It's only fourth
for Edgar as Bula crosses the line. She

can't improve either. She stays in
third.

This is Chloe Chong.

The third of the frame at drivers, the
youngest in the field, round the final

corner. This looks like it might be one
of Chong's best qualifying so far of the

year. Fantastic work for her to get up
into the top five in front of

But Garcia has a three -tenth gap at the
moment. But what do we have here with

Abby Pulling?

Are we about to get a lap time deleted
for some track limit?

That is hard work, right? Look at that.

Car control at its finest. I mean, it's
great to see those moments like that.

These girls in these cars, you know,
don't underestimate them.

She's just showing, you know, obviously
she's made a slight mistake going in

today. Obviously that's going to cost
her time, but still she's caught it

fantastically.

On she goes.

So in terms of our title contenders,
Lena Buller is one of them. This is her.

She's currently in third on provisional
poll. It's Marta Garcia, the other, the

leader in the title race at the moment.
And Handa Al -Khobaisi still with an

outside chance. She's currently down in
eighth, about a second off. So she needs

to find some time now. But it doesn't
look like she's going to be able to.

do so. Amanda Algarbasi not able to find
that, but Marta Garcia looks like she

has sealed the deal as Marti crosses the
line. She goes third fastest.

I think Garcia's got this in the bag
with a three tenth gap.

Amanda Algarbasi is on a lap at the
moment, not finding a huge amount of

This is the other Prema, the Garcia
Prema, who has decided, yep, she has

enough. She heads in to the pit.

She's not going to put in another lat.
Martha Garcia, I think, will secure pole

position for race one.

And that is one step closer to the title
for the first ever F1 Academy

Series.

Garcia is doing all she has to do, isn't
she, Naomi?

She absolutely is. And, you know, for
her to come out of the qualifying

on top of the chart is going to give her
a real boost for this weekend. You

know, the simplest way I could simplify
it down to the permutations for this

weekend for her was that if Elena Bula
won every race and scored points in both

qualifying sessions, all that Martha
would need to do is score 18 points. But

now she'll be scoring two.

if none of her laps get deleted. I don't
know if you saw a couple of cars had

their lap times deleted. Car 16, Mr.
Monte, Chloe Chong as well, who you said

was having one of her best qualifying
years. She's still on the lap, though.

no, that's Chloe Grant. Sorry about
that.

But, you know, fantastic for Martha.
Easily done.

Fantastic for Martha to be on
provisional toll right now, and I think

going to give her a little boost going
into the final.

Here comes Chloe Grant, though, still on
a decent lap for Grant. She's down in

13th at the moment, just about keeps it
within the track limit to the line. for

Grant and gets up into ninth.

So lost a little bit of time in that
final sector.

But she's the second best ART on the
road. The third best is Carrie

who comes across the line and puts her
ART into 40 bots. But I think,

has another lap time just been deleted?
I think it might have been. Chloe

Chong's just slid down the order.

Again, down to 12.

So I wonder if she's waiting to come up
on our screen. And there it has.

Bustamante and Chong.

Track limit.

at turn 19.

So they have been subbed out. But here's
Abbey Pulling, who will be on the front

row. Really, really good job. Really
good job. That's P2.

P2. The change is amazing.

Thank you, guys.

Yeah, really good job with that pin
there.

Really good result there from Abbey
Pulling to line up second on the grid

race one. Sharing that with Martha
Garcia. Martha, Buller and Edgar.

the top five, Bustamante, Alcavati, and
Chloe Grant at the top eight. Now, that

actually means, I mean, Chloe Grant, if
all remains the same, touch wood, no

more track limits violations, Chloe
Grant will get the reverse grid pole for

race two.

How exciting. I mean, I've never been a
part of a race where there is a reverse

grid like that, but to...

be handed a pole position like that and
then try to fight for your life out

there to keep the car in front of cars
who theoretically are slightly quicker

than you. It also gives the other
drivers who are fighting through the

opportunity to be practicing a bit of
their overtaking. It does obviously

slightly more exciting racing because
the cars aren't in their typical

qualifying order.

So definitely some exciting racing going
to come for race two given that order

there. Yeah, fantastic to see that for
her, and I'm sure she's going to have a

big smile on her face about it. Oh,
she's dropped down tonight, hasn't she?

I was just about to say, such lovely
things, Naomi, but unfortunately... What

does do, though, is it puts Hamda Al
-Khamid on pole position for race two.

She's really going to need that. I mean,
there's only eight points splitting

herself and Bula.

in the championship.

So even if that championship title is
slightly out of reach, although it is

still possible, second place in the
championship is still very much a

possibility for Hamda. So she's
definitely going to have a big smile on

face. Yeah, good news then for Hamda Al
-Khobaisi. Bad news for Chloe Grant.

She'll still get a top 10 start, though,
for both races. So she could do some

work from there.

We don't see that very often from race
control, do we, Naomi? A lap time

reinstated for Chloe Chong.

So that puts her back up into seventh
spot. And there is Chloe Chong there. So

she'll be a bit relieved there. And you
can see a fist pump from Chong. So let's

get confirmation then of how that first
qualifying ended up. It is our title

leader, Martha Garcia, who will start
race one from pole in front of Abby

Pulling and Nerea Marthi. Lena Buller.

Our other title contender in fourth in
front of Jess Edgar.

Bianca Bustamante will be sixth. Then
comes Chong. Hamna Alkabasi in eighth.

That does mean reverse grid poll for
race two for the third of our title

contenders. In front of Grant and Lola
Lomfoss, the top ten.

Amelie de Hoos in eleventh. Then came
Amna Alkabasi. Megan Gilkes in

in front of Carrie Schreiner. And Maita
Cáceres will start fifteenth and last

for race one.

Beautiful scenes around this Austin,
Texas track, and what a beautiful view,

you can get it, from that fantastic
observation tower. It's got a 360

panoramic view of a circuit.

Naomi,

when was the last time you saw a lap
time reinstated by race control?

I can't remember.

I don't think I've ever seen that. This
could be a first for me.

I don't know if it's a first for you,
but I've never seen that happen. And

obviously, she's going to be really
happy about that. They must have made a

mistake, which is very, you know,
uncommon because some of these decisions

made with censors. Some of them, you
know, they've got CCTV footage all

the track.

They should be able to see exactly
what's going on out there. But that's

what would have pushed down Chloe Grant
and obviously given Hamda Al -Tabaisi

that eighth place. So, you know, some
win, some lose.

And that's the name of the game, isn't
it?

But a little bit of a pause then. We'll
get Q2 started in a couple of minutes.

Here is Chloe.

It's a random message now.

They will be reset at our time. So now
we are P7.

Very good job.

I almost had a heart attack.

They told me that my time was deleted.

I think it was P19, so I'll try to be
safe and do some laughter.

Fantastic from Chloe Chong there, who is
remaining calm in the cockpit of that

Prima. So that will be a good start for
her. We'll give her P2.

in the reverse grid race as well. So
good work there from Chloe Chong. But

another qualifying session to go, which
will start at six o 'clock local time.

So just a few minutes away before we get
that second session underway. Another

15 minutes, same scenario, but it sets
the grid for our third race that we will

have on Sunday for the weekend.

And while we have this little break,
Naomi, one of the big... talking points

coming into this weekend was the
announcement of the 2024 F1 Academy

seven -round calendar, and it's joining
up with Formula One full -time for the

seven rounds. F1 Academy will be a
support race at Saudi Arabia, Miami,

Barcelona, Zandvoort, Singapore, Qatar,
and Abu Dhabi.

That's really good news to see because
it's all well and good being a series on

your own, but to be under the spotlight
of Formula One just brings so much more

to the situation.

Absolutely, it's huge. I mean, from that
perspective, you know, COTA had record

-breaking amounts of audiences last
year. They had 440 ,000.

spectators out here last year. So for
the eyeballs to just get, you know,

watching women's sports is so incredibly
important for them to be able to

succeed. So it's fantastic for them to
be on such an incredible platform like

the Formula One calendar at seven
incredible locations.

I mean, some of those races are real
highlights of the season. And for these

drivers as well to be learning F1 tracks
and racing at such a high standard

circuit is fantastic for their careers.
I mean, not many people can say that

they've been able to do that. And for
their learning curve, it's going to be

absolutely crucial. But number one is
the spotlight on them, the eyeballs.

Obviously, the teams are going to be
surrounding them, not only from their

participation with them with deliveries,
with the support of the drivers, but

also being with them on the same race
weekend. They're going to be able to do

much more media with the drivers and
work with them in whatever way that they

are going to support them from a driving
perspective.

So all around, it's fantastic news for
F1 Academy, but for women.

for women's sport as well.

Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. Well,
before we get the second part of

qualifying underway, Abby Pulling, who
has just qualified P2 for race one, we

caught up with her about her qualifying.

prepare for qualifying is i go through
the data with my engineer uh do some

visualization so i'll sit looking like a
bit of an idiot uh doing some laps in

my head and then um yeah just getting in
the zone i do a lot of boxing shadow

boxing just to get myself pumped up and
ready for for an intent 15 to 30 minutes

well that was abby fully giving us an
insight into what gave her front row on

the grid did you ever have any pre
-qualifying rituals now

So I was actually having a bit of a
debate in the TADEC earlier with a

drivers on what their favorite part of
the race weekend was.

genuinely qualifying was not my
favorite.

I used to put so much pressure on
myself. So I used to do anything I

could to just relieve that pressure. A
lot of that has to do with, you know,

putting a headset on, listening to the
music, avoiding people, visualization.

That's a tough word to get your tongue
around.

Visualization is a very important thing
to do. And it's something that I used to

do, sit in the car just before you go
out, get 100 % focused, thinking of

single corner.

It's a technique that I thought always
worked. And then obviously I would have

few little...

things that i won't bore you with i'm
sure there's a podcast in that now i'm

sure um as they uh head out then all 15
cars back out then for qualifying all on

some new fresh pirelli tires by the
looks of things you can still see the

sticker markings on them jeff hawkins
continues uh to watch on uh and once

i suppose same as normal but they've
learned already quite a lot haven't they

just from a first 15 minute session in
qualifying we've had the practice as

but This is exactly how the track is.
We've seen the characteristics change

quite a lot in the Formula 1 qualifying.

Do you think it will ramp up for F1
Academy as we head into the second part

qualifying now?

It probably will, but I think it's a
great format to be able to have that

-minute break, slightly similar actually
to the F1 qualifying where they have

three parts, but here you have a proper
break.

Even, you know, with Chloe saying, you
know, probably turn 19 is where she got

her lap time deleted initially.

All those things you can think about,
you can hone it in. It's a chance to

a second attempt at which you probably
weren't able to achieve in the first

of qualifying.

And, you know, this is a track that does
require so much.

detail and finesse because it is so
technical. So every lap out there that

can get, they're just going to be
improving.

So it is fantastic for them to have
those five minutes. I'm sure they've had

little conversation with their engineers
as well. We heard earlier, I think it

was Abby Pulling's engineer saying she
was losing two tenths in the first

sector, two tenths in the second sector.

And those two tenths in each sector
sound just like numbers.

with all the data that they have from
previous sessions, she'll know exactly

where those parts of the lap are that
she's maybe been struggling a little

They will be able to go through data
quite quickly as well. The engineers

be able to tell them exactly where
they're losing that time. So it's a

reset. Go back out there. Whatever you
couldn't get right, here's another

opportunity to get it right.

Absolutely.

joining us. This is the second part of
qualifying for F1 Academy.

We've had the first 15 minutes which set
the grid for race one and race two and

now we have another 15 minute session
getting ready for the third race setting

that grid.

We're 12 and a half minutes left on the
clock. Let's check in with Lola Lovacos.

making their way into the pit lane for a
quick formation lap as they make their

way around.

But then heading back in all one by one.
So a little breather before they then

find their way onto the track once more
and find their form.

and slot in to their grid positions.

But this F1 Academy, a brand new stellar
project from Formula One to develop and

prepare female talent to progress
through to the higher levels of

competition, both on and off track. So
quick changes there to the tyres, having

a check of the pressures and the
temperature.

So good to see that being done.

It's been a really competitive year
actually, Naomi.

11 out of the 15 drivers have stood on
the podium.

8 out of 15 drivers have won a race. But
for Martha Garcia, a 48 -point gap she

comes into this final round with.

That is stellar.

It is fantastic, and it's great to see
that there have been so many different

drivers on the podium. It means that
there's quite a lot of talent right

the grid.

But Martin had a stellar performance.

I remember her first year in W Series,
she was absolutely fantastic.

The second year, she had a bit of a dip.
She was struggling with some things

personally that were affecting her
performance. And then she managed to

those things, come back in her third
year of W Series and start to build

forwards from where she'd come from. And
she'd had some really great highlight

moments. And then I'm just happy to see
her where she deserves to be. She's a

quick driver. She's very dedicated to
what she does. And I'm sure that she's

going to have a really bright future.
future and you know I think it's almost

bit of a bit of sweet moment if she does
win this weekend she doesn't come back

into you know F1 Academy next year to
take advantage of all those fantastic

things that are happening for these
drivers next year with the access to the

teams and that fantastic F1 calendar.

But at the end of the day, I'm pretty
sure there's going to be support from F1

Academy. I'm not sure to what capacity
just yet for her to move forward and do

something spectacular going forward.

Absolutely. Well, let's stay tuned to
the F1 Academy websites and socials to

what happens post -season for our
champion.

We just saw there Charlotte Phelps, the
lead female engineer on Emily Dehose's

car down at MP Motorsport, just checking
on how Emily is getting on. She's

currently down in eighth in the drivers.

the great breakthrough win earlier on in
the year at the circuit de Barceló, the

pole position followed up by the win in
race one, which was fantastic.

She hasn't quite gone the way so far.
She's had some consistent results, got

back onto the podium in Zandvoort, but
Paul Ricard was a pointless running for

the Dutch woman. We're going to have to
get back into the points for this

weekend. OK.

Back on to the track, then. The two
framers close together, coming through

one and two. And you mentioned, Naomi,
teammates working together.

There are three cars per team. How can
two drivers work together on a track at

the same time?

Well, it's true. There are three of
them. But, you know, we've got a 15

session. And as you can see, the times
were constantly tumbling. But also, it

wasn't necessarily the last lap that
counted. So they've got...

enough opportunity time -wise to give
each other a run. But obviously, in

Formula 1, you've got DRS. In this
championship, you don't. But what you

is have your teammates drive in front of
you, just like these two are doing, and

punching a hole in the air for you.

That'll make a huge difference. If you
can work together in that way, it's

better for the team, it's better for
your opportunity as well. But obviously,

there's going to be a conversation about
who gets the first run, who gets the

second run, and who gets that advantage
in that moment.

Yeah, absolutely.

We should mention the team's standings
as well. That is still very much to be

decided. MP Motorsport currently lead
that with 23 points, the gap over Kramer

Racing. So that is still to be fought
over as much as the driver's title is.

ART in third. Then come Roden, Carlin
and Campos, the five teams that make up

the F1 Academy Series. And four out of
the five teams have won a race. Every

team has stood up. on the podium,
including this woman here, Lena Bullock,

Swiss racer. Two wins, a pole position,
and a further 11 podiums to her name

as well.

And sadly, she won't be able to come
back to the series next year because she

hit the age limit and gone above it.
She's turned 26.

this year, so she will not be able to
return.

But what a fantastic first and last
series it would have been for her.

Let's see how she gets on still with the
title very much in her sights.

Nerea Marti heads downhill.

There's a lot of blind corners around
this track. You've got the sort of blind

crest that feeds over Turn 10. And even
coming through Turn 1, it's a bit of a

blind entry to the left -hander.

Your turn one is especially, I mean,
from the simulator, from what I

experienced, it's such a tricky one.
One, because you can't exactly pinpoint

where the apex is. But two, because
you've got that uphill run into turn

you brake slightly too early, it does
cost you almost double because you're

going uphill.

So turn one is a really tricky one.
You've got to hit that apex as perfectly

you can. If you're on the run on the
exit, you want, you know, it's quite a

sweeping section, so you've got to have
a great exit out of there to stand a

chance to do well on the lap.

That's probably the trickiest one. Turn
10 is slightly blind, but it's almost a

little bit easier. The only thing you've
got to watch out there for more is the

track limit topic that we keep talking
about.

Yeah, Marthie just finding quite a lot
of extra track coming through Turn 12.

It's given her a bit of time as well.
But Turn 12 is not one that they are

majorly watching.

It's 9, 15, 19 and 20, but we'll keep an
eye on the race control messages that

come through on our screens in the
commentary box.

But Marty then, fastest of anybody at
the moment in the middle sector. But

are the first proper lap times being set
in this second qualifying session.

The two counsellors will come across the
line. One and two, Marty.

Finds the top of the timing screens with
a 2 .089.

Lovenfoss behind her, a 2 .090.

So not a lot between there. Maita
Caceres about six tenths behind in the

of the campuses.

And she comes across the line in third.

So still waiting for the times.
Bustamante has had a lot of time in that

sector. Fastest of anybody.

But it's Marta Garcia who is very, very
quick. Purple middle sector as well.

To be expected from our leader in the
championship, what can Al -Khobaisi do?

Hamda Al -Khobaisi, she comes across the
line and she goes fastest with a 2

.086, but is immediately displaced by
Abby Pulley. Lena Fuller has got us a

second. Time's changing all the time
with just five and a half minutes left

the second qualifying that sets the grid
for race number three. Here come two of

the Premiers Garcia across the line in
third.

Bustamante comes across the line. in
fifth it is nip and tuck between some of

these drivers Naomi it absolutely is and
I can't imagine right now how high the

pressure is out there obviously some of
them there's more to gain some of them

there's more to lose but at the end of
the day the whole season is all about

progress these drivers came into the
championship earlier in the year And

they've all had a lot of time to get
themselves dialed in, but obviously

race you're progressing, you're getting
more comfortable with the car, you're

getting more comfortable with your team,
and it all comes down to this moment.

This is the last qualifying session of
the season, and they'll all be thinking

about, this is the final opportunity to
show what I can do to prove myself. When

I'm looking for sponsors, when I'm going
out there to prepare myself for next

season, to be able to say, this is where
I ended the season, this is what I can

do, that's going to be on their minds
right now.

Yeah, I mean, the weekend goes so
quickly already.

We've done two practices and we'll
finish qualifying. Then all that's ahead

us. is the races so the track action
just gets absolutely swallowed up so

quickly so they've got to make the most
of every time they are out on this 5 .5

kilometer 3 .4 mile track marty once
again out on track personal best in the

first the middle sector what she got in
the final sector she comes across the

line it's not as much as she needs she's
still in uh where did marty is six for

marty in the end bulu's found time
though in the middle sector uh edgar

It's in the first sector. Jess Edgar,
once again, might prove a thorn in the

side. Garcia, though, at the moment, who
is our title leader, she's in third and

needs to find some more time if she
wants to secure back -to -back pole

positions. But Edgar is looking the
quickest on track at the moment.

Bula, round the final corner, into the
sunshine and across the line for Lena

Bula. One final corner, I should say.

Bit of a lock -up for Buller. One final
corner. Then she comes across the line.

Lena Buller losing a little bit of time
in that final sector but still managing

to improve overall.

Over half a tenth of a second. A 2 .083
for Buller who takes provisional pole

for race three. Marta Garcia can't quite
pit her title rival. She has to...

Settle for second.

Pulling Dill in third.

Handa Al -Khobaisi in fourth.

Over two and a half tenths back at the
moment. But she's finding a little bit

time or needs to find a little bit more
time.

Nerea Markey also on a flyover lap right
now. So far, purple sector one. I think

she's about to complete sector two in a
few seconds, and we'll see if she's

challenging for that provisional tall
position. But Edgar there takes the

provisional tall position by almost two
-tenths of a second to Lena Bullock. So

fantastic for her. She must be really
feeling the track out there today.

Jess Edgar has been...

flying for most of the day and you can
hear it before you see it almost for

Nerea Marti locking up that front left
she has absolutely been hounding that

front left tyre all weekend long so far
not giving it an inch but it's Edgar now

who is fastest the 208 125 that's
provisional pole for race three for F1

then comes Lena Buller Martha Garcia is
there pulling Chong the top five Nerea

Marti is the Spaniard at the wheel of
the number one Campos. Round the final

corner. What's she got? She's currently
down in seventh. Can she find time? Yes,

she can.

Marti, to the top of the timing screens,
takes provisional pole despite the lock

-up. It's a 2 -0 -8 -0 for Nerea Marti.

Ahead of Edgar, Buller, Garcia,

Pulling, Chong, Handa Alcabesi,
Bustamante, Amelie de Host, and Lola

the top ten as it currently stands.

But lap time, Are still coming. Jess
Edgar finding more time. As is Marta

Garcia. But what has Abby Pulling got?
With just over a minute and a half left

on the clock. Into the sunlight.

Round turn 19.

One more corner. Get the braking zone
right.

Little bit bumpy over the rumble strips.

Keep it within track limits. She does
so.

Pulling to the line.

Currently thick. That becomes fourth.
What has Bula got?

She crosses the line. And she can't find
the time. She stays in third. Grant

heads up into tenth. But it's all eyes.

on Marta Garcia, our title leader, as
she takes provisional pole for race

in F1 Academy at 2 .080, less than half
a tenth between her and Nerea Marti.

But I mentioned Jeff Edgar was looking
fast. Once again, she's fastest of

anybody in the first sector. It's a
personal best in the middle sector.

Round the final corner for the Roden
Carlin driver.

What can she do? She's got nothing to
lose. She's not in the title fight. It's

not pole, but it's close. it's third for
Jess Edgar just over half a tenth of a

second how is that for a top three blip
Absolutely incredible.

So tied between the top three. I was
just watching the timings out there.

And Marta Garcia was giving away two
tenths of a second to Jess Edgar in the

first sector. And Jess Edgar was giving
those two tenths back to Marta Garcia in

the second sector. So the both of them,
if they can just tidy up their sectors

out there, you could see them being even
quicker than that. They could even put

two tenths of a second or more on their
laps there. And they've still got an

opportunity with one more lap out there
to tidy up their laps and, you know,

still fight for that full position.

We just saw team principal there, Rene
Rosin, watching on from the pit lane,

seeing a framer on the top step for the
time being, but Edgar's not done yet.

She's finding more time.

Nerea Marti has taken the chequered
flag. She will not be able to improve

lap time.

Lola Lovenfoss also taking the chequered
flag down in 11th, but Edgar Purple in

sector one. Could Edgar do it?

With a last gasp attempt, has she got
enough left in these tyres? Down the

straight. She's fastest of anybody who
can have another go. Quick look on the

timing screens. Nobody else is really
able to match her as it currently

Could Jess Edgar be looking at her first
pole position in F1 Academy?

She absolutely can.

This is not going to be good news for
Marta Garcia or Nerea Marti because they

both seem to have abandoned the laps
that they're on and therefore they're

to have to settle the time that they've
got. on the board right now. So, oh,

there you go. Jess Edgar also seems to
have pulled out of her lap in sector

So this might be your top three, ladies
and gentlemen.

It might mean she's lost a lot of time
in that middle sector.

Has she bailed out of it? Doesn't look
like she's still getting a little bit of

speed, though. But let's just wait and
see what she's got around the last

of corners.

Nobody else really improving. Bula
improved her time. Stays in for one

corner, then, for Jess Edgar.

Can she find the time? Can she find the
pole on her last gasp attempt?

She can!

Jens Edgar takes pole position for race
three in F1 Academy. Her first pole

position in the series.

Stephanie Carlin watching on with tears
in her eyes.

Fantastic. Lost a bit of time in the
middle sector, but kept in it till the

bitter end and was rewarded with pole by
half a tenth of a second.

She actually had a slower sector two and
a slower sector three than on a

previous lap. She must have pulled off
an incredible sector one there. She's

been quite dominant in that sector this
whole session long, actually. And you

can see she's got a quicker time than
anyone in the first sector on that lap

there.

Fantastic work from Jess Edgar, who
picked Martha Garcia, our

leader in the title, picked up a couple
of points for pole position.

for race one, doesn't get it for race
three.

So those points go to Jess Edgar. But
Garcia is still able to start on the

row. So it's looking good for her. Marty
third, Bula pulling. Then comes Hamda

Al -Khobassi in sixth.

Chong, the host. Bustamante, Grant, the
top ten.

But last time we did the order, there
was a few track limit violations.

So we'll just hold our breath for the
slight time being.

But Samantha has just had a lap time
deleted.

So we'll wait and see where that drops
her down. But I think Jess Edgar should

be safe. That was a phenomenal lap. But
still, it's not pole, but Marta Garcia

will start on the front row for the big
points -paying races, for race one and

race three, which is really all she
needs to do.

And it's great news for Marta Garcia,
given the fact that, you know, her title

concerns Elena Villa starting behind
her.

for both of those races. So that's a
great start to the weekend for Marta.

Lena's obviously going to be still
pushing and fighting out there to do

can this weekend so far. But I also want
to say Hamda Al -Kibaisi had a much

better performance in Q2 than she did in
Q1. And I don't know if that was

because she maybe had lost the time due
to track limits in the first session,

but she was almost a second off in
qualifying one. She's brought that right

to four tenths in the session.

You are on pole position.

Wow, what a lap.

Fantastic job.

Pole position.

Jess, did you hear me? You're on pole
position.

Did she hear them? We don't know. No
response from Jess Edgar.

She is a bit of a quieter character, but
her first pole, I'm sure when she gets

out of the car, there'll be a wry smile
there from the 18 -year -old who resides

in Cumbria.

racing in the blood as well her cousin
johnny racing in fia formula 3 this year

and this was another look at that
phenomenal lap from jess edgar

handing the car now you can see the car
control and how much she's making that

steering wheel work for her Yeah, you
can really see that she just really

it. I mean, she kept going right to the
bitter end and it all has paid off

because she's had her first full
position of the season right when it

This was her last opportunity to do that
and she's done it. It's a fantastic job

from her. You can see how happy the
whole team is for her to achieve that.

think she's going to be a very happy
driver.

And I think she's now being told and
reassured.

Perhaps a little bit emotional at that
as well.

So I think you can see there the emotion
on Jess Edgar's face through the visor.

That's fantastic. Just what that means
to her. It's fantastic.

Yeah, it's no mean feat. I mean, of
course, there's a lot of pressure on

drivers' shoulders this weekend. They're
driving in front of some of their

idols, the big boys.

All the teams are watching them, and
they're all fighting for positions with

those teams next season. To be able to
do that is going to mean so much to her,

and hats off for her to have been able
to do that.

Absolutely. Well, the title leader,
Marta Garcia, will be starting right

alongside her. At the end of Qualifying
2, then, this sets the grid for our

third race.

on Sunday, which Jeff Edgill will start
from pole position, her first pole in

the F1 Academy Series.

In front of Martha Garcia, Nerea Marti
in third, Lena Buller, Abby Tulling, the

top five, and Alcavesi, the third of our
title rivals in sixth. Buller, the

other one, up in fourth. Cho, the host,
Christa Mante, Chloe Grant, grabs out

the top ten.

Lola Lollinvoss was 11th in front of
Amna Alcavesi. Maite Caceres, 13th in

of Megan Jill.

And Carrie Schreiner will line up 15th
and last for Rate 3 on Sunday.

Well, what beautiful scenes to leave you
with here in Kosovo. My thanks to them.

What an absolutely fantastic effort.
Late on by Jessica Edgar.

She's been on it all weekend. She's
quickest.

in the second practice session this
morning, and then right at the last, off

championship leader, snatching pole
position for that third race. So three

go. With regards to Marta Garcia,
because she picked up two points for

position, in race one tomorrow, she
needs to finish fourth, unless her

rival, Lena Bula, gets the fastest lap,
in which case she'll need to finish

third, and the championship will be
hers.

The second race is from 9 .15, and the
third race on Sunday. from 3 .25.

We're watching that alongside me. A
breathless finish there, Jenson.

Yeah, it's good. I mean, the first
qualifying session was close, but the

one was a good one. And it's not easy
around here at that time of night

the sun's in your face for half the
track.

And there was, what, one tenth between
the top three. So, no, fantastic.

I mean, that's what it's all about.

I mean, she said, you could hear it over
team radio there.

And a race engineer saying, look, you've
been on it. Don't leave anything

behind. She missed it with her
penultimate

Yeah,

and it's really, it's so different to an
F1 car around here. They don't have so

much power, so you have to be spot on
every single corner around here. And she

got it together, and that was a great
lap. But Garcia's obviously the one to

beat. She's first, you know, she was
first in the first part of qualifying

race one, and she's second for race
three.

So... Yeah, she's the one to beat, but
I'm really looking forward to this race.

And this is the first time they've got
to race in front of Formula One and in

front of the Formula One fans. So
there's a lot of pressure on them this

weekend. Yeah, of course.

Jessica Edgar, for her, it's the first
time they've been live, as you said,

cameras at an F1 weekend, lots of
eyeballs on it, and then to pull it out

last. That's her first pole position of
the year.

For her, that's a huge stepping stone.
Well, you could see the emotion on her

face when she came in. She was quiet on
the radio. I don't know if the radio was

working or not, but quiet on the radio.
the radio and came and just sat in the

car and it hits you hard because
wherever you are in the world and you're

and you put it on pole it's great but
when you drive down this pit lane and

drive past all the f1 teams it's
something different altogether so fair

congratulations to her let's bring naomi
in straight straight out of comms well

done hello jensen how are you where are
you come in the middle you're all set

there but what amazing wasn't it great
end a lot of action out there and it

kept the time kept tumbling and you know
fantastic from jess edgar out there to

just keep pushing right till the bitter
end to get her first pole position of

the season i think that's really
exciting for her well that's exactly the

we're making a big step is so first pole
with all the eyeballs of the word on

her because it's the first time we've
seen some some live racing this year

it's huge and you could see the emotion
from her and her helmet there i think

you know you can't underestimate how
much this means to these drivers some of

them you know have been out of racing
seats for quite some time and to be

on the f1 calendar for the first time
ever for some of them And then to be

putting the car in pole position, that
must mean so much.

No, I mean, you talked about it there. I
think we've had 11 drivers, haven't we,

that have had podiums this year of the
15. Eight have been race winners. And we

looked at the top three, separated by
less than a tenth of a second.

That's how tight it is. Bearing in mind,
these cars are, well, they're

equivalent of F4 cars, aren't they?
They're about 35 seconds slower than

saw from the F1 cars today.

It just shows you it's a really
competitive series by the looks of

super tight. I mean, don't forget, it's
a 5 .5. kilometer track with 20 corners

for the difference to be that small
means that This competition is obviously

very tight. And as you say, we've had so
many different people on the podium, so

many drivers on the podium and so many
different race winners as well. So

hopefully we'll get some really exciting
racing tomorrow, Simon. Well, I mean,

that was it. I mean, the fact that Barta
Garcia, as we said, she's been the

class of the field. There's no doubt
about it this year. Jenson, we were

about it there. She had the second pole
position snatched away from her. It

means that fourth good enough tomorrow,
unless the nearest rival gets the

fastest lap. I cannot wait to see her
fighting them off. But the thing is,

got three races.

So it's amazing for her, you know, to be
in that position. She can come and have

fun, you know, when she's racing. The
other guys are under pressure where

not under pressure at all. It's a great
position to be in. Here she comes right

now. Yes, she is.

Come on in.

Well,

congratulations. One pole.

So another two points. Fourth is good
enough. Unless your nearest rival, as we

were just talking about, gets the
fastest lap in that first race.

It's nearly there, isn't it?

I mean, yeah.

Let's see. I don't want to see too much,
though.

But, yeah, it's been a good qualifying.

Shame for that P1 pole on that second
quali, but I think it was okay.

Really close.

Just hoping for tomorrow, first race,
try to do as much.

As I can, and then try to get the
championship win.

How challenging was it out there?
Because you guys obviously had practice

early this morning. The temperature's a
lot hotter. The F1 cars have been out

there, more grip on the track. How much
of a difference did you feel in the car?

I mean, it's much more grippy right now
than it was in the morning when we were

at 8 .15. It was so much dust.

So, yeah, quite much more grippy, thanks
to the F1 cars.

Yeah, that's basically it.

I'm going to ask you a general question,
because I love that you're disappointed

with not getting the second bowl
position.

True racing driver, I love that.

How has it been this year? You know,
this is the first race.

that i've watched um or first qualifying
and it's great to see how competitive

it is we spoke to susie earlier and she
said the start of the year there's quite

big gaps and now it seems very
competitive are you enjoying this this

championship is it is it doing what you
hoped it would for you yeah for sure

obviously as you said uh susie knows
also uh in the first races there was a

of a gap between all of the drivers but
now as you can see it's really close

like the pole was super close less than
one cent and yeah i'm enjoying a lot of

one academy i think it's great for the
young women as well that want to get

single -seaters, you know, to try to
experiment, try to work also with those

teams like Crema, Campos, you know, like
F2F3 teams. And I think they are doing

great, and they are also doing some
other stuff like Discover Your Drive and

Champions of the Future.

So I think it's going in the right
direction.

How much do you want to win this
championship this weekend? Because it's

obviously a little bit bittersweet. We
didn't get to watch the whole season on

live television like we do this weekend,
but...

The drivers are going to race seven
races, therefore, next year.

And with the support of the teams in
this paddock, if you win this weekend,

you're not allowed to come back. It must
be bittersweet a little bit, isn't it?

Yeah, I mean, that's true, actually,
because this year we didn't get

broadcasted. But I think at the end of
the day, what I got is experience, track

time, and so many other things.

But yeah, obviously...

It would have been better if it would
have been already this year, but I'm

that the young girls and every other
girls racing are going to get it next

I think we're going to bring in for a
live presentation of the pole position

the first race. Let's bring in Esteban
Ocola, Mario Isola from Pirelli. Come on

in. And if you could, present Marta with
yet another pole position. Well

done. Come on into the middle.

Congratulations. Good luck.

There we go.

I didn't say hi.

Hi, how are you?

No worries. It's all happening here,
isn't it?

We'll step out of the way for the
photographers.

And then one more, I think, to Martha
just before.

She goes off. Maybe we can have a word
with Jessica, shall we? Yeah, this is

fantastic to see. I mean, this means a
lot to these young drivers, that these

drivers are supporting them in these
moments.

This is what's going to make the
difference. People are going to see this

online. People are going to be watching
this moment.

And we need eyeballs on women's sports.

There you go. You were presenting a tire
a couple of weeks ago.

I'm wandering randomly over here.

Congratulations. Can I just bring you
in, Jessica? You were on it all day,

quickest in the open practice session
today.

And then to take that right at the end,
we just talked to Marta.

appeared off just to do her debrief but
that how special was that yeah it was

really special because usually quali
isn't my strongest part um and i just

lap together and was Paul, so I'm really
happy.

Excellent. Well, the racing is
obviously, you think it's your strength,

put yourself in a great position.

Turn one here is always a lot of fun.

Staying out of trouble is key, but I'm
really looking forward to seeing you,

of you go at it tomorrow.

This is such a fun track to race on.
Good in qualifying, but the racing here

fantastic. And in the cars that you're
racing, similar to an F4 car, you're

going to be wheel -to -wheel for the
whole race. So I'm looking forward to

and I hope you are as well.

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to the
race. because I think it'll be really

close. We're all quite close on time, so
hopefully it'll be good racing.

Congratulations. It was your first pole
position of the season, and what a great

place and time to do it.

How much of that has come down to hard
work? Because obviously this whole

season, everybody has been progressing
towards this moment.

How much hard work did it take to get
this pole position today?

Oh, yeah, it took a lot of hard work.

Practicing Qualisims on the simulator
back at Carlin, and we've been working

really hard on it because that's where I
struggle the most. So, yeah, a lot of

hard work has gone in from me and all of
my team as well.

Quick one. Has the phone been ringing
off the hook? I mean, all weekend, this

the first time you've got to perform
live, I suppose, in front of family and

friends. Are they watching it from here?
Have you got family and friends over

here? Yeah, they've all been watching
me. My brother's on a flight to Italy,

he missed my qualifying, but he's been
watching my practices.

Well done today.

Best of luck for the races this weekend.
Fantastic. That was real drama late on.

Well done. Next up is Ted with the
notebook, looking back on F1's

Of course, Charles Leclerc took pole
position. Thanks, man. Thanks to you,

James. And thanks to you for watching at
home. But there we go. Dramatic end.

Marta Garcia on pole position for the
first race tomorrow. We'll see you then.

Bright and breezy for us here in Austin.
But in the afternoon for you back in

the UK. We'll see you in a bit. Bye
-bye.