UAE’s Rashid Al-Dhaheri fastest in F4 Middle East Trophy first practice

UAE's Rashid AL-Dhaheri of Mumbai Falcons Racing. (Supplied)
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  • Chloe Chambers tops the F1 Academy timesheet, with title favorite Abbi Pulling in second

ABU DHABI: The UAE’s Rashid Al-Dhaheri recorded the quickest time in the first practice session of the Formula 4 Middle East Trophy Round as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2024 weekend officially got underway.

At Yas Marina Circuit, the Mumbai Falcons Racing driver clocked 1:56.905 to hold off Evans GP’s Kai Daryanani of Great Britain, who was second fastest (1:57.309) while Indonesia’s Kabir Anurag of Xcel Motorsport finished third.

Meanwhile, Yas Heat’s Racing Academy saw its drivers in the top 10 fastest times with Adam Al-Azhari (1:57.838) and his teammate August Raber (1:57.930) finishing seventh and ninth, respectively.

Chloe Chambers topped the F1 Academy’s one and only practice session at Yas Marina Circuit with a lap of 1:56.175, followed closely 0.138 seconds later by Abbi Pulling — the current favorite to re-claim the F1 Academy championship in Abu Dhabi.

Dorian Pin’s last lap push was enough to secure third, with Emirati racer Hamda Al-Qubaisi in the Red Bull finishing fourth. With fewer than two-tenths of a second separating the top four front runners, today’s qualifying session should be close.

Fifth-placed Bianca Bustamente has had a tough run in the series, having not scored points since Barcelona, however she looked in decent form in the practice run, leading the rest of the midfield.