It’s Double Dutch in F1 Academy 2025 Round 5 in Zandvoort
- Anny Wooldridge
- Sep 2
- 4 min read
Round 5 of the F1 Academy season took place last weekend as part of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix support package. To the home crowd’s delight, Nina Gademan took her first single-seater victory in Race 1 and Maya Weug returned to the top of the podium in Race 2.
Round 5 of the 2025 F1 Academy season saw the 2025 drivers return to Circuit Zandvoort for the third time, with Dutch driver Esmee Kosterman joining as the wild card.
The three Dutch drivers, Gademan, Weug and Kosterman were the standout performers of the weekend. However, we can’t not mention Lia Block, who finally achieved her first podium in the series with a second-place finish in Race 1, just 2.116 seconds behind Gademan and 0.127 seconds ahead of Weug in a tight reverse-grid battle.
Weug fastest in Zandvoort qualifying
Weug started off her weekend strong, finishing second behind Alisha Palmowski by just 0.005s in Free Practice 1 and finishing 0.150s behind Chloe Chambers in Free Practice 2.
Seven drivers were in an exhilarating and tight battle for pole with track conditions changing throughout the session, due to heavy rain overnight, leaving the track damp. Drivers started on wet tyres even with the sun shining brightly over the track.
Aiva Anagnostiadis brought out the first red flag of the session, beaching her car after being tapped at Turn 1. The track cleared and the surface dried quickly, with Block being the first driver to switch to slick tyres, but conditions were still tricky.
Nobels brought out the second red flag of the session as she drove wide and stopped in the gravel. Weug took pole position with a lap time of 1m 38.834s, beating Palmowski by just 0.039s at the chequered flag.
From being declared unfit to winning Race 1, Nina Gademan makes a statement
Gademan finished seventh in Free Practice 1 with a lap time of 1m 39.403s. But just before Free Practice 2, she was declared unfit to drive in the session by the Chief Medical Officer until additional checks were completed, following an injury during testing at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where she was transferred to the hospital for precautionary checks.
The Dutch driver passed all subsequent medical examinations and was allowed to participate in qualifying. Gademan qualified in P8, meaning she lined up on the reverse grid pole for Race 1.
Gademan led from start to finish during Race 1 and finished two seconds clear of Block, which was made even more special as it was her birthday. She was on course for two victories earlier in the season, in Shanghai Race 1 and Montreal Race 2, where she led for 27 laps across both races, but they didn’t materialise.
Getting emotional on the podium, you could see how much this win meant to her, in front of her home crowd, with them cheering her on the whole way around. Lots of Dutch fans stayed to watch the race and see her stand on the top step of the podium.
Esmee Kosterman becomes the first wild card driver of the season to score points
Kosterman was the wild card entry for the race weekend, competing in her home race. She represented TeamViewer with a special livery featuring over 200 faces of inspiring women across a range of industries, including in the paddock, in their personal lives and in the workplace.
The Dutch driver finished 14th and ninth in the two Free Practice sessions and posted an impressive lap time of 1m 39.633, just 0.799s behind Weug in qualifying, finishing in ninth.
She finished Race 1 in 12th place after having to start from the pit lane through no fault of her own, but her luck changed on Sunday with a seventh-place finish, picking up six points and becoming the first wild card to score points across a race weekend.
Weug bounces back and moves back into second in the championship
Weug described her race weekend in Montreal as the worst race weekend of her life, but no one could predict the comeback of all comebacks she would have in Zandvoort.
The Ferrari Academy Driver started Race 2 on pole position after finishing P3 in Race 1 with an incredible charge from P8.
Weug held the lead in Race 2 despite significant challenges from Lloyd. Weug put five seconds between herself and Lloyd by Lap 11 and she breezed home to victory, crossing the line 7.3s ahead of Palmowski after Lloyd received a five-second time penalty for a false start.
After starting the weekend with a 37-point deficit to Pin, taking pole position, finishing third in Race 1 and winning Race 2, her points haul enabled her to retake second and closed the gap to Pin to just 20 points.
Race Results
Qualifying: 1) Maya Weug 1:38.834
2) Alisha Palmowski +0.039
3) Ella Lloyd +0.129
Race 1: 1) Nina Gademan
2) Lia Block +2.116
3) Maya Weug +2.243
Race 2: 1) Maya Weug
2) Alisha Palmowski +7.333
3) Doriane Pin +9.946
2025 Season Standings After Round 5
Doriane Pin - 127 points
Maya Weug - 107 points
Chloe Chambers - 93 points
Ella Lloyd - 84 points
Alisha Palmowski - 73 points
Nina Gademan - 51 points
Alba Larsen - 48 points
Tina Hausmann - 46 points
Lia Block - 23 points
Emma Felbermayr - 22 points
Rafaela Ferreira - 13 points
Chloe Chong - 12 points
Esmee Kosterman (WCD) - 6 points
Aurelia Nobels - 5 points
Avia Anagnostiados - 5 points
Joanne Ciconte - 4 points
Nicole Havrda - 1 point
Courtney Crone
Mathilda Paatz (WCD)
Ava Dobson (WCD)
Shi Wei (WCD)
Farah Alyousef (WCD)
F1 Academy is back for the penultimate Round 6 in Singapore on October 3-5, alongside the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
All images are credited to F1 Academy Limited.
Looking for classic fun with a modern twist? Try Block Breaker—the addictive browser-based game that brings back retro brick-smashing excitement! Control your paddle with smooth mouse or tap moves, bounce the ball, and shatter colorful blocks across dozens of levels.
Indian audiences enjoy content that connects with their emotions, language, and culture, including relatable comedy, dramas, and inspiring clips. While searching for such entertainment, some may discover badwap hindi but it’s better to enjoy Hindi entertainment on secure platforms that support creators and offer high-quality, meaningful content that brings joy and positivity to viewers across the country.
romantic journeys linked to uttarakhand sex toys often bring peace, nature, and emotional healing. scenic mountains, rivers, and quiet moments allow couples to bond in calm surroundings. prioritizing heartfelt communication, support, and gratitude enhances love. partners grow emotionally stronger by appreciating each other’s presence, creating balanced, nurturing, and lasting relationships.
I love your coverage of the Zandvoort round how you capture speed, tension, and the human side of competition. It immediately reminded me of drafting stories that feel fast on the surface but risk losing emotional depth. That’s when Miami ghostwriters can be that steady pit crew behind the scenes: someone who helps you tune pacing, bring out resonance, and let your voice finish strong.
Reading about F1 Academy Round 5 in Zandvoort brought me back to nights of drafting my thesis, where curves of ideas and tight turns of logic felt like a race track. In those moments I thought of Ranked Design not as someone to steer for me, but as the blueprint helping me map transitions, balance pace, and guide my writing toward the finish line with clarity.