PREVIEW: F1 Academy returns as Zandvoort beckons for Round 5
- Anny Wooldridge
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
F1 Academy is back this weekend (August 29-31) for Round 5 in Zandvoort, the Netherlands. Abbi Pulling took the win in Race 1 and Doriane Pin took the win in Race 2 in 2024… will the Mercedes junior make it back on the podium in 2025 to extend her championship lead?
Zandvoort is one of the most complex and physically demanding circuits on this year’s calendar, testing both the cars and drivers to the limit.
The circuit has banked corners and fast-flowing high-speed sections, with sand often found scattered across the track due to its close proximity to the beach. The rolling dunes, seaside air and dedicated Dutch fans provide a unique atmosphere where anything can happen.
The circuit isn’t the only challenge these drivers face; the unpredictable weather always throws up a curveball, with sunshine one minute and rain and strong winds the next. Last year, both the qualifying session and Race 1 were disrupted by heavy rain and strong winds, with Race 1 having to be postponed and rescheduled to Sunday morning.
Keep an eye on Ella Lloyd this weekend, who gained her first podium finish in British F4 with a third-place finish around Zandvoort in July and Pin, who won Race 2 last season.
Montreal recap
The series visited Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve for the first time, with German driver Mathilda Paatz joining as the wild card.
Due to Miami’s cancelled race, a third race was added to the schedule for the Montreal race weekend, featuring a different set of rules and regulations specifically for Montreal.
Pin, Lloyd, Chloe Chambers and Nina Gadman were the stand-out performers of the race weekend, with Pin and Chambers taking one race win each, with Race 2 being won by Emma Felbermayr.
Read our complete round-up of the F1 Academy Round 4 in Montreal.
Race weekend format
The 2025 season introduced a change to the weekend format, which is now split into three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Up to two practice sessions, each lasting up to 40 minutes, take place on Friday. A 30-minute qualifying session will take place on either Friday or Saturday, depending on the number of practice sessions allocated.
Saturday will host Race 1, and following this season's reform of the Sporting Regulations, it will be a reverse grid race.
The reverse grid race means that the top eight drivers from qualifying will be reversed on the grid, while the drivers that finish between P9 and P18 will start from the position they qualify in. In this race, only the first eight drivers will earn points and the driver who records the fastest lap and finishes in the top eight will score an extra point.
Race 1 points allocation:
P1 - 10 points
P2 - 8 points
P3 - 6 points
P4 - 5 points
P5 - 4 points
P6 - 3 points
P7 - 2 points
P8 - 1 point
Race 2 has no changes from previous seasons, with drivers starting from the position that they qualified in. The first 10 drivers to cross the chequered flag will earn points on a sliding scale from 25 points to the winner and down to one point to the driver finishing in P10.
The driver who earns Pole Position for Race 2 will earn two extra points. The driver who sets the fastest lap will earn an additional point if they finish the race within the top 10.
Race 2 points allocation:
P1 - 25 points
P2 - 18 points
P3 - 15 points
P4 - 12 points
P5 - 10 points
P6 - 8 points
P7 - 6 points
P8 - 4 points
P9 - 2 points
P10 - 1 point
What’s the schedule for the race weekend?
Round 5 begins on Friday, 29 August, with Free Practice 1 at 09:10 and Free Practice 2 at 16:30. This year’s qualifying session will take place at 09:25 on Saturday, 30 August.
Race 1 will take place on Saturday, 30 August, at 16:05 and Race 2 will take place on Sunday, 31 August, at 09:40
All times are in British Summer Time (BST).
Who is the wild card entry?
Dutch driver Esmee Kosterman will make her F1 Academy debut in Zandvoort. Esmee will drive car number 86, which will be sporting a special edition livery representing TeamViewer, highlighting innovators and changemakers driving progress, on and off the track.Â
The livery will feature over 200 women role models who have inspired women across a range of industries, in workplaces, paddocks and their personal lives.
Esmee’s race number 86 symbolises findings from TeamViewer’s Women in Sport Tech report (in collaboration with Loughborough University London), indicating that 86% of women believe that having visible female leaders is key to gender equality in the workplace.
The 20-year-old from Wijk bij Duurstede in the Netherlands has raced in three British Formula 4 races this season with appearances at Silverstone, Snetterton and Zandvoort. She has previously raced and scored points in Indian F4, the Dutch Supercar Challenge, BMW M2 Cup and the Lamera Cup.
Everything you need to know about the Circuit Zandvoort
The first F1 Academy race around Circuit Zandvoort was held in 2023 as part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix race weekend.
Races 1 and 2 will cover a distance of 72.403km over 17 laps. The circuit length is 4.259km, with 14 corners and the fastest lap is held by Hamda Al Qubaisi in 2023 with a 1:35.926s lap time.
The Circuit Zandvoort is located in the dunes north of Zandvoort near the North Sea coast, just 35km (40minutes) west of Amsterdam.
2025 Season Standings After Round 4
Doriane Pin - 109 points
Chloe Chambers - 89 points
Maya Weug - 72 points
Ella Lloyd - 67 points
Alisha Palmowski - 53 points
Alba Larsen - 46 points
Tina Hausmann - 36 points
Nina Gademan - 33 points
Emma Felbermayr - 21 points
Lia Block - 15 points
Chloe Chong - 11 point
Rafaela Ferreira - 9 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)
The F1 Academy qualifying session, Race 1 and Race 2 throughout the season can be streamed on F1 Academy’s YouTube, X Channels, F1 TV and Sky Sports F1.
All images are credited to F1 Academy Limited.