It was a tough weekend for the French Driver; after a promising qualifying, starting the races in 6th and 4th respectively, the first race of the weekend saw her drop 2 positions despite overtaking Bustamante off of the line, and maintaining the position to finish in 5th, however, due to a 10 second penalty for causing a collision on the final lap of the race, finished in 8th, picking up her first championship points of the season. In race 2 she started in 4th and lost 2 positions early to both Marti and Chambers, with Chambers receiving a 5 second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. The Charlotte Tilbury driver managed to re overtake Chambers 2 laps later, before ultimately locking up into the first corner resulting in a spin and a collision with the number 57 car of Lia block. This brought out the safety car, and forced Lovinfosse to retire.

Our grade for Lovinfosse is a C+, as despite the DNF in race 2, Lovinfosse demonstrated some obvious pace, picked up 4 points and is currently sitting in 13th after the first round. 

The Dutch driver struggled during both Qualifying sessions in Jeddah, resulting in a back of the grid start in both races. And, despite a hard fought battle with the Number 15 car of Carrie Schriener, that led to the second safety car of the race, De Heus ultimately was unable to make it into a points-paying position in either of the races. This means she sits in 16th in the driver standings after the first weekend.

Our grade for Emily De Heus is a C-, as despite showing some great race craft to make up places in the race, her qualifying pace could not compete with the other drivers on the grid, and as a result was unable to score any points in Saudi Arabia.

Al Quabaisi’s weekend started out slower than she would have liked, finishing in 13th and 12th in Q1 and Q2 respectively. However When it came to the races, the Emirati Driver showed some real pace, and after a hard battle with Auriela Nobels, finished in 9th. In race 2 She was on fire, climbing from 12th, racing hard against her sister Amna, and the number 57 Williams of Lia Block, to finish the race in 7th on the track, but due to post race penalties was promoted to 5th.

Our grade for Hamda Al Quabaisi is a B, as she showed great race pace, cleanly pulling off multiple overtakes to gain 4 positions in race one and 5 positions in race 2, leaving her 8th in driver standings. However, her Qualifying pace brings down what was otherwise an incredible weekend for Al Quabaisi.

The Brit had an incredible all around weekend, finishing both qualifying sessions in second. In race one she was unable to catch Doriane Pin, who finished the race eight tenths ahead of Pulling. She did however defend second comfortably for Maya Weug in the number 64 car, and also picked up a bonus point for setting the fastest lap of the race. In the second race Pulling tried to keep Pin in check, but was unable to find any opportunities to pass the French driver after either of the safety-car restarts. It looked as though Pulling would have to settle for back to back P.2 finishes, but following a post race drive through penalty for Pin, Pulling was promoted to the race winner, and now sits at the top of the driver standings after the first weekend.

Our Grade for Abi Pulling is an A, as her pace meant she was the only person who could threaten Pin at any point during either race, and leaves her leading the championship after the first weekend in Jeddah.

The American former W series racer showed off her experience over a solid weekend. She finished qualifying in 8th and 6th, and looked deadly on track. In race one she overtook Lia book on the second lap, and forced the number 16 car of Bianca Bustamante into an error, allowing her to slip by into turn one of the following lap. Her skillful driving resulted in her making her way all the way up to finish in P.4. In the second race she looked equally quick, however after emerging ahead of Lola Lovinfosse after turn 8, She was given a 5 second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Two laps later Lovinfosse managed to regain the position, where Chambers locked up into the first corner, resulting in a second penalty, demoting her from 6th to 10th after the race. She finished the weekend 6th in the championship standings.

Our grade for Chloe Chambers is a B, as she is clearly a quick and experienced driver, and if she can replicate the success of the first race of the weekend, she will be a force to be reckoned with over the rest of the season. Her Penalties in the second race bring her grade down in what was otherwise a great weekend for the Haas driver.

The German driver was another who struggled in qualifying, failing to make it into the top 10 in either session, finishing in 12th and 11th. Despite her struggles in qualifying, she showed her ability to race cleanly and managed to find her way into points-paying positions in both of the races. In the first race she came home in 10th, and despite a spin late in the race, she finished the second race 12th on the track, which after all the penalties saw Schriener claim 7th, leaving her P.10 in the championship standings.

Our Grade for Carrie Schriener is a C, as she struggled for pace across the whole weekend, however she drove 2 clean races, claiming points in both, and it will be interesting to see how she handles round 2 in Miami.

It was an up and down week for the Filipina driver, as she looked good in the first qualifying session in 5th, but her best lap was only good enough for 10th in the second session. An early mistake in race one allowed the number 14 car of Chloe Chambers to overtake her. She held onto 6th which became 5th due to a Lovinfosse Penalty. In the second race she fought her way up to 7th, which she defended from bothe Al Qubaisi sisters. This became 6th after post race penalties. Bustamante sits in 4th in the standings after the first weekend.

Our grade for Bianca Bustamante is a B+. The only thing holding her back from an A ranking was her second Qualifying session, however her race pace shows she’s definitely a driver to look out for going into the second round of the season.

The weekend was a rollercoaster for Jessica Edgar. She finished in 9th and 10th in Q1 and Q2 respectively. In the first race she looked good, chasing down the battling Lia Block and Tina Haussmann, sneaking through to claim 8th temporarily. However she picked up a puncture and as a result ended the race a lap down, as the last of the finishers. Race 2 however was a different story altogether. Edgar kept out of trouble throughout the race, and moved up to finish in 6th. Post race penalties promoted Edgar all the way up to fourth, and despite a disappointing race 1, she finds herself 7th in the championship standings.

Our grade for Jessica Edgar is a B. It was a weekend of highs and lows for the 18 year-old, but if she can replicate the success of the second race and find a little more speed in qualifying, she might find herself fighting for podium positions as the season progresses.

It was a story of two very different races for the Swiss driver in Jeddah. After Qualifying in 11th and 7th, race 1 saw her going three wide with Nobels and Edgar into turn one, emerging ahead and moving up to ninth on just the first lap. She continued  to show great pace, and brought the car home in 7th, which became 6th following lovinfosse’s penalty. Her second race however was no doubt a disappointing result for Hausmann. The Aston Martin driver experienced mechanical issues, and found herself down in 12th after the first lap. Forced to pit early, Hausmann finished in 13th, down a lap and as the last of the finishers. Her great effort in the first race means she currently holds P.9 In the championship standings.

Our Grade for Tina Hausmann is a B, as she was very good in the first race, but due to her issues in the second race it’s hard to give her a higher rating this time around.

It was a slow start to the season for Aurelia Nobels. She started the races in 9th and 8th following qualifying. The Brazilian showed some great race craft to get into P.8 in race one, and defended the position from Hamda Al Qubaisi in an intense battle that lasted all the way to the chequered flag. Following penalties, this became 7th. Her second race however ended early, as Amna Al Quabasi collided with the Puma Driver’s rear wing, forcing Nobels to retire the car. She ended the weekend at 9th in the standings.

Our rating for Aurelia Nobels is a C+. Whilst the results of the second race were un- lucky, she was fighting for 7th position at the time, however only finishing one race brings her overall grade down.

Doriane Pin showed the world she’s the driver to beat with a dominant showing over the entire weekend. She finished P.1 in both Qualifying sessions, as well as both races, with the fastest lap in the second race. She was lightning fat with no help from slipstream, and showed immense composure after all of the safety car restarts. Despite the penalty in the second race, the French driver showed she is absolutely the one to beat this year. The penalty means she ends the weekend P3 in the championship despite her dominance.

Our Grade for Doriane Pin is an A+, despite picking up a 20 second penalty in the second race for taking the chequered flag twice, her pace and dominance was undeniable.

It was a promising start to the weekend for the Spanish driver, as she finished in 4th and 5th in the qualifying sessions. Martí was running in 4th for most of the race until Lovinfosse clipped her into turn 1, causing the Tommy Hilfiger car to spin into the barrier, bringing her race to a premature end. Race 2 went much better for Martí, slipping past Lovinfosse into turn 2, and holding the position all the way to the line. Following Pin’s penalty, the Spanish driver was promoted to P.3, earning her her first podium finish of the year. Marti now sits at 5th in the standings.

Our Grade for Nerea Martí is a B, the race one DNF is holding her back, but she showed a lot of pace throughout the whole weekend, and will likely be competing for podiums throughout the season.

It was a weekend to forget for the American Williams driver. She managed to Qualify in 7th in the first session of Qualifying, but could only manage 13th the second time round. In race one she was in 8th on the penultimate lap, and chasing down the Mclaren of Bianca Bustamante, when she hit a kerb and spun into the barriers, bringing her race to an end. In race two she could only manage to move up to 11th, these two non-point scoring finishes, means she is sat in second to last place in the standings after the first weekend.

Our grade for Lia Block is a D, as she struggled over the whole weekend, as was unable to score any points. However, the majority of her first race was solid, and definitely gives her something to build on.

Maya Weug had a consistently great weekend in Saudi Arabia, She finished both qualifying sessions in 3rd as well as both of the races. The Dutch driver was unable to get past the equally pacey Abbi Pulling in either of the races, but she defended 3rd comfortably and showed she can more than hold her own at the front of the grid. After Pin’s penalty, Weug moved up to 2nd in race two, and 2nd in the driver standings.

Our grade for Maya Weug is an A, she is clearly a driver who will be in constant competition for podium places throughout the entirety of the season.

After Struggling in Qualifying and the first race, things didn’t look great for the Emirati driver. After finishing Qualifying in 15th and 14th respectively, she faced a long uphill battle if she wanted to make it to the points-paying positions. After contact forced her to pit early into race one, Al Quabaisi was only able to make it up to 13th place. But in race two she fought all the way to 6th place, but in doing so caused a collision with Nobels, seeing her ultimately finish in 8th after penalties. She is currently 12th in the championship.

Our Grade for Amna Al Quabaisi is a C, as she was poor in qualifying and race one, however she showed real skill to make it up to 6th in the second race, if she can replicate this success, there’s no doubt she’ll be fighting for points every race.

This round’s wildcard driver had a rough weekend. The Saudi driver finished 14th in both qualifying sessions, and could not find much improvement in either of the races. Juffali managed to make her way up to 11th in the first race, but following a crash whilst taking avoiding action in the second race, she was forced to retire the car. She is 14th in the driver standings.

Our Grade for Reema Juffali is a D, as the hometown favourite struggled for pace, and was unable to score any points over the weekend.