Fourth place reward for Jess Edgar on opening F1 Academy weekend

Fourth place reward for Jess Edgar on opening F1 Academy weekend

Fourth place reward for Jess Edgar on opening F1 Academy weekend

Cumbrian based racer Jess Edgar claimed a well-earned fourth place finish on the opening weekend of the F1 Academy season, taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

After securing her maiden series victory in Austin last year, the teenager returned with Rodin Motorsport for the new campaign, which will race solely alongside the Formula 1 World Championship in 2024.

Battling for pace through practice and qualifying, the 18-year-old was a little disappointed to line up 10th and ninth for the two races on the streets alongside the Jeddah coastline.

In the opening contest Jess ran well, looking to find a way past those ahead. After six of the planned 12 laps, as Lia Block and Tina Hausmann held each other up, the teenager saw the opportunity to gain two places, getting a good drive out of the final corner and pulling alongside down the pit straight to pass both.

Sadly, Hausmann then made contact with Jess’ rear wheel, causing a puncture which was compounded by the fact that she then had to complete a full lap before being able to pit. By that point, a lap down, there was little she could do make up ground, finishing 15th.

Jess had a good start to race two, coming out of the first chicane in seventh position. Sitting right behind Lola Lovinfosse and Chloe Chambers, she swept past both as they tangled into turn one to gain fifth, and almost pulled moves on Nerea Martí on two occasions, before settling for that spot at the flag. However, with post-race penalties applied, Jess would be moved up to fourth in the rankings.

She will return to F1 Academy action over the weekend of May 3rd-5th, as the series heads to Miami International Autodrome, racing around the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.

Championship: 7 (12 points)

Jess Commented: “It was great to start the F1 Academy season with Rodin Motorsport. Jeddah was a tough weekend as we weren’t quite on the pace, so finished qualifying with P10 and P9, which meant it was going to be tough to get a result.”

“In race one I had a puncture after contact from another driver, so ended up finishing a lap down. In race two I think I made the most of the opportunities I had and was really happy to finish P4, as I’m not sure we could have done much more with the pace we had. Looking ahead to Miami, we will work hard over the next eight weeks to see where we can find a bit more pace, so hopefully we will be fighting at the front.”

Race winner Jess Edgar makes return to F1 Academy for 2024 season

Race winner Jess Edgar makes return to F1 Academy for 2024 season

Race winner Jess Edgar makes return to F1 Academy for 2024 season

British motorsport star Jess Edgar will make a return to F1 Academy this season. A race winner last year, she will once again join forces with Rodin Motorsport.

The 18-year-old competed in the series last year, taking her maiden victory at Circuit of the Americas alongside the United States Grand Prix, and finished with four podiums in total and started from pole position on one occasion.

Prior to that, Jess began karting in 2010, becoming champion of the Cumbria Kart Racing Club in Rowrah in 2017 and winning several races in Mini X30 the following year. In 2019, the youngster finished second at the Motorsport UK Kartmasters Grand Prix and fourth in the British Kart Championship and represented the United Kingdom in the FIA Motorsport Games.

She made her car racing debut in 2022, competing in the inaugural season of the GB4 Championship, scoring a podium finish en route to seventh in the Drivers’ standings, ending the year with 12 top ten finishes in the final 13 races.

After a successful launch last year, the 2024 F1 Academy will now have all seven race weekends on the Formula One World Championship calendar. The season opens over the weekend of March 8/9, in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), travelling thereafter to Miami (USA), Barcelona (Spain), Zandvoort (Netherlands), Marina Bay (Singapore), Lusail (Qatar), and finishing at Yas Marina (UAE) in December.

Jess Commented: “I am really excited to be working with Rodin Motorsport once again this year. We had a good 2023, constantly improving each time we went out in the car, and I hope we can do the same. I would like to say a big thank you to Rodin Motorsport for the opportunity to return to the F1 Academy grid and keep building on what I learned last year.”

Benn Huntingford, Rodin Motorsport Team Manager: “Jess showed brilliant potential in F1 Academy with us last year, and we are really excited to work with her again this season. We ended the 2023 season on a high in Austin, so it will be really exciting to see how Jess develops further with us this season.”