Race cancelled at Qatar Grand Prix weekend after crash damage

The Qatar Grand Prix weekend became one race shorter on Sunday, with a last-minute cancellation.

Organisers were forced to call off the F1 Academy race in Lusail after a crash in the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East support race damaged the barriers at the track.

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That meant that F1 Academy drivers had to hang around on the grid waiting to find out if – or when – they'd actually start racing.

In the event, the repairs to the barrier took so long that the race was cancelled altogether, meaning that Abbi Pulling was unable to add to her astonishing record of seven wins in 11 races in 2024, which saw her win the championship with three races (now two) remaining on Saturday.

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F1 Academy race cancelled in Qatar

Speaking after securing the title with her second place in the Saturday race in Qatar, Pulling said: "It's been a tougher season than most things. Going into the year, I had no choice to win. I've struggled financially in the past and to get the prize for next year.

"I know it's so early to talk about next year, but that makes me so happy and incredibly proud.

"I can't thank everyone who has got me in this position - Alpine, Rodin, Rodin Cars, I can't thank them enough. All my family, all the sacrifices my dad made. It's just a sigh of relief."

We will have a slight delay to the start due to ongoing barrier repair after an earlier incident #F2 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/DMUhCAUQje

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) December 1, 2024

The Formula 2 race that was meant to follow the F1 Academy race was also delayed in starting, and was eventually won by soon-to-be-F1 reserve driver Paul Aron, whose new role at Alpine was announced this week.

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