Doriane Pin held her nerve in Race 2 at the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix. While only fifth on the road, Pin secured the 2025 F1 Academy Champion ahead of Maya Weug.
In the final race of the season, Chloe Chambers charged ahead of the field to secure her second victory of the year. Alisha Palmowksi bounced back to hold off Weug to claim second in Race 2 in Las Vegas.
This Weekend So Far…
Championship leader Doriane Pin led the only practice session around Las Vegas. While it was Chloe Chambers, who added another pole position to her resume in the F1 Academy Qualifying. Chambers ended the session with a strong 0.380s gap back to Alisha Palmowski, with Alba Larsen narrowly behind in third place. Championship contenders Pin and Weug will line up next to each other for both races, qualifying fourth and fifth respectively.
Pin extended her points lead over Weug in a dramatic Race 1 in Las Vegas. A crash during the formation lap left both Weug and Tina Hausmann out of the race before it had even begun. Safety cars plagued the penultimate race of the season, with Ella Lloyd, Alba Larsen and Chloe Chambers all ending up in the wall. A late overtake by Pin allowed her to claim her fourth victory of the season. A strong performance by Nina Gademan, who finished second, allowed for Prema to secure the team’s championship. While a post race disqualification for Palmowksi, allowed Aurelia Nobels to claim her first F1 Academy podium.
Championship Battle
With Pin sitting a comfortable 20 points ahead of Weug, the battle is still on heading into the final race of the season. In a mammoth effort form Weug, she will need to win Race 2 with Pin finishing at least 7th in order to be the 2025 F1 Academy Champion. If Pin finishes 6th or higher, she will become the third champion in F1 Academy following Marta Garcia and Abby Pulling.
With Pin and Weug starting forth and fifth respectively, the race is sure the be as dramatic as yesterdays.
Lights Out On The Finale
It was a clean start to the final race of the season, with all cars clean through the first few laps. Felbermayr, who qualified seventh, was forced to start from the pitman after another clutch issue during the formation lap.
Chambers was able to pull away as Larsen and Palmowksi battled for second. Behind them, Pin and Weug were in the fight for fourth, with the Ferrari backed driver attempting an overtake at the start of the second lap.
The clean track didn’t last long, as Payton Westcott and Joanne Ciconte both spun out during Lap 3. The American wildcard ended up in the barrier as both cars were unable to continue. With the safety car out, the field was brought together with 9 laps to go.
Green flag
The green flag was out and the cars were racing again on Lap 6. Chambers gets a good restart, pulling away from her Campos teammate Palmowksi. With the field together again, Pin was quick to pass Larsen for third. Larsen was then passed by MP Motorsport teammate Weug.
Across the Las Vegas Strip, Ella Lloyd, who qualified tenth, passed Hausmann for seventh. While the field settled into a rhythm, penalties for the stewards were coming through. Rachel Robertson picked up a 10 second time penalty for causing a collision with Ciconte and Westcott. Nicole Havrda picked up a five second time penalty for a false start.
With five laps to go, the top four were separated by less than two seconds. Weug picked up the fastest lap, as she continued to gain on championship rival Pin across the Strip.
It was two laps later when Weug would make her move, passing Pin into turn one, claiming third in the race. Weug was quick to take the fight to Palmowski. On Lap 11, Weug used a tow to pass Palmwoksi on the strip, claiming second. Palmwoksi was quick to fight back, taking the position back through Turn 1.
With Chambers escaping up the road, the next four drivers were all within two seconds of each other. Larsen passed Pin for fourth on the penultimate lap, while further back, Lloyd passed Gademan for sixth.
The fastest lap point proved to be crucial, with Chambers picking up after Lap 12. The Campos Racing driver, who is supported by Red Bull Ford, was over four seconds clear of Palmwoksi in second.
Checkered Flag on the 2025 Season
The checkered flag was waved and it was Chambers who secured her second win of the season. Her win was crucial in securing third place in the driver standings ahead of Lloyd. Behind her, Palmowksi held off Weug for second.
A third place wasn’t enough for Ferrari suppoerted Weug, with Pin claiming the 2025 F1 Academy Championship. Consistency was key for the Mercedes supported driver, who had managed to score points in every race since she joined the series in 2024. Pin was joined in pit lane by her Prema and Mercedes team, as she celebrated her Championship.
Chamber wrapped up final race in F1 Academy with a win, helping Campos Racing secure second in the team’s championship, just one point ahead of MP Motorsport.
Lloyd, who will be back racing with McLaren for the 2026 season, was the highted place rookie driver ahead of Palmowski and Gademan.
F1 Academy will be back in 2026 for its fourth season. New sponsored cars and some fresh faces will be on display in Shanghai in March 2026.
Feature Image Credits: F1 Academy