The streets of Las Vegas saw the final round of the 2025 F1 Academy season this weekend, with a driver’s championship battle that was raced until the line! Coming into the weekend, French driver Dorianne Pin led the all women junior series championship from Dutch racer Maya Weug by just 9 points and, with a maximum of 39 points up for grabs from the final race weekend, it was all to play for!
Qualifying for this weekend took place on Friday morning, with 2 points up for grabs, going to the polesitter. We saw a whole host of leaders throughout this session, with Pin & Weug taking the top 2 spots to begin with. The field looked relatively close throughout, including the 2 drivers who were racing for the first time this weekend; Payton Wescott the wildcard entry and Rachel Robertson driving for TAG HEUER, covering for an injured Aiva Anagnostiadis. As qualifying progressed, it became a similar story at the front, with Chloe Chambers putting in several fastest laps in her fight for 3rd place in the championship against Welsh driver Ella Lloyd, who seemed to be struggling in qualifying. 16-year-old Danish driver Alba Larsen also showed good form in qualifying, applying constant pressure on the usual leaders.
At the end of the session, it was a familiar sight for pole, with Chambers taking her 4th pole of the season, the most of any driver this year. She was followed by Alisha Palmowski, Alba Larsen, Doriane Pin, Maya Weug, Tina Hausmann and Emma Felbermayr with Nina Gademan rounding out the top 8 and subsequently taking pole for the reverse grid race this weekend, which sees the top 8 on the grid flip starting positions in a race that awards points to the top 8 finishers.
The sprint race this weekend was full of chaos. Wet weather conditions meant a lack of grip and before the race even started, championship contender Maya Weug shunted into the back of Hausmann, taking both out of the race. Gademan led away after a start behind the safety car but was quickly passed by a flying Alba Larsen, the 16-year-old determined for her first podium in the series. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as a brief lift of the throttle in the final corner sent her car into a spin and out of the race at the end of lap 4.
Lap 6 saw Lloyd attempt a move for 4th but run deep and hit the barrier, damaging her battle for 3rd in the championship along with her car. After another brief safety car stint, Pin overtook Gademan for the lead as teammates Palmowski and Chambers battled too hard for 3rd, eventually leaving Chambers in the barrier. Post-race, Palmowski’s car was disqualified for a technical infringement and she subsequently lost her hard fought 3rd place finish. Pin took victory and fastest lap (maximum points) from the reverse grid race, followed by Gademan, Aurelia Nobels (who started 16th and achieved her first podium of her F1 Academy campaign), stand-in driver Roberston, Lia Block, wildcard driver Westcott, Courtney Crone & Rafaella Ferreira.
Due to her DNF in the reverse grid race (along with her title rival’s victory), it was imperative for Maya Weug to win the final race of the season to be in with any hope of the championship, now trailing Pin by 20 points. The feature race saw a dry start on Saturday evening, with Chambers making a good start and holding a commanding lead over the trailing Palmowski. Towards the back of the grid, Wescott and Joanne Ciconte tangled, taking both cars out of the race, causing a safety car. On the restart, Pin and Weug shot past Larsen, bumping the Dane down to 5th as the two title rivals squabbled for 3rd. Eventually, Weug made the move on Pin, being followed through 2 laps later by Larsen but, with Chambers several seconds up the road, there was little Weug could do to make up her championship deficit. The race finished with Chambers taking home the final win of the year in a commanding display over Palmowski, Weug, Larsen, Pin, Lloyd, Gademan, Hausman, Ferreira & Nobels.
In the end, Dorianne Pin won the F1 Academy title by 15 points to Maya Weug, with Pin never finishing outside the top 6 all season, scoring in 100% of the races. Pin’s consistency rivals that of last years champion Abbi Pulling and, after finishing second to Pulling last year, it’s amazing to see the growth Doriane has undergone to take this year’s championship. Chambers ended up beating rookie Lloyd to third in the overall standings but, with F1 Academy’s rule of a 2-season maximum, Ella Lloyd will head into the 2026 season with all eyes on her. Other rookies such as Palmowski, Gademan and Larsen will be hoping to take the fight to Lloyd next season, as will the next group of rookies who enter F1 Academy in 2026… see you then!