For the first time in the series’ history, the 2025 F1 Academy cars lit up the track at the Las Vegas GP. Doriane Pin topped the only Free Practice session of the weekend, interrupted by a red flag incident that left no time to improve. Her closest championship contender, Maya Weug, finished second while Chloe Chambers rounded out the top three. Read on for all the Free Practice highlights.
Familiar and New Names Navigate Dropping Temperatures on Track
The stakes were high as the final race weekend of the season began in Free Practice. The track temperature continued to drop as the night fell and Las Vegas lights shone down on the drivers. Lia Block was the first to come up to the top of the timesheet. We had two new faces on the grid, with Rachel Robertson stepping in for Aiva Anagnostiadis for TAG Heuer. There was also the Visit Las Vegas’ wildcard entry, Payton Westcott. Both drivers quickly moved into the top three behind Block early on in the session. Unfortunately, the #57 had a brief encounter with the wall. Meanwhile, Nina Gademan locked up coming into Turn 14. Sectors 2 and 3 continued to light up with yellow flag conditions, but no serious incident occurred. Ella Lloyd, Rafaela Ferreira, and Block were all victims of the run-off corner. Lloyd rushed back onto the track and was noted for doing so unsafely.
The Championship Title Battle Begins
With so many blind corners on a track that is unfamiliar to most on the grid, it was the top two in the championship that held their own. Pin and Weug jumped up to first and second, respectively, before Alisha Palmowski split the two. As a reminder, there are only nine points that separate the Pin and Weug, in what is the closest championship fight in the series. Pin came into the pit lane briefly for some adjustments, her top time of 2:07.967 holding until the end of the session.
Turn 1 Incident Brings Out Red Flags
Despite having a great session so far to come up to the third spot, Chambers found themselves in the barriers at Turn 1 at the bottom of the main straight. After a possible tap on the wall, it appears the suspension had snapped. This led to an uncontrollable front right tyre as the #14 slowly edged the nose of the Red Bull car into the barrier. Being a Free Practice, the time does not stop, and drivers only rejoined in the final minute of the session. However, that left little time for flying laps, and the final time results remained the same.
Qualifying Session to Come
For the final time in the 2025 F1 Academy season, the drivers will line up to qualify for Race 1 and Race 2, which will decide the championship. With a lot on the line for Pin and Weug, as well as several other drivers unsure of their futures in 2026, it’s the last time to prove they are the best of the best.