The final race. A championship decider. It all came down to the wire at the Las Vegas GP.But it was Doriane Pin who took home the title of 2025 F1 Academy Champion. The #28 finished in fifth, while Chloe Chambers gave a rendition of ‘Viva Las Vegas’ on the radio after taking a home race win. It was a race one-two for Campos Racing as Alisha Palmowski managed to keep Maya Weug at bay, with the Scuderia Ferrari-supporting driver landing in the runner-up spot of the championship. Read on for the F1 Academy Race 2 coverage.
Last Race, Last Points, Last Championship Chance
There were plenty of drivers on track looking for a better result after the reverse-grid Race 1 the day before. Palmowski was disqualified when post-race checks on her Red Bull Racing car showed a breach in regulations. The breach in question? An incorrect Belleville stack configuration, affecting load capacity. As a result, Aurelia Nobels received her first F1 Academy podium.
Nicole Havrda picked up a 10-second stop and go penalty for going into the pit lane after the formation lap. Since the penalty was not served in the race, they received a converted 30-second time infringement.
One driver who really needed a better final race was Weug. After the formation lap incident that took her and Tina Hausman out before the first race of the weekend, this left Pin to take the win and increase her chances of taking out the championship in the final race. For Weug to get the title, she had to win the race with Pin finishing in seventh or lower.
Early Dives After A Clean Start Before Yellow Flag Incident
As the sun set on the Las Vegas circuit, the drivers took off from the grid for the formation lap. Emma Felbermayr once again was left at a standstill after experiencing clutch issues. The #5 driver started from the pit lane for the second time this weekend.
Thankfully, there were no other formation lap issues this time around as drivers returned for lights out. Alba Larsen ran a touch wide with Pin within attacking range on her rear tyre. Palmowski broke late and bounced over the kerb to fend Larsen off while Chambers sped ahead in front. As well as trying to overtake Larsen, Pin was within reach of Weug, who started to test the defence reactions of the #26.
Yellow flags were out in Sectors 1 and 2 as Joanne Ciconte and wildcard entry Payton Westcott both lost the rear in a synchronised spin, the latter colliding with the wall. On later review, it appeared that Rachel Robertson caused the incident. The TAG Heuer replacement driver was handed a ten-second time penalty. With suspension damage and the two cars obstructing the corner, the safety car was brought out to guide the rest of the grid through. Courtney Crone was told by their team that they had overtaken Lia Block out of the track limits. However, the #7 was adamant that they had made the move legally. There were no further ramifications between the ART Grand Prix teammates in the race, but that could change if the FIA race directors find that an infringement did occur.
Battles and Speed Increase In the Second Half
As the safety car returned, the race restarted with fireworks flaring between the front pack. Pin went up the inside of Larsen early to go into third. Weug took the opportunity to follow past the #12 to chase Pin. Ella Lloyd made a brilliant move around Hausman to climb up into seventh. After being investigated for moving before the signal at the start, Havrda was given a 5-second time penalty.
Corner after corner, Weug closed in on Pin before finally making a brave move on the brakes on the outside of Turn 1. However, the championship was still in Pin’s hands as she remained in fourth. Palmowski was the next target on Weug’s radar, but the #21 did not make it easy as Pin caught up. This three-way battle allowed Larsen to come past the title leader, while Chambers was left to lead the race by over four seconds as the fastest on track.
In the final lap, another three-way battle for sixth ensued between Nina Gademan, Lloyd, and Hausman. However, for the lead group, there were no turns left as Chambers crossed the line, followed by Campos Racing teammate Palmowski, and Weug. With Pin finishing fifth, she secured enough points to be crowned the 2025 F1 Academy Champion. The Prema Racing driver returned to the pit lane with celebrations from fellow Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, as well as Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Principal, Toto Wolff.
A Heartfelt Farewell For Those Exiting Series
For Chloe Chong, Chambers, Lia Block, Hausman, Weug, and Pin, it was a fantastic last race to end their F1 Academy racing careers. However, with each one of them being a talented driver in their own right, their futures look bright, and we look forward to seeing where their racing careers take them. This means a new selection of rookies will join the paddock next year as we look to crown a new champion in 2026.