Beyond the Checkered Flag

F1 Academy/F1

After seven exciting rounds of racing across three continents, F1 Academy’s third season has officially come to a close. The series wrapped up under the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip, with a weekend of triumph, heartbreak, and championship-winning racing. 

Out of all the festivities of the weekend, the most anticipated event lay in who would become the 2025 F1 Academy Champion. Despite a close battle between two incredible drivers, it was the season’s frontrunner, Doriane Pin, who took home the title and became the F1 Academy driver with a perfect point-scoring streak. 

As Pin shared, the championship was a huge accomplishment not only for her but also for her team.“It’s amazing,” said Pin. “Champion is a beautiful word to really fit our season. We can be really proud of all the work we have done since last year. We never gave up, we worked so hard on winning races, winning the title.”

Coming into Las Vegas, the top of the standings was split by just nine points, building up for an epic on-track battle. Yet, due to tricky track conditions and unfortunate collisions, this anticipated battle did not exactly come to fruition. However, that is not to say that Maya Weug did not put up an honourable fight for the championship, as she gave it her all despite the circumstances she faced.

Starting with Qualifying, it was Red Bull Ford driver, Chloe Chambers, who secured pole position with a lap time of 2:06.538. Alongside her on the front row were the two rookies, Alisha Palmowski and Alba Larsen. Close behind were the title fighters, Pin and Weug, who found themselves in P4 and P5, setting up an exciting reverse-grid and main race. 

Complex track conditions, littered with rain and cold temperatures, had an impact on the reverse-grid of Race 1, leading to several safety cars and general chaos. Nina Gademan started on pole after qualifying P8 for the main race, with Emma Felbermayr and Tina Hausmann starting behind her. 

Further assessment of the track led all drivers to swap from slick to wet tires, while the Safety Car was in for a pair of formation laps. Although the race had not officially begun yet, it did not stop action from occurring.

Once the cars got started on the first formation lap, Felbermayr could not get her car moving from the front of the grid due to an eventually determined clutch issue, which sent her pack to the pits. The car’s inability to start forced the Safety Car to stay out for additional laps before it headed back to the pits, but it would not be there for long.

When it was time for Gademan to take control of the field in the race restart, confusion erupted, leading to one of the most heartbreaking crashes of the season. On the final corner, Weug and Hauseman collided, resulting in both cars retiring. The racing incident not only pushed Pin into second place in Race 1 but also widened the points gap between her and Weug going into the final race. 

On Lap 4, the race officially began with Larsen making a brave pass on Pin at Turn 10, allowing her to take second place. Despite her incredible efforts, it was to no avail: the Tommy Hilfiger driver brushed the wall, causing suspension damage and sending her into a spin. 

This brought out yet another Safety Car, which led the pack until Lap 6, when the race restarted. However, with wet conditions, the Safety Car returned shortly as Ella Lloyd, who had moved from P10 to P5, ran off the dry line into a tough right-hand turn and slid into the barrier. 

Race 1 started back up again on Lap 9, where Pin was able to make a quick move to overtake Gademan before the breaking zone and become the race leader. The Mercedes driver had lucky timing with that overtake, as just a few moments later Chambers and Palmowski collided, causing the Red Bull Ford car to retire and the Safety Car to lead the pack to the flag.

Pin took her fourth victory of the season, alongside the extra point for fastest lap, which meant that she would be heading into Race 2 with a 20-point gap over Weug. Alongside the point advantage gained for Race 2, Pin and Gademan, who finished in P1 and P2, also secured the Teams’ Championship title for Prema Racing for the third year running.

Race 1 also held several accomplishments for other drivers. Aurelia Nobels gained her first podium after being promoted to P3 following Palmowski’s disqualification due to improper regulation compliance. Wild Card driver, Payton Wescott, and Tag Heuer driver, Rachel Roberston, also secured their first F1 Academy points in their first-ever race in the series. 

Heading into Race 2, there was a lot on the line, especially for title contender, Weug. After the heartbreak of Race 1, the Dutch driver had a lot to do to take the title, and starting P5 made it no easy task. However, not all hope was lost for the Ferrari driver, as there was still a chance for her to complete the comeback. All she had to do was win Race 2 and hope her rival placed anywhere below P8.

Chambers started the second race strong and worked hard to control and lead every lap with confidence. The American driver faced each challenge ahead of her and used the battles behind her to slowly extend her lead until she was unbeatable.

Palmowski held her own in P2 during the opening laps, while Larsen (P3) went wide, allowing Pin to challenge her for the spot. While these two were battling, Weug joined the fight and tried to bypass the French driver on Lap 2. 

Yet this battle came to a halt as further down the pack, Westwood and Joanne Ciconte collided, forcing an appearance from the Safety Car. Racing shortly resumed on Lap 5 with Chambers bunching up the pack before pulling off another strong start.

While things went well for the American driver, Larsen quickly lost out to Pin and Weug, who both completed overtakes on the Tommy Hilfiger driver. Racing then got down to the wire as the margins between the top four slimmed. 

Despite the pressure from behind, Chambers remained in control out front while Pin and Weug battled it out for P3. The Ferrari driver reigned victorious in securing the spot as she darted around the Mercedes on the outside.

Holding on to her championship dreams, Weug quickly set her sights on P2 and pushed to challenge Palmowski. With only a few laps to go, the Dutch driver gave it her all, even passing the Red Bull Racing driver for a few corners, but she would unfortunately have to settle for P3 as Palmowski reclaimed P2.

Weug noted after the race the many ups and downs of this season, but also highlighted how proud she was of the effort she and her team put in during her time with F1 Academy.

“It also had a lot of ups, and that’s what racing is about. I think I’ve grown a lot over these two years. I wish all the best to the team, and let’s see what we do after this,” said Weug.

Meanwhile, Pin came under pressure from Larsen after another scrap between Weug and the French driver, bringing her back into the fight. The Tommy Hilfiger driver eventually pulled off the overtake to demote Pin to P5, but that did not keep the Mercedes driver from the title.

Following the final wave of the chequered flag, Chambers took home the victory while Palmowski and Weug closed out the podium. Despite her fifth-place finish and the immense effort put in by her rival, the French driver still outscored Weug in the standings, making Doriane Pin F1 Academy’s third Champion. 

With its champion named and the final race finished, the 2025 F1 Academy season officially came to a close, marking the end of an incredible year for women in motorsport. From its increased viewership and support, the intense battle between two fantastic drivers, and the additional accomplishments of drivers, teams, and fans along the way, the third season of F1 Academy is one for the memory book.

With next season looming around the corner, it is essential to recognize the drivers who drove their last race in the series and move on to future racing endeavours. Lia Block, Aurelia Nobels, Maya Weug, Tina Hausmann, Chole Chong, Doriane Pin, and Chole Chambers have officially all completed their second and final season of F1 Academy, marking an excellent accomplishment for each of these drivers while also leaving behind the impact they made on women’s motorsport.

As for 2026, there is a lot of action still to come, and with new and familiar faces gearing up to race for next year, F1 Academy’s fourth season cannot come soon enough! To keep up with all the updates for the 2026 F1 Academy season, visit: https://www.f1academy.com/.