Doriane Pin sets the pace in free practice as F1 Academy title showdown begins under Las Vegas lights

Doriane Pin topped the sole practice session at the Las Vegas F1 Academy season finale ahead of title rival Maya Weug, showing early momentum in a session marked by a red flag in the closing minutes.

Photo credits: F1 Academy Ltd

Championship leader Doriane Pin opened the 2025 F1 Academy title decider by topping the sole free practice session ahead of her championship rival Maya Weug, in a run disrupted by a late red flag.

The 40-minute session was the only practice opportunity of the weekend and a crucial session to get up to pace on the high-speed Las Vegas Strip Street Circuit—a brand-new venue for all drivers, with no chance of prior testing unlike most other rounds.

The 2025 Las Vegas season finale in fact marks the championship showdown after six rounds of close racing, with the series set to crown its third F1 Academy champion between Mercedes junior Doriane Pin and Ferrari's Maya Weug, currently separated by nine points.

Two new drivers made their first F1 Academy appearance: American Wild Card Payton Westcott in the Visit Las Vegas-liveried Hitech TGR entry, and Rachel Robertson in the TAG Heuer car, who steps in for the injured Aiva Anagnostiadis and competes in just her fifth F4 race weekend. At the same time, it will be the final outing in the series for seven drivers who reach the two-year participation limit: Tina Hausmann, Lia Block, Chloe Chong, Aurelia Nobels, Chloe Chambers, and the two title contenders themselves, Weug and Pin.

Following Formula 1’s opening laps on the Strip Street Circuit on Thursday night, F1 Academy drivers headed out under the lights, managing low ambient temperatures while finding grip on the new circuit that hosts the all-female series for the first time. Lia Block was the first to set a representative time around the longest track of the season, then improving on her second attempt despite a small lock-up.

Pin then set the early benchmark with a 2:12.655; Alba Larsen found half a second on her next attempt, but Pin stretched the advantage with a 2:10.117, showing early pace — as the championship rival Weug, who must outscore Pin by 10 points this weekend, responded by climbing to second with times tumbling across the field.

Alisha Palmowski, seeking to bounce back from a difficult Singapore weekend, became the first driver to dip below the 2:10 barrier, before Pin reclaimed the top spot with a 2:09.435. With qualifying less than three hours away, drivers pushed the limits while trying to avoid mistakes; several ran wide into the Turn 12 escape road, but all avoided the walls.

Weug answered with a 2:09.045, shortly before the Red Bull pair of Chambers and Palmowski both entered the 2:08s. Pin however remained in control, setting a 2:08.605—just 0.05 faster than Weug—as the session reached halfway. Before the mid-session pit stops, she had already dipped below the 2:08 mark, ahead of Weug, Chambers, Larsen and Palmowski.

The first drama of the weekend however unfolded when Chloe Chambers suffered a front-suspension failure and hit the wall at Turn 1, bringing out the first red flag of the event. With the clock still running and only one minute remaining when the session resumed, no driver had time to complete another flying lap.

Doriane Pin therefore ended the session fastest with a 2:07.967—standing as the only driver in the 2:07s—just a couple of tenths clear of Maya Weug. Chambers finished third, with rookie Alba Larsen starting strongly in fourth and Palmowski in fifth.

Tina Hausmann was sixth, followed by Ella Lloyd, Nina Gademan and newly-renewed Rafaela Ferreira in ninth. Chloe Chong completed the top ten ahead of Lia Block, Aurelia Nobels and Wild Card Payton Westcott, who placed 13th and was the quickest Hitech driver. Emma Felbermayr finished ahead of Rachel Robertson, Courtney Crone, Joanne Ciconte and Nicole Havrda.

Drivers will be back on track in less than three hours for a crucial qualifying session at 21:30 local time, which will award the first points of the weekend.