F1 Academy: Pin edges Weug and Palmowski in close Singapore practice
- RACERS
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Doriane Pin topped the only F1 Academy practice session at Singapore, edging Maya Weug and Alisha Palmowski by less than a tenth, while wild card Lisa Billard impressed with a top-six performance in her first F1 Academy outing.
The penultimate round of the 2025 F1 Academy season sees drivers return to the all-female series after over a month-long break since the last event in Zandvoort, ready to take on the third street circuit of the year – the unforgiving Singapore Marina Bay track.
Six drivers remain mathematically in contention for the title, with Mercedes junior Doriane Pin and Ferrari’s Maya Weug separated by 20 points, and Chloe Chambers 34 points adrift – with 39 points available per round.
Coming off a dominant second race on home soil at Zandvoort, Maya Weug will need to maintain her momentum to close the gap to Pin, who has maximized her season with consistent podiums at every round. After an unlucky weekend in the Netherlands, Chloe Chambers aims to bounce back and demonstrate her pace. Ella Lloyd – who made her F1 Academy debut here last year as a wild card – as well as Alisha Palmowski and recent first-time race winner Nina Gademan will also look to keep their title hopes alive.
Two new drivers are set to make their F1 Academy debuts: GB4 Championship regular Megan Bruce substitutes for the injured Aiva Anagnostiadis in the TAG Heuer car, after the Australian suffered a broken left foot, while French F4 point-scorer Lisa Billard – who impressed in the inaugural F1 Academy Rookie Test – has been selected as the Wild Card for this round, joining Hitech TGR with support from beverage brand Gatorade.
Weather could also play a role on the streets of Singapore, adding to the challenge, as rain greeted the drivers during Thursday’s track walk and again on Friday morning.
The sole 40-minute practice session of the weekend, however, ran in dry conditions but started with drama for Rafaela Ferreira, whose Campos machine puffed smoke from the rear on her installation lap. After a quick assessment, Ferreira was forced to step out of the car and take no further part in practice –in an extremely difficult start for the Brazilian rookie, who will head into qualifying without track time.
Weug was the first driver to set a representative lap, before Pin claimed the top spot two tenths quicker. The championship leader became the first to dip under the 2:05 barrier with a 2:04.648, ahead of Weug and Palmowski midway through the session, as the field built speed and learned the limits of the circuit.
With two purple sectors, Weug reclaimed the top spot with a 2:04.370, narrowly edging Palmowski, who set the fastest final sector. Pin responded with a 2:04.648 but remained in third.
Lisa Billard had a scare when she spun out of the final corner, but she kept the car out of the barriers and rejoined without issue with 15 minutes left on the clock. Soon after, Palmowski set a new personal best but stayed two tenths shy of Weug’s benchmark. Chambers and Lloyd both broke into the top five, while Aurelia Nobels climbed to sixth and Tina Hausmann moved into eighth.
Drivers maximized the entire session, staying out lap after lap to build rhythm on the technical street circuit. Billard impressed with a strong 2:05.490 to go sixth fastest before Nobels improved by a tenth. The Wild Card wasn’t done yet, though, and soon posted a 2:05.033 to climb into the top five.
Palmowski then set the session’s new benchmark with a 2:04.152 – before further improving to a 2:04.025 a lap later. Pin almost matched the British driver’s time, but Weug struck back with a 2:03.966, becoming the first driver under the 2:04s mark. Her advantage didn’t last long, as Iron Dame and Mercedes junior Pin responded immediately with a 2:03.944, putting the top three within five hundredths of a second.
On her final attempt, Weug brushed the wall lightly without damage but could not improve. The session therefore ended with Doriane Pin leading the way, ahead of Weug and Palmowski.
Half a second behind, Chloe Chambers was fourth fastest, followed by Lloyd and a very impressive Billard on her F1 Academy debut. Nobels finished seventh after a solid session, ahead of Prema teammates Hausmann and Gademan.
Sauber’s Emma Felbermayr completed the top ten, edging Chloe Chong by just 0.03s. Nicole Havrda had an encouraging session and was the top Hitech driver in P12, followed by Courtney Crone, Lia Block and Alba Larsen. Joanne Ciconte placed 16th, ahead of Megan Bruce, whose running was hampered by technical issues that kept her in the pits for much of the final part of the session.
Despite the efforts of the Campos crew, Ferreira’s VCARB-liveried car could not return to the track, meaning the Brazilian will face a steep learning curve straight into qualifying.
The first points of the weekend will be awarded later today, when qualifying gets underway under the lights in Singapore at 19:00 local time.