Lia Block survives action-packed Singapore race 1 to claim maiden F1 Academy victory
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After surviving two safety cars and late pressure from title rivals Maya Weug and Chloe Chambers, Lia Block secured her first F1 Academy win in Singapore, as the championship battle tightens
Fresh off her first podium last time out in Zandvoort, Lia Block survived an action-packed first race in Singapore to hold off Maya Weug and Chloe Chambers, securing her maiden F1 Academy victory.
Weug and Chambers, both with strong recovery drives, gained valuable points on championship leader Doriane Pin in the title fight.
Saturday’s reverse grid contest brought a new front row, with Lia Block lining up alongside Aurelia Nobels, having set the eighth and seventh fastest times in qualifying respectively. Block had enjoyed her strongest weekend at Singapore in 2024 and was aiming to build on her Zandvoort podium, while Nobels targeted a first top-three finish in the series.
On the second row, Emma Felbermayr started alongside wild card Lisa Billard, the highest-qualifying guest driver of the season. But all eyes were on the fourth row, where title contenders Doriane Pin and Maya Weug prepared to charge through the field, while Alisha Palmowski, having crashed in qualifying, was left with the tough task of climbing from the very back.
After a 20-minute delay for barrier repairs from the previous session, the race finally got underway. At lights out, Block and Nobels went side by side into Turn 1, both running deep into the runoff area but rejoining with Block emerging ahead. Felbermayr slotted in behind, while Chloe Chambers made big early gains, moving ahead of fellow fast starter Maya Weug.
Ella Lloyd and Nina Gademan also ran wide at Turn 1, while Pin held seventh and Billard slipped back to eighth after a tricky getaway. The race was immediately neutralized, however, as Nicole Havrda hit the wall and retired, bringing out the safety car.
The restart came at the end of lap 2, with Block executing it perfectly and pulling away from Nobels. Behind her, Chambers and Felbermayr battled side by side, while Weug seized the opportunity to overtake Chambers after she ran wide at Turn 7. Further back, contact between Billard and Alba Larsen sent both spinning at Turn 1, while Palmowski was already charging through the field, climbing into the top ten by lap 3.
A technical issue then slowed Rafaela Ferreira, though the Brazilian was able to rejoin.
Up front, Nobels set the fastest lap on lap 3 and closed in on Block, but Weug was soon right behind. Chambers meanwhile came under pressure from Lloyd after a small mistake but quickly regrouped to hold position. Palmowski, continuing her charge, set the race’s fastest lap and passed Chloe Chong for ninth on lap 5.
The fight for second intensified between Ferrari Driver Academy racers Weug and Nobels, but Maya would soon make a move stick for second. Just as Palmowski was catching the group ahead, disaster struck: her car suddenly snapped right into the wall, ending her race in dramatic fashion. Almost simultaneously, smoke poured from Billard’s Hitech TGR machine, forcing the French wild card to retire. The safety car was deployed once again on lap 7.
At the restart, Block held her nerve while Weug stayed close behind. Chambers made an aggressive move on Nobels to snatch third, while Lloyd—already carrying a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off track—came under pressure from Pin, who had passed Felbermayr at Turn 1. Nobels then went deep into Turn 1 a lap later, losing out to Lloyd and was soon forced to defend from Pin.
In the closing laps, Chambers caught Weug and Block, creating a three-way fight for victory. A small lock-up from the Williams driver bunched the leaders up again, but Block managed to pull a couple of tenths clear as Weug had to focus on defending from Chambers.
Pin set the fastest lap of the race with a 2:04.244, crucially keeping herself within five seconds of Lloyd to benefit from the Welsh driver’s penalty.
After a flawless drive, Lia Block kept her cool under pressure and claimed her first-ever F1 Academy win, fending off title rivals Maya Weug and Chloe Chambers, who both delivered remarkable recovery drives to complete the podium.
It was ART Grand Prix's first F1 Academy victory since Lèna Bühler's in Monza 2023.
Nobels secured strong points in fourth, ahead of Pin and Felbermayr. Lloyd crossed the line fourth but dropped behind after her penalty, eventually classified seventh. Gademan was eighth, while Chloe Chong returned to the top ten in ninth ahead of Tina Hausmann.
Joanne Ciconte won a race-long battle with Alba Larsen for 11th, with Larsen later demoted to 14th after a 10-second penalty for her collision with Billard. Megan Bruce, called up at the last minute to substitute for the injured Aiva Anagnostiadis, impressed with P12 on a track she had little time to prepare for, finishing as the top Hitech car. She finished ahead of Courtney Crone and Larsen, while Ferreira’s recurring technical issues eventually forced her to pit again. Palmowski, Billard and Havrda retired from the race.
Mercedes' Doriane Pin still maximized her damage limitation with good points and the fastest lap, but Weug now closes the championship gap to just 15 points, while Chambers also remains in contention, now 33 points adrift.
Race 2 on Sunday promises again more drama, with the championship fight tightening further: the race is scheduled for 15:25 local time.
