F1 ACADEMY: How the 2025 season has set the stage for a title decider finale in Las Vegas

The F1 Drivers’ Championship isn’t the only title still on the line, as the fight to be crowned the 2025 F1 ACADEMY Champion is set to go right down to the wire in a showstopping Las Vegas season finale.

Mercedes’ Doriane Pin and Ferrari’s Maya Weug are separated by only nine points, leaving the title contenders to face a final race shootout that could go either way.

With just over a fortnight to go, we take a look back at how the fight for the title has unfolded from the season opener in Shanghai to the most recent battles on the streets of Singapore.

ROUND 1 – SHANGHAI

After claiming the final win of the 2024 campaign, Weug showed why she was one of the favourites for the new season, claiming pole position, nearly half a second clear of Pin.

Lining up eighth for the reverse grid Race 1, both made gains but only Weug walked away with a podium in P3. Red Bull Racing’s Alisha Palmowski would lead home a Campos Racing 1-2 ahead of Chambers after inheriting the lead from fellow rookie Nina Gademan, who retired on the penultimate lap with a technical issue.

Pin was the braver of the duo in Race 2 as an overly cautious approach from Weug on the rolling start backfired. After getting past on the opening lap, the French racer held firm despite a Safety Car restart to leave China with a five-point lead over Weug, with Chambers finishing third on track and in the Drivers’ standings.

ROUND 2 – JEDDAH

The standings order reversed in Qualifying around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with Chambers taking pole by over two-tenths to Pin and Weug was almost a further three-tenths off in third.

Race 1 saw Ella Lloyd emerged triumphant in a drag race to the line with Weug, who once again came through the pack and overtook Palmowski on the penultimate lap for P2. The Ferrari driver got the better of front-row starter Pin off the line, before going wheel-to-wheel with Chambers. Their back-and-forth battle for the lead ended after Chambers was handed a five-second penalty for forcing Weug off the track.

Despite the Red Bull Ford driver’s best efforts to extend the gap out front, she was relegated to third at the chequered flag behind Pin, leaving Weug to claim the win and a seven-point advantage in the standings.

ROUND 3 – MIAMI

A downpour turned Qualifying into a one-lap sprint from the pit lane and it was Chambers who capitalised, taking pole ahead of teammate Palmowski and Pin – with less than seven-hundredths separating the top four. Stuck in traffic on her only lap, Weug found herself languishing in P10.

Unable to achieve a podium in the previous reverse grid races, Pin made up for it in Race 1. A strong opening lap put her on the rear of polesitter Emma Felbermayr and she eventually got the move done to lead Palmowski and Chambers to the chequered flag, with Weug missing out on a podium in fourth.

Sunday proved to be a washout for F1 ACADEMY as Race 2 was postponed due to inclement weather, leaving Weug clinging on to the top of the standings by a point.

ROUND 4 – MONTREAL

The title fight took a dramatic turn on the series’ debut in Canada. A dominant display in Qualifying saw Chambers seal her third consecutive pole ahead of Palmowski and Pin. However, Weug’s weekend went on a swift downturn after an electrical issue in practice remained unresolved, leaving the dejected Dutch racer down in P15.

After Qualifying first in Miami, Chambers lined up on pole for the first of three races at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. But it was Pin with the best seat in the house as she watched Chambers and Palmowski collide on Lap 2, leaving the door open for her to take home the win, whilst rival Weug retired early. Lloyd finished in P2 ahead Gademan, with the Alpine driver elevated to her first podium after Felbermayr was disqualified for being below the minimum weight.

Felbermayr bounced back that afternoon in Race 2, seizing her first victory in an epic last lap three-way fight, overtaking Gademan with a handful of corners to spare. Lloyd gave Rodin Motorsport their first 1-2 finish in F1 ACADEMY in second ahead of Gademan. Pin claimed fourth and Weug was left empty-handed in ninth.

Chambers led from lights-to-flag to take her first win of the year in Race 3, promoting her to become Pin’s nearest title rival in second. Pin narrowly avoided damage on the opening lap after driving straight into the path of a spinning Palmowski, following contact between the Red Bull Racing driver and fellow Briton Lloyd, and receiving a knock to her front wing.

Surviving the early drama, Lloyd scored her third consecutive P2 finish ahead of Pin. A third Safety Car appearance to end the weekend denied Weug a chance to climb any higher than P6. This left Pin as the new standings leader by 20 points to Chambers, demoting Weug to third, 37 points adrift.

ROUND 5 – ZANDVOORT

Knowing she had to be perfect from here on out if she hoped to keep her title hopes alive, Weug’s home event heralded a welcome change in her fortunes. A tight battle for pole saw her out-qualify Palmowski by 0.039s, with rivals Chambers and Pin forced to settle for fourth and fifth.

The ‘Orange Army’ were already celebrating on Saturday as home hero Gademan delivered an emotional maiden win in Race 1 — having been cleared to race after being declared unfit to drive in Free Practice 2 the previous day.

Williams’ Lia Block stood on the podium for the first time in F1 ACADEMY in second, keeping out of the clutches of a charging Weug. A scrappy race for Pin saw her finish behind Lloyd and Chambers in sixth, her lowest result of the season so far.

For Chambers, Race 2 was over before it began as the Red Bull Ford driver was forced to retire on the formation lap due to a technical problem.

Out front, Weug was untouchable, with her 7.3s winning margin the second-largest in the series’ history. Palmowski and Pin completed the podium, each being promoted up one place after Lloyd was handed a five-second penalty for a false start.

Pin maintained her 20-point lead heading into the penultimate round, with Weug’s silverware-laden weekend allowing her to regain the P2 spot from Chambers.

ROUND 6 – SINGAPORE

There was a nervous wait for Weug at the end of Qualifying in Singapore as Pin reached the chequered flag in time for one final lap. But the Mercedes junior’s efforts were only good enough for second, leaving her rival to take pole by 0.042s.

Block’s long-awaited first win finally arrived, as the American held her nerve from reverse grid pole in Race 1 to become the eighth different winner in 2025. An overtaking masterclass around the Marina Bay Street Circuit saw Weug go from eighth to second ahead of Chambers, whilst Pin struggled to make the same inroads in P5.

However, Pin got the better of Weug off the line in Race 2 and looked to be on course for the win. But with six laps remaining, the threat of rain materialised. Both PREMA Racing and MP Motorsport debated pitting their drivers, but both gambled on staying out on slicks.

Holding track position, Pin controlled the restart but Weug had nothing to lose. Gambling on an audacious move on the final lap, the Ferrari junior wrestled the victory away from her disappointed rival. Lloyd’s third-place finish moved her up to third in the standings ahead of Chambers, who pitted from fourth and fell out of the title race in 11th.

Left with a nine-point gap between them and tied on three wins apiece, Pin and Weug will have to put together the drives of their lives if they hope to overcome the other and become the third F1 ACADEMY Champion.