F1 Academy Las Vegas Race 1 2025: Pin Wins in challenging conditions as Weug Retires Before the Start

Rain on the Strip. Standing water catching headlights. A title fight that never even made it to Turn 1. F1 Academy Las Vegas Race 1 flipped the season on its head as Doriane Pin kept her nerve and won a race that barely ran under green, while Maya Weug’s title hopes took a hit before the lights even went out. A clash behind the Safety Car forced her out before the start, a moment that stunned the paddock and handed Pin control of the night. Prema wrapped up the Teams’ title in the chaos, turning a rain-soaked survival run into a result that counted double.

Key Points – F1 Academy Las Vegas Race 1

• Pin wins in the wet and moves 20 points clear in the title race
• Weug retires before the start after contact with Hausman behind the Safety Car
• Gademan leads early but cannot hold off Pin once green flag racing begins
• Larsen briefly takes the lead before suspension damage ends her charge
• Palmowski finishes third after late contact with Chambers, who retires with heavy damage
• Prema secure a third consecutive Teams’ Championship

Start Phase – Tyre Swaps, Grid Drama, And A Title Hit

The tension started before a racing lap was completed. As rain intensified over the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, every car switched from slicks to wet tyres on the grid. Polesitter Nina Gademan needed a front wing change at the last moment, while Emma Felbermayr’s Kick Sauber sat stranded on the front row and had to be wheeled back to the pit lane with a suspected clutch issue. The field left the line behind the Safety Car for two formation laps, visibility already marginal and grip at a premium. Then the night changed. On the run to the final corner before the start procedure could be completed, title contender Maya Weug and Aston Martin backed Tina Hausman made contact in the spray. Both cars were out on the spot. Weug’s Ferrari backed challenge ended before she could even take the green, handing rival Pin an instant track position boost into second behind Gademan and completely reshaping the points picture.

Lap 4 – Larsen Goes On The Attack

Once the incident was cleared, the race finally went green on Lap 4 with Gademan leading the pack. Track conditions were still treacherous, with a narrow dry line and standing water lurking on the outside of the braking zones. Alba Larsen saw opportunity, not risk. The Tommy Hilfiger backed MP Motorsport driver launched an aggressive charge, first attacking Pin into Turn 3 and making it stick despite the wet patches. With confidence building, she then lined up Gademan and pulled a stunning move around the outside of Turn 10 to seize the lead. For a handful of corners, Larsen looked like the standout of the night. She was the one taking risks and finding grip where others would not. It felt like the start of a career defining drive in F1 Academy.

Larsen’s Exit – Suspension Bite At The Final Corner

That storyline ended in brutal fashion. A subtle brush with the wall at Turn 16 appeared to damage the suspension, and as Larsen rounded the final corner the car snapped into a spin. Incredibly, she avoided hitting the barriers or any other car, but the damage left her unable to continue. Her race ended in the same lap she had looked most impressive. It was a harsh reminder of how fine the margins are on a wet street circuit. One touch, one unseen failure, and a potential maiden win disappeared.

Lap 6 – Lloyd Off At Turn 5, Safety Car Returns

The second restart came on Lap 6, with Pin now firmly back in the fight and the field bunched up again. Further back, Ella Lloyd was piecing together a strong recovery drive. The McLaren driver had climbed from tenth on the grid to fifth and looked comfortable in the mixed conditions. Pushing to gain more time, she moved off the narrow dry line into the tight right hander at Turn 5. The wet surface caught her out. The car aqua planed straight on and slid into the barrier. Another race over, another Safety Car deployed. What was meant to be a flowing night race settled into a pattern of short sprints punctuated by stoppages, with drivers constantly fighting to keep tyres in the right window and keep the car out of the wall.

Lap 9 – Pin Takes Control As Chambers Retires

Green flags flew again on Lap 9 and this time the decisive move for the win arrived almost immediately. Running in second, Pin used the long run down The Strip to line up Gademan. With better traction and confidence under power, she drove past before the braking zone and claimed the lead. From that moment the Mercedes supported driver controlled what little green flag running remained. Behind them, the final major twist involved Alisha Palmowski and Chloe Chambers. Battling through the Turn 14–15 chicane, Palmowski’s Red Bull Racing entry and Chambers’ Red Bull Ford car made contact. Chambers suffered heavy damage and retired from the race. Palmowski, having kept her car pointing in the right direction, emerged clear to secure the final podium place behind Pin and Gademan.

Moments later the Safety Car returned and stayed out to the flag. There would be no final restart. No last lap dive on a drying line. The order froze with Pin leading the field home behind the Safety Car lights.

Race 1 Result – Las Vegas

Prema sealed the Teams’ Championship with Pin’s victory and Gademan’s second place. A wet, attritional race became the night they closed out a third straight title.

Championship Picture – Pin Moves Clear

With victory, plus the fastest lap point, Pin leaves F1 Academy Las Vegas Race 1 with a 20 point cushion over Weug heading into the season finale. The dynamic is simple now. Pin starts Race 2 from fourth on the grid. Weug lines up fifth. The Ferrari supported driver has to attack. Pin has to manage risk. The momentum, the scoreboard, and the psychology all sit with the Mercedes backed title leader after a night where she survived and her main rival never had the chance to fight.

Coffee Corner Take

This was not a classic in terms of pure green flag action, but it was a defining night for the championship. Pin did exactly what a champion in waiting has to do in a race like this. She stayed on the right tyre at the right time, avoided the chaos, and took her shot on Gademan when the opportunity arrived. There was no overreach and no panic. Just a clean pass down The Strip and calm management from there.

For Weug, the pain will come from the way it happened. No mistake in battle, no missed braking point. Just contact behind the Safety Car and a retirement that removed any chance to control her own destiny. Larsen had every right to feel hard done by too after that brilliant move for the lead. Chambers and Lloyd were in the same position, with strong pace and nothing to show for it.

Las Vegas did not give the field a clean canvas. It gave them a wet, narrow window to survive in. Pin turned that into a result that may well define her season.

What’s Next

The title will be decided in the final race of the season. Chambers starts from pole for Race 2, with Pin looking to close out the championship from fourth on the grid and Weug right behind in fifth. Lights go out on Saturday at 16:20 local time, UTC minus eight. One more run on the Strip. One more chance for the title fight to twist, or for Pin to finish the job.