F1 Academy | Qualifying | Las Vegas GP | Chambers snatches final pole of the 2025 season - Motorsport

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The final Qualifying session of the 2025 F1 Academy season opened at the Las Vegas Street Circuit with eighteen drivers fighting for pole position, yet the spotlight rested squarely on title contenders Doriane Pin and Maya Weug. Pin, supported by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and leading the championship with 151 points for PREMA Racing, entered the session as the favourite after topping Free Practice and aimed to strengthen her advantage at the decisive moment. Weug, backed by Scuderia Ferrari and trailing by nine points with MP Motorsport, sought to overturn her rival’s FP form and avoid another second-place finish as the championship showdown intensified under the Las Vegas lights.

Pin leads Weug in opening Las Vegas session

F1 Academy’s finale weekend in Las Vegas opened with a crucial Free Practice session as drivers tackled the 6.2 km street circuit for the first time. Lia Block set the early pace before being overtaken by Alba Hurup Larsen, Payton Westcott, and championship leader Doriane Pin, who dominated once tyre temperatures peaked and ultimately topped the session with a 2:07.967, narrowly ahead of title rival Maya Weug. A late crash for Chloe Chambers at Turn 1 triggered a red flag with nine minutes remaining, and although the session briefly resumed, lingering yellow flags kept most teams in the garage, preventing any final improvements. Pin led the standings ahead of Weug and Chambers, with Alba Hurup Larsen, Alisha Palmowski, Tina Hausmann, Ella Lloyd, Nina Gademan, Rafaela Ferreira, and Chloe Chong completing the top ten.

Chambers sets the pace

A short delay preceded the start of the 30-minute session. Drivers used the opening minutes to acclimatise, with Weug setting the early benchmark of 2:08.594. She held a 0.356-second advantage over Pin, while Gademan initially sat third before Hausmann improved.

With sixteen minutes remaining, Chloe Chambers seized provisional pole with a 2:07.825, pushing Pin to second. Ferreira moved into fourth as Weug slipped to fifth.

Pin responded immediately, raising the standard to 2:07.351, but traffic disrupted further laps. Chambers, undeterred, delivered the fastest time in all three sectors—particularly excelling in Sector 2—to reclaim provisional pole with a 2:07.150. Pin threatened with a strong second sector but lost time in the final one, remaining second. Ferreira briefly ran off after a lock-up but rejoined without issue.

With seven minutes left, Weug aimed to climb from sixth. Although she improved in Sector 2, she could not gain positions. The top five stood as Chambers, Pin, Palmowski, Hausmann, and Larsen. Shortly after, Ferreira moved up to seventh ahead of Gademan.

Inside the final four minutes, Weug finally improved to second with a 2:07.194, but Chambers immediately responded with a 2:06.731. Race Control noted an impeding incident between Nobels and Lloyd, to be investigated post-session. In the final minute, Palmowski jumped to second with a 2:06.918, yet Chambers remained untouchable and improved again to 2:06.538. Pin slipped to fourth but crucially stayed ahead of Weug, who ended the session fifth. Larsen clinched third with a late push.