Doriane Pin’s F1 Academy Las Vegas GP Race 1 win brought her within touching distance of the 2025 Championship title. The Mercedes driver benefited from rival Maya Weug’s early DNF before making her own luck with an aggressive overtake. Pin’s fourth win of the season leaves her just needing a P6 finish in Race 2 to secure the title.
Navigating treacherous conditions
Pin’s F1A Las Vegas Race 1 victory came on a damp track where mistakes carried big consequences. The damp track caught out several competitors, but Pin maintained composure while pushing for the lead. Reflecting on the challenging race, Pin emphasized the difficulty of staying clean: “Just incredible. What a race! So difficult, very easy to do a small mistake with big consequences. Very happy to be there and to be competitive when we have to because we are leading the standings.”
The reverse grid format placed Nina Gademan on pole for the F1A’s Race 1 at Las Vegas, with Championship implications hanging over every move. Despite the chaos that surrounded her, Pin showed intelligence in picking her moments to attack: “We know that in the reverse grid, it’s sometimes a bit spicy, but we were smart. We were aggressive when we had to be when we were fighting for the lead. The pace was there on a track that was very damp and nobody knew the track in these conditions.”
Calculated overtake delivers Pin F1A Las Vegas Race 1 win
Multiple Safety Car periods defined the race after five drivers retired from the event. Several drivers also received penalties during the incident-filled F1A Las Vegas Race 1, including Palmowski and Havrda.
When racing resumed, Gademan held the lead briefly before Pin struck. The Mercedes junior executed her race winning move with precision and aggression, taking control when it mattered most. Pin explained her approach to the overtake after her F1A Las Vegas Race 1 triumph: “If you don’t take risks, the pace is not there,” explained Pin. “The risk was there, I was pushing. I knew that in terms of the fight we had to be smart because it’s easy to have contact.“
Pin’s mindset proved crucial on the treacherous Las Vegas street circuit. Rather than settling for a cautious approach, she found the balance between aggression and race craft: “I guess I had the right mindset in that because I was not thinking about keeping cool and very easy. I was right in a good window being aggressive when we can. The risk is there when we have those conditions on a street track. No matter what, we have to be there all the time,” Pin stated.
As rain intensified in the closing laps, the field circulated behind the Safety Car. The race finished with Pin securing victory ahead of Gademan and Palmowski. Palmowski later getting demoted from the podium.
Championship within reach after Pin’s F1A Las Vegas triumph
PREMA Racing clinched the 2025 F1 Academy Teams’ Championship for the third consecutive year following Race 1. Pin now holds a 20 point lead over her rival, Maya Weug, heading into Race 2.
A sixth place finish or higher guarantees Pin the title, even if Weug wins. Despite the comfortable points cushion Pin has from her F1A Las Vegas Race 1 performance, Pin stated her intentions remain unchanged: “We know that we have the pace in the dry or in the wet as well. We have to keep focused. We are doing a good job, we are smart and we are there, so hopefully going to go for another win tomorrow because I love winning!“
Starting P4, with Weug directly behind her in P5 for Race 2, Pin maintained her focus on executing the race smartly: “I’m fully focusing on what the opportunities are ahead and then take it smartly, let’s see afterwards.”
Pin’s F1A Las Vegas Race 1 victory positions her one sixth-place finish or higher away from claiming the 2025 F1 Academy Championship crown.
