Everything You Need To Know Going into the Final Round of F1 Academy in Vegas

Your complete rundown on how the F1 Academy grid has sharpened their skills, delivered standout performances, and built momentum heading into the Las Vegas finale.

(Image credit to F1 Academy on X)

After six thrilling race weekends, the 2025 F1 Academy season is coming to an epic close under the bright lights of Las Vegas. With only nine points separating Prema Racing’s Doriane Pin and Maya Weug, the fight for the championship is extremely close. The tension builds with every lap – setting the stage for one final showdown to decide the championship. From standout performances in this year’s final test in Bahrain to fighting for tenths of a second come race day, here is what you need to know before the F1 Academy finale in Las Vegas.

The final test session of the season indicated that Maya Weug, currently in second place, will have a strong finish to the season.The Ferrari Junior Academy drives for the MP Motorsport Team. She topped all six sessions, signaling she is ready to fight til the very last lap. As opposed to 2024, front runner Doriane Pin and Maya Weug do not represent the same team of Prema Racing. Between the two, it is only the Mercedes junior driver Doriane Pin that remains at Prema Racing. Alba Larson also made her mark at testing, achieving the second fastest in three sessions. Despite having an inconsistent and oftentimes unlucky season thus far in F1 Academy, she did achieve her maiden podium in British F4 between rounds 6 and 7 of F1 Academy.

Next year, she’ll take her talents to the Ferrari Junior Driver Academy, establishing herself as someone to keep an eye on. The grid’s youngest driver, Joanne Ciconte, also shone with multiple strong runs, including taking P2 in one of the sessions. Meanwhile, the battle for third is heating up between the rookie Ella Lloyd and Red Bull Ford’s Chloe Chambers. Chambers, for a fleeting moment, was second in the standings before the Campos Racing driver suffered a mechanical DNF in Zandvoort that unfortunately took her out of mathematical title contention. Both drivers showed their pace before leaving testing early to partake in Formula E testing. It was under Formula E machinery where Chambers topped the timing sheets for all the sessions ahead of last year’s F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling.

Drivers that are expected to be in the mix as well, possibly splitting the top championship contenders, are Alpine’s Nina Gademan, Williams’ Lia Block, and Red Bull Racing’s Alisha Palmowski. Gademan and Block, despite having difficult starts to their seasons, recently clinched their first race wins in Zandvoort and Singapore, respectively. Alisha Palmowski has also impressed in her rookie season, securing 4 podiums and 1 race win.

With the battles in the team and driver’s standings heating up, not everyone is able to bring fuel to the fire in Vegas. On November 4th, F1 Academy issued the statement, “Following surgery on her left foot, TAG Heuer driver Aiva Anagnostiadis will not participate in the final round of the F1 Academy season on November 20-22.” Stepping into the Hitech TGR-operated car is Rachel Robertson. “Everyone at F1 Academy, TAG Heuer, and Hitech TGR continues to wish Aiva a full and speedy recovery.”

As the 2025 F1 Academy season comes to a conclusion in Las Vegas, the competition remains fierce and full of exhilaration. With the championship coming down to the wire and drivers showing strong momentum, the finale is set to deliver an exciting close to an unforgettable season.

Article written by Christine Hendrickson