Chambers wins in Las Vegas as Pin clinches F1 Academy crown

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Chloe Chambers convincingly won the F1 Academy season finale on Las Vegas’s Strip circuit last night, as Doriane Pin became champion.

Their was drama pre-race as Rodin Motorsport’s Emma Felbermayr failed to get going on the formation lap and had to begin her race from the pits.

Chambers and Campos Racing team-mate Alisha Palmowski shared the front row, with MP Motorsport’s Alba Hurup Larsen third. She tried passing around the outside into the opening corner but went too deep and Prema’s Doriane Pin got alongside her through the next two corners.

Larsen covered the inside line at turn five to keep Pin at bay, then got back onto Palmowski’s tail with the slipstream down the Strip.

Pin’s title rival Maya Weug attempted to pass her into turn one on lap two, then the safety car appeared on lap three as Joanne Ciconte (MP) and Payton Westcott (Hitech GP) crashed out.

Racing resumed on lap six of 13, and Larsen went to Palmowski’s inside entering turn one. That failed, and Pin then nailed an overtake on Larsen into turn five. That set up MP’s Weug to clear Larsen through turn six, and the top five ran as a group.

Chambers began pulling away in the last three laps, and built a 4.895-second gap courtesy of a late fastest lap.

Palmowski meanwhile was repeatedly weaving down the Strip in defence, as the pressure was kept on her from behind.

Weug went around Pin’s outside through turn one on lap 10, and while Pin nosed back ahead exiting turn two the inside line meant Weug took third place through turn three.

At the end of the lap, Weug looked to Palmowski’s outside but could not get ahead but on lap 11 she did manage to drive around the outside of Palmowski at the end of the Strip to rise to second.

The pair began lap 12 side-by-side, and Weug braked too late into turn one and conceded the place she had just gained. She then had to defend against Pin, who was looking forward so failed to stop Larsen from diving down her inside at turn five.

The top five positions were set at that point, with Weug not doing enough to deny Pin the title, while behind them Rodin’s Ella Lloyd had cleared Tina Hausmann and then overtook her Prema team-mate Nina Gademan around the outside into turn 14 with a lap to go.

Race results (13 laps)