DORIANE PIN WINS CHAOTIC LAS VEGAS RACE AND CLOSES IN ON F1 ACADEMY TITLE
Doriane Pin moved very close to winning this year’s F1 Academy title after taking victory in a chaotic first race of the Las Vegas weekend. Her main title rival, Maya Weug, crashed out even before the race officially started.
Things were messy before the race even began. All the drivers switched from dry tyres to wet ones on the grid, and polesitter Gademan needed a new front wing. During the formation laps behind the Safety Car, Emma Felbermayr’s car stopped on the front row and had to be taken to the pit lane due to a clutch problem.
When the Safety Car went back into the pits, Gademan led the field, but confusion struck on the way to the final corner. Weug and Tina Hausman collided and both retired. This was a big blow for Weug, because it allowed Pin to move up to second place.
The race finally started on Lap 4. Alba Larsen, was brave in the wet and quickly overtook Pin for second before making a great move around the outside of Turn 10 to take the lead. But her race ended soon after when a light touch with the wall seemed to break her suspension, sending her spinning at the final corner. She avoided hitting the wall or other cars, but she had to retire.
Racing restarted on Lap 6, and the action stayed intense. McLaren driver Ella Lloyd, who had climbed from 10th to 5th, slid off the dry racing line at Turn 5 and hit the barrier, bringing out another Safety Car.
On Lap 9, the race went green again. Pin overtook Gademan along The Strip and took the lead before the braking zone.
Behind them, Palmowski was pressuring Chloe Chambers. They ran very close through Turns 14 and 15, then made contact. Chambers’ car was badly damaged, and she retired. This brought out the Safety Car again, and the race ended under caution.
Pin earned her fourth win of the season, and with Pin and Gademan finishing first and second, Prema secured the Teams’ Championship for the third straight year.
Palmowski finished third, with Aurelia Nobels and Rachel Robertson completing the top five. Lia Block, Payton Westcott, and Courtney Crone took the final points.
With her win and fastest lap, Pin now leads Weug by 20 points heading into Saturday’s final race. Pin starts fourth, one spot ahead of Weug.
Chambers will start from pole as Pin tries to secure the F1 Academy title when the race begins at 16:20 local time.
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