F1 ACADEMY: Doriane Pin wins chaotic Race 1 in Las Vegas as title rival Maya Weug crashes out

Doriane Pin moved to the brink of the F1 ACADEMY crown with victory in a dramatic opening race of the weekend in Las Vegas, as title rival Maya Weug crashed out before racing began.

Pin led home Nina Gademan and Alisha Palmowski as rain fell on the Nevada streets, causing chaos throughout.

The drama began instantly as the Safety Car led the field for a pair of formation laps, with Emma Felbermayr suffering a clutch problem on the grid, before title-chasing Weug collided with Aston Martin driver Tina Hausman moments before the rolling start. All three drivers had lined up on the grid in the top four positions, but retired before turning a lap in anger.

This promoted Pin into second place, a position she maintained through another Safety Car interruption after McLaren driver Ella Lloyd was caught out by the conditions and slid into the Turn 5 wall.

Pin made her race-winning move on Lap 9, pulling ahead of Alpine driver Gademan along The Strip, a move that came moments before Palmowski and Red Bull Ford driver Chloe Chambers made contact, with the latter suffering heavy damage.

Victory and the fastest lap point mean that Pin heads into Saturday’s season-ending race with a 20-point lead over Weug, with the Mercedes driver starting in fourth, one place ahead of her rival.

Chambers will start from pole as Pin looks to claim the title in style, with the race getting underway at 16:20 local time (UTC -8).

For a full recap of the action from Race 1 in Las Vegas, visit the series’ official website here.