The first race of the F1 Academy weekend in Miami ends with a victory for Doriane Pin. Alisha Palmowski and Chloe Chambers join the French driver on the podium.
The F1 Academy returns to the track in Miami — following Lando Norris’s victory in the Formula 1 Sprint Race, the Miami International Autodrome hosted the first race of the weekend for the all-female championship, led by former driver Susie Wolff.
Doriane Pin celebrated her second win of the season in the Magic City, dominating a race shaped by two safety car interventions. Behind the French driver were two Red Bull Academy-supported drivers, earning Campos Racing a double podium finish. Starting from tenth, Maya Weug made a strong recovery to finish fourth, ahead of Nina Gademan, Aurelia Nobels, Tina Hausmann, and Rafaela Ferreira, who all closed in the points.
Race Recap: F1 Academy Sprint Race in Miami
Emma Felbermayr was looking for redemption after a missed opportunity in Saudi Arabia, where, despite starting from pole, the Sauber-backed driver crossed the finish line in ninth place. At the start of the Sprint Race in Miami — delayed by around twenty minutes due to adverse weather — the Austrian managed to hold off Rafaela Ferreira, who was then immediately hit by Ella Lloyd after the latter missed her braking point and collided straight into the Racing Bulls driver.
Taking advantage of the situation, Maya Weug gained ground on the Brazilian but couldn’t complete the overtake. Just as Doriane Pin — who had started sixth — was closing in on Felbermayr and the race lead, the safety car was deployed to clear Lloyd’s car.
Once the race resumed, Ferreira lost more positions to Tina Hausmann and Nina Gademan, dropping from second to ninth. Up front, an intense battle unfolded between the Sauber and Mercedes drivers, with Felbermayr initially fending off Pin’s attacks. Meanwhile, Alisha Palmowski overtook her teammate Chloe Chambers for fourth.
At the front, however, the Austrian could no longer hold her position, falling behind Doriane Pin, Aurelia Nobels, and Alisha Palmowski. Chloe Chambers took advantage of the situation as well, going wheel-to-wheel with Felbermayr to snatch fourth place — and succeeded. Maya Weug followed suit; the Rodin Motorsport driver appeared to have an issue with the front of her car and was shown the black-and-white warning flag first, followed by the black-and-orange flag.
At the halfway mark, Doriane Pin was still leading, with Palmowski and Nobels in pursuit. With five laps to go, a collision between Joanne Ciconte and Chloe Chong brought the safety car back out and forced both drivers to retire. Emma Felbermayr took the opportunity to pit for repairs and rejoined the race in last place.
The safety car exited at the end of lap nine. Maya Weug targeted Aurelia Nobels for the final podium spot, and though the Ferrari Driver Academy talent managed to get past the Brazilian, Nobels fought back fiercely to reclaim her position.
Doriane Pin began the final lap under pressure from Palmowski but held her ground. The Mercedes-backed French driver crossed the line first to win Race 1 of the F1 Academy weekend in Miami. The second and final race of the Florida weekend is scheduled for 7:00 PM local time tomorrow.
Photo: F1 Academy.