Preview
SINGAPORE PREVIEW: Talking points ahead of Round 6
A month on from the last race weekend in Zandvoort, F1 ACADEMY hits the home stretch with the sixth and penultimate round of the 2025 season at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
As temperatures soar and the lights go down, the battles are heating up on the series’ return to Singapore, so there’s lots for fans to keep an eye on across the weekend…
THEN THERE WERE SIX…
With 10 races down and only four to go, the title fight has narrowed down and the pressure continues to grow. The trio of Doriane Pin, Maya Weug and Chloe Chambers remain the leading contenders with Ella Lloyd, Alisha Palmowski and Nina Gademan all still mathematically in contention, but also locked in their own top rookie battle.
Both consistent on track and unaffected by the technical issues that have hampered Weug and Chambers, Pin has a chance to wrap things up with one round to go. Currently holding a 20-point lead over Weug, the Mercedes driver needs to outscore her Ferrari rival and the rest of the field by 20 points.
A 40-point advantage by the end of the weekend would guarantee she’s crowned the 2025 Champion, with only 39 points left to play for in Las Vegas. A 39-point lead might be enough on countback as long as Pin wins both races, taking her victory tally to an unbeatable five but we’ll have to take the title race session-by-session.
Arguably of the trio, it’s Weug who has the momentum behind her after a commanding victory in Zandvoort Race 2. The Dutch racer beat her former teammate to P2 in both Singapore races last year and will need to pull off a similar, if not better feat, if she wants to reduce the gap and keep her hopes alive.
Meanwhile, Chambers’ title aspirations suffered a setback after a technical issue prevented her from starting Race 2 last time out. Left 34 points adrift of Pin, the Red Bull Ford driver recognises that the odds aren’t in her favour — but given the speed she’s shown, particularly in Qualifying with three consecutive pole positions this year, her rivals won’t be ruling her out.
BLOCK’S BEST SHOT AT VICTORY
Speaking after achieving her maiden podium in Race 1 at the Circuit Zandvoort, Lia Block asserted that she wanted “to start on the podium first before going for a win” and where better for the Williams driver than Singapore.
The Marina Bay track holds fond memories for Block as the standout weekend of her rookie campaign in which she converted two top-four Qualifying positions into back-to-back P4 finishes.
Of all the tracks on this season’s calendar, this would be the venue many would back Block for success at. Although she couldn’t challenge Gademan for the win in Zandvoort, Block hopes the podium heralds a “redemption arc” that can carry her to the top step and become the eighth different winner this year.
CAN PREMA GO THREE-FOR-THREE?
At times this year, the reigning Teams’ Champions PREMA Racing haven't always looked like the squad to beat, but a late resurgence across their trio has put a third consecutive title within their grasp.
Of the six teams, PREMA left Zandvoort with the biggest smile on their face following Gademan’s maiden victory combined with Pin’s podium and a top-five finish for Tina Hausmann, which gave them a 45-point gap at the top of the Teams’ Standings. On 224 points to Campos Racing’s 179, an 87-point lead post-Singapore would guarantee them the honours.
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Yet despite the encouraging signs, the team aren’t without their own work to do after Hausmann crashed out of a potential maiden podium in Race 1. In addition, Pin lacked the pace to contend for the victory in the Netherlands, with her Race 2 podium coming courtesy of Lloyd’s five-second penalty for a false start.
As Team Manager Goffredo Pirro readies his squad for what could be another unpredictable weekend, their nearest rivals Campos and Rodin Motorsport will be doing their upmost to shake-up the order.
GETTING STRAIGHT UP TO SPEED
Time is of the essence from the moment the field hit the track in Singapore with only one 40-minute Free Practice to learn the tight and twisty 4.94km circuit, which has plenty of areas across its 19 corners to catch any unsuspecting drivers out.
In addition, the switch from Practice and racing during the day to Qualifying at night will be a measure of how proficient the grid has become at adapting to the ever-changing conditions on a Grand Prix weekend.
Whilst the rookies will be used to the fast-paced nature of the weekend without any prior testing, it’ll be a tough test for Britain’s Megan Bruce, who is subbing in for the injured Aiva Anagnostiadis in the TAG Heuer car, after a strong showing at the F1 ACADEMY Rookie Test earlier this month.
Hitech TGR will also have high hopes for their chances of breaking into the top 10 this weekend after a tough debut season so far, with Team Manager Dan Hodder convinced of their performance potential after Esmee Kosterman’s points-scoring Wild Card debut in Zandvoort.