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STANDOUT STARS: Who made the streets their own across Round 6 in Singapore?
No matter the weather, the 2025 F1 ACADEMY drivers brightened up the streets of Singapore with the penultimate weekend delivering action up and down the field.
There were celebrations over at ART Grand Prix as Lia Block scored her maiden victory in the series, while Maya Weug got one up on Doriane Pin in the race to be crowned this year’s Champion, but who else made themselves known around the Marina Bay Street Circuit…
LIA BLOCK
It’s been a long time coming but Lia Block’s elusive maiden victory arrived at long last as the Williams driver put together a mature drive to deliver the win in Race 1. After scoring her first F1 ACADEMY podium during the previous round in Zandvoort and with two top-four finishes in Singapore last year, Block admitted she was left with “mixed emotions” following her P8 result in Qualifying.
Starting from pole position on the reverse grid, Block fended off her teammate Aurelia Nobels off the line. Remaining poised across two Safety Car restarts and intense pressure from a charging Maya Weug in the closing laps of the race, the American led from start to finish to win by 0.649s.
Although a mistake in Race 2 cost her a shot at the points, Block’s victory is still a major moment for the 19-year-old. Having already enjoyed success in rallying, she’s now tasted victory in single-seaters and given ART Grand Prix their first win in the series since Lena Bühler triumphed in Monza in 2023.
There were positives all round for the French squad as Nobels scored a career best finish of P4 in Race 1, while Haas’ Courtney Crone secured her first point in Race 2 with a 10th-place finish.
MAYA WEUG
Going into the weekend, Maya Weug knew exactly what she needed to do to deny Doriane Pin the chance of sealing the title with one round to go. With no room to be anything less than perfect, the Ferrari driver one of the most complete and impressive weekends of the season.
A nail-biting Qualifying saw her secure her third pole position of the campaign by 0.042s to Pin, but it was her Saturday performance that arguably stood out the most. Charging her way from P8 to P2 on a track with very limited overtaking opportunities, Weug earned her fourth reverse grid race podium.
However, the title pendulum seemed to swing out of her favour on the opening lap of Race 2, as Pin snatched the lead and built a comfortable gap until rain began to fall with six laps to go. The pair stayed out on slicks and Weug’s hopes hung on a knife-edge — if she’d fallen out of the points by pitting or DNF’d, Pin would have been crowned Champion.
Pulling off a bold move to take the win on the final lap, Weug has sliced her points deficit down from 20 to nine points, the closest it’s been since post-Miami. Now tied with Pin on three wins apiece, the stage is set for an electrifying showdown in not only the Las Vegas season finale, but the final weekend of their F1 ACADEMY careers.
EMMA FELBERMAYR
Although her time in Singapore didn’t match the high of the top step she experienced in Montreal, Emma Felbermayr enjoyed a strong weekend across the board with her first back-to-back top-six finishes.
The Kick Sauber driver’s consistent one-lap pace earned her a P6 spot for Race 2, her fifth top-eight result in Qualifying this year. Although she slipped back from her second-row starting spot in Race 1, the Austrian looked feistier on track as she engaged in wheel-to-wheel battles to finish in sixth.
A strong launch off the line moved her up to fifth in Race 2 and despite her inexperience with driving in the rain, Felbermayr handled the changing conditions admirably.
Finishing in P4 and adding 12 points to her tally, the 18-year-old achieved her highest single-race points haul. Going from strength-to-strength in her rookie season, Felbermayr should be proud of the growth she’s shown across a challenging campaign.
LISA BILLARD
The youngest-ever Wild Card, Lisa Billard made a big impression in Singapore, even if circumstances meant she didn’t have the points to show for it. Despite having only one Practice session to get acquainted to the Marina Bay Street Circuit before switching to Qualifying at night, Billard nabbed an impressive P5 — the second-best Qualifying result for a Wild Card entry and the best so far this season.
Slipping back to eighth early on in Race 1, the Iron-Dames backed driver then suffered contact from Alba Larsen and eventually had to retire with damage. Race 2 saw Billard keep within the points until the downpour began, with Hitech TGR opting to pit for wet weather tyres which demoted her to P16.
MP MOTORSPORT
MP Motorsport were riding high in Singapore, adding 49 points to their tally across their trio and crucially keeps them in the hunt for the Teams’ title. Round 6 marks their third 40-plus points haul of the season and puts them 49 points back from leaders PREMA Racing.
Alongside Weug’s victory, Larsen earned her fifth P5 finish and her ninth points finish of the campaign, giving the Tommy Hilfiger driver a somewhat unfortunate record of the most points finishes by any driver who has not scored a podium.
Her teammate Joanne Ciconte also left the penultimate round on a high, achieving her best finish yet with a P8 in Race 2. This should come as a much needed boost to the rookie who’s been struggling for consistency, with two ninth places in Jeddah and Montreal marking her only other points-scoring appearances.