RACE 1: Pin secures victory in dramatic Las Vegas race as title rival Weug crashes out

Doriane Pin moved to the brink of winning this year's 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 got underway.

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

There was plenty of drama before the start of the race, with all drivers swapping from slick to wet tyres on the grid, while polesitter Gademan’s Alpine-liveried car also required a front wing change.

As the Safety Car led the field for a pair of formation laps, Kick Sauber driver Emma Felbermayr was left stationary on the front row of the grid, before being dragged back into the pit lane with a reported clutch issue.

With the Safety Car headed back to the pits, Gademan took control of the field, but there was confusion on the run to the final corner, with title-chasing Weug and Aston Martin's Tina Hausman colliding and retiring as a result. This proved particularly painful for Weug, as the incident promoted title rival Pin to second place.

Following the clear-up operation, racing began on Lap 4, with Tommy Hilfiger driver Alba Larsen braving all of the wet areas of the track to make progress. Passing Pin for second at Turn 3, Larsen quickly pulled a spectacular move for the lead around the outside of Turn 10.

But her day came to a sudden end as a subtle brush with the wall at Turn 16 appeared to cause suspension damage, which sent her into a spin at the final corner. Although Larsen was remarkably able to avoid contact with the wall and other drivers, she was unable to continue.

When racing resumed on Lap 6, the action continued to be frantic throughout the order. Keen to make progress having already climbed from 10th on the grid to fifth, McLaren driver Ella Lloyd ran off the dry line into the tight right-hander of Turn 5, but slid into the barrier and caused the Safety Car to return to the track.

On Lap 9, the green flags were displayed once more, and Pin made her move on Gademan along The Strip, completing the pass before the braking zone.

Behind the pair, Red Bull Racing driver Palmowski was hounding the rear of Red Bull Ford entry Chloe Chambers. Going nose to tail through the Turn 14-15 chicane, the pair made contact, with Chambers retiring after suffering heavy damage.

The incident proved to be the final action of Race 1, with the Safety Car leading the field to the flag, and Pin to her fourth victory of the season. With Pin and Gademan locking out the top two positions, Prema clinched the Teams’ title for the third year running.

Palmowski joined Pin and Gademan on the podium, with Aurelia Nobels and Rachel Robertson in the top five. Williams driver Lia Block, Wild Card entry Payton Westcott, and Haas driver Courtney Crone rounded out the points-paying positions.

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.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Chambers will start from pole as Pin looks to claim the F1 ACADEMY title in style, with the race getting underway at 16:20 local time (UTC -8).