Chloe Chambers took pole for F1 Academy’s final round with a time of 2:06.538s as the battle for the title reaches its boiling point at the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
Around the streets of Sin City, the race for the F1 Academy title comes down to Doriane Pin and Maya Wueg, with just nine points between the two heading into the weekend.
Beyond the ongoing title fight, Vegas presents challenges for the drivers, as it is the first single-seater junior category to race on this circuit. Leaving the drivers with many unknowns. This will be one of the coldest races for the F1 Academy, which will affect tyre wear as the weekend goes on.
The grid fielded out onto the track under the lights of the Las Vegas Strip, with Ella Lloyd being the first to embark on a push lap. Lloyd is one of the few drivers with a confirmed seat next season, continuing in her McLaren-backed machinery.
Lloyd put in a time of 2:10.951s, but she quickly fell through the order as others crossed the line. Maya Wueg made a good start, crossing the line with a 2:08.894s and immediately embarking on another fast lap.
Wueg was caught behind Alba Larsen, who sat second in the order, struggling to get past her teammate and into the clean air. The Ferrari-backed driver lost a chunk of time but held onto her provisional pole spot.
Pin and Chambers fight for pole
Pin crossed the line to take second, just 0.356s behind Wueg, putting her close to her title contender. The Frenchwoman embarked on another lap, immediately improving on her first time.
With no traffic for Pin, she put in a time of 2:08.174s, taking provisional pole from Wueg by 0.420s. But it wasn’t an assured pole position as Chloe Chambers crossed the line to go 0.245s faster than Pin. Pushing Chambers to the top of the timings.
The back and forth continued between Pin and Chambers, with Pin moving back into provisional pole with just 0.154s between the top two. Chambers didn’t let it go easily, putting in two purple sectors on her next push lap.
The times came down even further with Chambers putting in a 2:07.150s, just 0.201s ahead of the championship leader.
Maya Wueg came out of the pits with 11 minutes remaining in the session, putting the time pressure on the Ferrari-backed driver in the final stages of the session. She sat sixth as she left the pits with a significant 1.4s gap to Chambers on provisional pole.
In her first lap, Wueg was a second down on her competitors. In the second, she was 0.4s down in the first sector alone. The middle sector was a personal best, but the gap to the front-runners was still significant.
Alisha Palmowski took third place in the final stages, just 0.333s off her teammate, the Campos drivers both finding time around the Las Vegas circuit.
Every second counts
Wueg took a personal best in the first sector, only two tenths off of Pin’s lap time. MP Motorsport planned the lap to perfection with Larsen offering the Championship contender a tow into the final sector. She crossed the line to move into second place and crucially ahead of Pin.
However, Pin and Wueg still couldn’t compete with Chambers, who increased her lead to 0.463s after getting a tow from Pin on the lap.
Palmoski moved into second with Pin stepping over Wueg and taking third on the timing sheets. But with a final lap, Pin managed a personal best in the first sector. Yet, it wasn’t enough for the Frenchwoman, ending the session fifth with her championship rival behind her in sixth.
Campos ended the session on top with Chambers leading the duo around Vegas. Larsen significantly crossed the line in third, starting alongside Pin for Race Two. Tina Hausmann will start on the third row alongside Wueg, and Emma Felbermayr will be on the fourth row with Nina Gademan.
However, tomorrow for Race One, Gademan and Felbermayr will be on the front row with the top eight reversed.
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