The 2025 Miami GP F1 ACADEMY weekend brought the grid back to Florida’s vibrant street circuit for the second time in the series’ history. With a mix of high-speed straights and technical corners, the Miami track delivered plenty of excitement, both on and off the asphalt. From scorching heat to torrential rain, the conditions demanded adaptability from the entire field.
Amid a packed week of events—including the premiere of the highly anticipated F1 Academy Netflix documentary—the drivers had little room to breathe. Doriane Pin rose to the occasion in Race 1, holding off Alisha Palmowski in a thrilling final lap showdown to take her first win of the season. But Race 2 never saw lights out, as worsening rain forced organisers to cancel the race, leaving the standings tight heading into Round 4.
The Paddock Headlines
- Doriane Pin secured her first reverse-grid race win of the season at the 2025 Miami GP F1 ACADEMY with a confident drive in Race 1.
- Alisha Palmowski finished second, claiming her third podium of the season and continuing her strong rookie campaign.
- Chloe Chambers secured Pole Position and stormed from P8 to P3 in Race 1, showcasing her racecraft with her fourth top-three finish in 2025.
- Race 1 featured two Safety Car periods and a tense battle for the lead, while Race 2 got postponed due to heavy rain after several formation laps behind the Safety Car.
- Lia Block recovered from P12 to finish fifth in Race 1, scoring her best result of the season so far.
- Emma Felbermayr started Race 1 from pole on the reverse grid but dropped out of the points after a dramatic opening half and car damage.
- Campos Racing extended their Teams’ Championship lead, with both drivers finishing on the podium in Miami.
Two 40-Minute Free Practice Sessions in Miami
For the first time this season, the F1 Academy drivers were given two 40-minute Free Practice sessions in Miami. This was an important bonus on a tricky and dusty street circuit that rewards confidence and punishes hesitation. And with more time on track, the competitive order started to take shape early.
Ella Lloyd set the benchmark in FP1, quickly adapting to the dirty surface as F1 Academy opened the circuit for the day. Lia Block and Doriane Pin responded with fast laps of their own, the latter looking particularly sharp in her flowery-liveried Mercedes. A brief yellow flag caused by Rafaela Ferreira’s spin at Turn 6 didn’t interrupt momentum for long, and by the halfway point, most of the field had logged representative times—except for Maya Weug, who was struggling with illness and only emerged for a late run.
Despite feeling under the weather, the Ferrari-backed driver immediately showed her pace, vaulting into the top three in just a couple of laps. But it was Alisha Palmowski who made the final statement in FP1, slotting into second behind Pin as the session closed under a brief yellow flag brought out by Chloe Chong’s spin.
Drama Came Early on FP2
FP2 saw the field return under hotter afternoon conditions, and the first drama came early. Wild Card Ava Dobson misjudged her braking into Turn 1 and collided with Block, earning a three-place grid penalty for both races. Once the green flag returned, it was the sophomores who led the charge: Chambers, Palmowski, and Weug traded top times, with the Ferrari driver eventually dipping into the 1:58s.
Pin slotted into second with a tight lap that left the top three covered by less than a tenth, while Aurelia Nobels and Lia Block delivered a strong session for ART Grand Prix, finishing P5 and P6 respectively.
In the end, it was Weug who topped the session, proof that even under the weather, the championship leader remains the driver to beat.
TOP 5 FREE PRACTICE 1 RESULTS:
P1: Doriane Pin (Prema Racing) – 1:59.153
P2: Alisha Palmowski (Campos Racing) – 1:59.492
P3: Maya Weug (MP Motorsport) – 1:59.575
P4: Ella Lloyd (Rodin Motorsport) – 1:59.592
P5: Chloe Chambers (Campos Racing) – 1:59.683
TOP 5 FREE PRACTICE 2 RESULTS:
P1: Maya Weug (MP Motorsport) – 1:58.545
P2: Chloe Chambers (Campos Racing) – 1:58.824
P3: Nina Gademan (Prema Racing) – 1:58.940
P4: Ella Lloyd (Rodin Motorsport) – 1:59.098
P5: Aurelia Nobels (ART Grand Prix) – 1:59.217
Chambers Clinches Second Pole in a Row in Race 1
Qualifying in Miami delivered drama before a lap was even set and it will be remembered for being the first rainy session of the series. With a damp circuit from overnight rain, track temperatures 15 degrees cooler than FP2, and rain clouds still looming, drivers scrambled to get a time on the board early as track position became everything.
Campos Racing teammates Chloe Chambers and Alisha Palmowski nailed their timing, clocking the two fastest laps before the heavens properly opened. Chambers secured her second consecutive pole position with a 2:00.458, edging out Palmowski by just 0.018s. Doriane Pin slotted into third, while Ella Lloyd and Lia Block rounded out the top five with a particularly impressive session after an accidented start of the season.
As rain intensified, lap times dropped off dramatically, up to 14 seconds slower than the early dry runs, leaving the initial order untouched. However, several drivers, including Block, Weug, Nobels, and Larsen, used the remaining track time wisely, opting to stay out and gather wet-weather experience. It was a strategic move, with more rain forecast for the races.
Championship leader Maya Weug was one of the biggest casualties of the conditions. Caught in traffic and unable to set a dry lap before the rain hit, she qualified 10th leaving her in a position to fight her way forward in both races. Emma Felbermayr, who ended the session in P8, would start Race 1 from pole thanks to the reverse grid format.
TOP 5 QUALIFYING RESULTS:
P1: Chloe Chambers (Campos Racing) – 2:00.458
P2: Alisha Palmowski (Campos Racing) – 2:00.476
P3: Doriane Pin (Prema Racing) – 2:00.529
P4: Ella Lloyd (Rodin Motorsport) – 2:00.534
P5: Lia Block (ART Grand Prix) – 2:00.742
Pin Wins Race 1 in a Stunning Showdown in Miami
After a chaotic F1 Sprint race earlier in the day, the F1 Academy grid took to a now-dry Miami circuit for their first and only race of the weekend. The girls delivered another thriller packed with penalties, overtakes, and a fierce battle for the win.
Reverse-grid pole-sitter Emma Felbermayr got away cleanly on lights out, but chaos erupted behind as Ella Lloyd clipped Rafaela Ferreira at Turn 1, sending both wide and compromising Lia Block’s line too. Lloyd was the only retirement, and later handed a three-place grid penalty for the collision. Ferreira and Block rejoined but dropped positions.
The Safety Car made a brief appearance to clear Lloyd’s stranded McLaren, before racing resumed with Felbermayr holding the lead, until Doriane Pin made a bold move into Turn 1, only for Felbermayr to immediately snatch the spot back.
But Pin wasn’t done. On Lap 5, the Mercedes driver committed to a brave late-braking overtake that forced Felbermayr into an error, pushing her wide and into the clutches of the chasing pack. The Austrian fell to P6 and was later shown the black-and-orange flag for car damage, ending what had started as a promising race from pole.
With Pin now leading, Palmowski and Nobels followed closely, while Chambers, who had surged from eighth to fourth, was showing impressive pace. Palmowski made a clean pass on Nobels mid-race for P2, and just as the fight for the lead heated up, a second Safety Car was called when Joanne Ciconte spun after contact with Chloe Chong, who received another three-place grid drop for the incident.
A Close Battle On The Restart
The restart came on Lap 9, with Pin narrowly holding the lead from Palmowski, Chambers and Weug close behind. Chambers wasted no time snatching P3 from Nobels, and Weug followed through soon after to take P4.
Further back, Lia Block was charging. From a compromised start, she climbed from P12 to P6 and launched a move on Nobels for fifth, but completed the pass off-track. After giving the Brazilian her position back, the Williams driver made a brilliant move to regain fifth.
Up front, it all came down to the final lap. Palmowski was all over Pin’s mirrors, but the French driver held firm, claiming her first reverse grid victory in F1 Academy and the fastest lap of the race.
Palmowski settled for P2 after a clean and confident drive, with Chambers rounding out the podium in third. Weug climbed from P10 to P4, a strong recovery for the championship leader, while Block completed the top five after an aggressive comeback. Ferreira, who had started on the front row, couldn’t recover from her Turn 1 troubles and finished outside the points, while Nina Gademan stormed her way up from P13 to P5 making her the driver with most positions gained at the 2025 Miami GP F1 ACADEMY Race 1.
Doriane Pin reflected on her victory after the race:
“It’s pretty special — my first reverse grid win. I’m really happy, a good relief! I think we were smart today from Quali to Race 1. We avoided the cars at the start and then the pace was good until the Safety Car. It’s good points for the Standings, fastest lap of the race and good for the team. We worked hard to come back stronger here in Miami after challenging races last year.”
TOP 5 RACE 1 RESULTS:
P1: Doriane Pin (Prema Racing) – 28:32.874
P2: Alisha Palmowski (Campos Racing) – 28:33.297
P3: Chloe Chambers (Campos Racing) – 28:34.613
P4: Maya Weug (MP Motorsport) – 28:35.539
P5: Nina Gademan (Prema Racing) – 28:39.037
Rain Wins in Miami’s Race 2
F1 Academy’s second race of the weekend never truly got going as, this time, the weather had the final say. The field lined up under dark skies and worsening rain, with all drivers on wet tyres and visibility close to zero.
Spray from the cars quickly made conditions treacherous, with several spins on the formation laps. Emma Felbermayr, Nicole Havrda, and Ella Lloyd were among those struggling to keep it pointing straight, while others reported over the radio that they couldn’t even see the car ahead of them. It was reminiscent of last year’s storm-hit Zandvoort race, where the weather brought everything to a halt.
After several formation laps behind the Safety Car and a 10-minute wait in soaked cockpits on the pit lane, the stewards made the call: Race 2 would not start. It was officialy postponed, meaning it could happen later in the season. No points were awarded, however, Chloe Chambers did receive the two points for her pole position.
With Race 2 postponed, the standings remain tight at the top. Maya Weug retains her lead in the championship on 64 points, but just one point behind her is Doriane Pin on 63. Chloe Chambers sits third with 53, followed by teammate Alisha Palmowski on 44 and 16-year-old Alba Larsen on 28.
In the Teams’ Championship, Campos Racing continues to lead the way with 106 points, ahead of MP Motorsport on 94 and Prema Racing close behind with 88.
📻 Team radio from Alisha Palmowski. Looks like more rain is coming too…#F1Academy #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/Ud9OJMtMtK
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) May 4, 2025
Next up, F1 Academy heads to North America to support the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, from June 13–15 where the title fight is set to heat up again.
Feature Image Credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team