The 2025 Saudi Arabian GP F1 Academy weekend brought the grid to Jeddah’s high-speed street circuit for Round 2 of the season. With soaring temperatures and razor-thin margins, the racing was fast, fierce, and full of exciting battles.
Rookie Ella Lloyd claimed her maiden win in Race 1 with a lights-to-flag performance, while Maya Weug struck back in Race 2 to take her first victory of the season. Chloe Chambers crossed the line first but lost the win to a penalty, adding more spice to a title fight that’s already heating up.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Ella Lloyd (McLaren) claimed her first F1 Academy win with a dominant performance in Race 1.
- Maya Weug (Ferrari) responded with her first win of the season in Race 2, taking the lead in the standings.
- Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford) secured her first Pole in the series, but a five-second penalty prevented her from winning Race 2, though her relentless pace in the closing laps earned her P2 and the fastest lap of the race.
- The top three in the standings, Weug, Pin, and Chambers, are now separated by just 12 points.
- Rookies Alba Larsen (Tommy Hilfiger) and Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull) continued to impress, both securing top-five finishes in Jeddah, with Palmowski also stepping onto the podium in Race 1.
- Campos Racing continued their podium streak and now lead the Teams’ Championship.
- Race 1 was incident-heavy with multiple penalties and a Safety Car, while Race 2 offered cleaner but fiercely contested racing.
Free Practice – Tight Margins and Early Warnings
Maya Weug set the tone early at the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP F1 Academy in Jeddah, topping the timesheets in Free Practice with a 2:05.357, just 0.030s ahead of Alisha Palmowski, who had briefly held P1 with a last-lap push. Doriane Pin slotted into third, making it a tight trio at the top, while Chambers, Block, and rookie Ella Lloyd also featured in the upper half of the field.
The session wasn’t without drama: Wild Card Farah AlYousef brought out a yellow flag after a spin, and grip levels proved tricky across the board in the Saudi heat.
Marked by soaring temperatures, shifting grip, and razor-thin margins, it was a session that proved just how valuable the pre-season test days in Jeddah had been. Drivers like Palmowski had spoken openly about how crucial that preparation was, especially on such a fast and unforgiving circuit. As she told us ahead of the weekend, confidence on street circuits comes down to preparation, and in a session with limited laps and soaring track temps, it was clear who had done their homework.
TOP 5 FREE PRACTICE RESULTS:
- P1: Maya Weug (Ferrari – MP Motorsport) – 2:05.357
- P2: Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull – Campos Racing) – 2:05.387
- P3: Doriane Pin (Mercedes – Prema Racing) – 2:05.566
- P4: Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford – Campos Racing) – 2:05.625
- P5: Lia Block (Williams – ART Grand Prix) – 2:05.795
Qualifying – Chambers Holds Her Nerve for Maiden Pole
Under very different conditions from Free Practice, the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP F1 Academy qualifying session proved a challenge from the outset. With track temperatures dropping over 30 degrees compared to earlier in the day, grip was scarce and mistakes came quickly.
Just minutes in, Lia Block brought out the red flag after clipping the inside wall at the final corner and crashing into the barriers, a moment that mirrored Yuki Tsunoda’s FP2 crash in F1 just hours before. Once running resumed, it was Ella Lloyd who set the early benchmark, briefly holding provisional pole until the session began to evolve.
As grip slowly returned, the usual suspects rose to the top. Maya Weug, Alba Larsen, and Alisha Palmowski all took turns near the front, but it was the Campos Racing teammates, Palmowski and Chloe Chambers, who delivered the tightest duel. They traded sector times and top spot until Doriane Pin, who had struggled early in the session, surprised the field by briefly snatching P1 with just five minutes to go.
But Chambers wasn’t done. Using a well-timed tow, she reclaimed the top spot and held on as the chequered flag fell, claiming her first-ever pole position in F1 Academy, and Campos’ second of the season. Pin and Weug rounded out the top three in an all-sophomore lockout, while Palmowski led the rookie charge in P4, ahead of Larsen in fifth.
Further down the order, Emma Felbermayr qualified eighth, meaning she would start Race 1 from reverse grid pole, under the returning format.
TOP 5 QUALIFYING RESULTS:
- P1: Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford – Campos Racing) – 2:04.320
- P2: Doriane Pin (Mercedes – Prema Racing) – 2:04.575
- P3: Maya Weug (Ferrari – MP Motorsport) – 2:04.844
- P4: Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull – Campos Racing) – 2:04.864
- P5: Alba Larsen (Tommy Hilfiger – MP Motorsport) – 2:04.874
Race 1 – Lloyd Delivers an Outstanding Maiden Win
Ella Lloyd delivered a breakthrough drive in Jeddah, securing her first F1 Academy win, and McLaren’s first victory in Saudi Arabia, with a commanding lights-to-flag performance in Race 1. The rookie launched cleanly from P2 on the reverse grid, immediately overtaking polesitter Emma Felbermayr into Turn 1 and building a gap that only grew as chaos unfolded behind her.
Felbermayr’s strong start quickly faded. The Austrian driver, who had secured reverse grid pole after qualifying eighth, was picked off by Alisha Palmowski and Maya Weug by Lap 3, and eventually dropped out of the points entirely. A tough result after such a promising position.
Campos Racing’s Palmowski made a lightning start from P5, slotting into third by the end of Lap 1 and challenging for second early on. Meanwhile, Tina Hausmann, who started from P3, her best starting position across two F1 Academy seasons, struggled to hold her ground and was overtaken by four drivers in the opening laps.
Mid-race, contact between Courtney Crone and Lia Block, who had shown early weekend form with a P5 in Free Practice, sent the ART Grand Prix driver spinning, collecting Chloe Chong in the process. The incident triggered the race’s only Safety Car, and earned Crone a 10-second penalty. Block’s form never recovered after that, capping off a tough weekend.
When racing resumed on Lap 7, Pin surged past Felbermayr with a bold move and began chasing down Alba Larsen, who was defending hard for P4. Pin complained about Larsen’s weaving, but no action was taken, and the Prema driver eventually passed her three laps from the end with a clean and patient move.
Lloyd Breaks Through, Chaos Behind
At the front, Weug began reeling in Palmowski, ultimately overtaking the Red Bull rookie on the main straight to claim second. But Lloyd remained unflustered throughout, fending off any threat and controlling the pace to take a confident maiden win. Palmowski held off a late charge from Pin to secure her second podium in three races.
The McLaren driver reflected on her maiden win:
“It’s pretty good. Not from where I want it, I want it to be in the main race, not the reverse grid,” she said. “So, my goal is for the main race to get a better Qualifying and to be able to win from there.”
TOP 5 RACE 1 RESULTS:
- P1: Ella Lloyd (McLaren – Rodin Motorsport) – 30:00.870
- P2: Maya Weug (Ferrari – MP Motorsport) – 30:01.046
- P3: Alisha Palmowski (red Bull – Campos Racing) – 30:02.693
- P4: Doriane Pin (Mercedes – Prema Racing) – 30:02.919
- P5: Alba Larsen (Tommy Hilfiger – MP Motorsport) – 30:04.222
Race 2 – Weug Strikes Back as a Penalty Shakes Up the Podium
Maya Weug returned to the top step of the podium in Jeddah, taking her first win of the 2025 season, and her second career F1 Academy victory, in a high-pressure Race 2 that saw penalties, wheel-to-wheel drama, and another late twist at the front.
Starting from P3 behind Chloe Chambers and Doriane Pin, Weug launched cleanly and made her move early, overtaking Pin at Turn 1 and locking onto Chambers’ gearbox. The Red Bull Ford driver, determined to claim her first win, defended aggressively, but a controversial moment on Lap 3 saw Chambers push Weug wide in a battle for the lead. It earned her a five-second time penalty that would ultimately cost her victory.
While the battle up front raged on, trouble brewed behind. Five drivers stalled on the grid, including Race 1 winner Lloyd, shuffling the order and creating gaps that would affect the race’s rhythm. Emma Felbermayr’s bad luck continued as she spun after light contact from Rafaela Ferreira, triggering a brief yellow flag. Ferreira would later be handed a 10-second penalty.
As Chambers and Weug traded fastest laps, Pin briefly reclaimed P2, but the Ferrari driver wasn’t done, pulling off a brave outside pass to take back the position. Behind them, Alisha Palmowski and Alba Larsen reignited their now-regular battle for top-five honours, with the 16-year-old Tommy Hilfiger driver once again showing maturity beyond her age.
In the closing stages, Chambers pushed hard to open a gap and keep her podium hopes alive. Her engineer urged her to “keep pushing,” knowing that only a five-second cushion over Pin would secure P2. Meanwhile, Pin came under increasing pressure from Palmowski, with a heavy lock-up nearly costing her a place on the podium.
Chambers Holds Off Pin by 0.065s
In the end, Chambers crossed the line first but was demoted to P2 once her five-second penalty was applied, missing out on victory. Crucially, she had pushed relentlessly in the final laps to open enough of a gap over Pin, beating the Prema driver by just 0.065s. Pin had to settle for third, while Palmowski, who had spent the closing laps glued to the Mercedes driver, was left just off the podium in fourth.
It was a brilliant race for Weug, who now leaves Jeddah as the championship leader, while Chambers, despite the penalty, showcased blistering pace, taking the fastest lap of the race. Campos Racing kept their podium streak alive, and once again, the rookies proved they are here to challenge, especially Palmowski, Larsen, and Lloyd.
Maya Weug reflected on her second win in the series:
“Last year (the win) was in the last race, so it feels good to have it already on the second weekend of the season,” she said. “The car was feeling great all weekend, just some small mistakes — well I wouldn’t say mistakes. It was just a bit messy in Quali, which cost us starting further forward.”
TOP 5 RACE 2 RESULTS:
- P1: Maya Weug (Ferrari – MP Motorsport) – 27:18.850
- P2: Chloe Chambers (red Bull Ford – Campos Racing) – 27:21.634
- P3: Doriane Pin (Mercedes – Prema Racing) – 27:21.699
- P4: Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull – Campos Racing) – 27:22.732
- P5: Alba Larsen (Tommy Hilfiger – MP Motorsport) – 27:23.219
Championship Standings and Miami Coming Next
The 2025 Saudi Arabian GP F1 Academy weekend delivered everything: breakout wins, dramatic penalties, and a tightening title fight that’s already shaping up to be one of the most competitive yet.
With her win in Race 2, Maya Weug now leads the standings with 59 points, just ahead of Doriane Pin (52) and Chloe Chambers (47), who continues to impress with her relentless pace and back-to-back podiums. Alisha Palmowski, still the highest-ranked rookie, holds P4 with 36 points, while Alba Larsen and Ella Lloyd follow closely behind in P5 and P6 respectively, showing that the new generation is more than ready to challenge the returnees.
In the Teams’ Championship, Campos Racing retain the top spot with 91 points thanks to podiums in every race so far. MP Motorsport sit just behind on 89, with Prema Racing holding third on 71.
F1 Academy now heads to Miami, from May 2–4, where the heat, the street layout, and the growing tension in the championship are sure to make for another thrilling round. With the top three drivers separated by just 12 points, and rookies continuing to punch above their weight, Round 3 is shaping up to be unmissable.
Feature Image Credit: McLaren