The 2025 Chinese GP F1 Academy weekend saw the series return in style, kicking off the new season at a brand-new circuit and country—Shanghai—alongside Formula 1. With just six returning drivers from 2024 and twelve fresh faces, it was a weekend of surprises, safety cars, and standout performances. Alisha Palmowski claimed her maiden win in Race 1 thanks to the return of the reverse grid format, while Doriane Pin reminded the rookies who’s boss with a commanding win in Race 2. It was a chaotic, crash-filled curtain-raiser—but one that gave us a proper taste of the fierce competition brewing this season.
The Paddock Headlines
- Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull Racing) and Doriane Pin (Mercedes) claimed the first two wins of the 2025 season.
- Maya Weug (Ferrari) and Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford) made it to the podium in both races.
- 16-year-old Alba Larsen impressed with P3 in Qualifying, P7 in Race 1, and P4 in Race 2.
- Wild Card Shi Wei’s debut was tough—she triggered the first Safety Car in Race 1 and finished at the back in both outings.
- Race 1 was a Safety Car frenzy, while Race 2 delivered cleaner, wheel-to-wheel action for the points.
- Doriane Pin leads the standings, but is just five points clear of Maya Weug.
An Incident-Packed First Practice
The season’s first Free Practice set the tone early: fast, frantic, and a little messy. Doriane Pin topped the timesheets for Mercedes with a 2:04.198, but it was far from a clean session.
Rookie Ella Lloyd made the first impression of 2025, setting the initial benchmark before a spin triggered the first yellow flag. Later, a clash between Rafaela Ferreira (Racing Bulls) and Lia Block (Williams) brought out the session’s first red flag—Ferreira was later deemed at fault and handed a grid penalty for both races.
As the track went green again, wild card Shi Wei added to the drama with another spin at Turn 1, while Chloe Chambers, Tina Hausmann, and Pin traded fastest laps in the closing minutes. In the end, Pin reclaimed P1 with her final flyer, narrowly edging out Hausmann and Chambers.
TOP 5 FREE PRACTICE RESULTS:
- P1: Doriane Pin (Mercedes) – 2:04.198
- P2: Tina Hausmann (Aston Martin) – 2:04.297
- P3: Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford) – 2:04.450
- P4: Maya Weug (Ferrari) – 2:04.603
- P5: Nina Gademan (Alpine) – 2:04.750
Weug Takes Command in Qualifying
Maya Weug kicked off her 2025 Chinese GP F1 Academy weekend with a statement: her first-ever F1 Academy pole, and by a comfortable margin. The Ferrari driver was in a league of her own with a 2:03.379, nearly half a second clear of her nearest rival.
Behind her, Doriane Pin once again showed strength with P2, while rookie Alba Larsen turned heads, grabbing P3 with a cool and confident drive—despite admitting to pre-session nerves (as you would at just 16 years old!). The top five was completed by Chloe Chambers and Alisha Palmowski, setting up a tight fight at the front.
The session wasn’t without drama—Lia Block couldn’t take part after damage from her FP1 clash with Ferreira, who received a three-place grid penalty for both races. Meanwhile, Lloyd showed early pace again, and Palmowski briefly held provisional pole before Weug turned up the heat.
With the reverse grid format back for 2025, Nina Gademan, who qualified 8th, would line up on Race 1 pole, joined by Emma Felbermayr and Joanne Ciconte on the reshuffled front rows.
TOP 5 QUALIFYING RESULTS:
- P1: Maya Weug (Ferrari) – 2:03.379
- P2: Doriane Pin (Mercedes) – 2:03.876
- P3: Alba Larsen (Tommy Hilfiger) – 2:04.006
- P4: Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford) – 2:04.083
- P5: Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull Racing) – 2:04.143
Race 1: Safety Cars, Chaos, and a Breakthrough Win
Alisha Palmowski held her nerve in a last-lap shootout to take her first-ever F1 Academy victory, leading a Campos Racing 1-2 ahead of teammate Chloe Chambers. The reverse grid format delivered its usual drama—three Safety Cars, yellow flags galore, and a string of standout rookie drives.
Nina Gademan, starting from reverse pole, looked set for the win after handling two early restarts brilliantly. But with just two laps to go, her Alpine suffered a sudden issue, handing the lead to Palmowski, who fended off Chambers in a drag race to the line.
Maya Weug climbed from P8 to the podium with a composed drive, while Doriane Pin took P4 after navigating the late-race chaos. Behind them, rookie Rafaela Ferreira stormed through the field from P16 to P5, and Ella Lloyd, who started from the pit lane, finished an impressive sixth.
There was no shortage of incident:
- Shi Wei brought out the first Safety Car on Lap 2 with a spin at Turn 7.
- A messy collision between Lia Block and Aurelia Nobels triggered another, sending both to the back.
- And yet another Safety Car followed as Chloe Chong collided at the restart.
Alba Larsen had been running in P4 but was handed a 10-second penalty after a late clash with Felbermayr. This penalty droped her to P7. Penalties also affected Courtney Crone, whose start procedure infringement saw her fall out of the points, promoting Aiva Anagnostiadis to P8.
TOP 5 RACE 1 RESULTS:
- P1: Alisha Palmowski (Red Bull Racing) – 32:24.230
- P2: Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford) – 32:24.436
- P3: Maya Weug (Ferrari) – 32:25.546
- P4: Doriane Pin (Mercedes) – 32:29.669
- P5: Rafaela Ferreira (Racing Bulls) – 32:33.800
Alisha Palmowski reflected on her maiden win and why we couldn’t hear her happiness over the radio: “It feels like a whirlwind. I just feel like everything just happened so quickly. I was so relieved when I saw the chequered flag. It was the happiest I’ve ever been, but my radio wasn’t working so I wasn’t able to come on the radio and speak or anything.”
Race 2: Pin Strikes Back
After finishing just off the podium in Race 1, Doriane Pin came back with a vengeance. She took the lead at Turn 1 and never looked back. The Mercedes driver stormed to her first win of the season, pulling two seconds clear of Maya Weug, who notched up her second podium of the weekend.
Chloe Chambers made it back-to-back podiums as well, clinching third after a tense battle with Alba Larsen. The 16-year-old impressed yet again with P4 and held her own in wheel-to-wheel fights with more experienced names. The Tommy Hilfiger driver finished ahead of Felbermayr, Palmowski, and Lloyd in a tightly contested midfield.
The race began behind the Safety Car after an oil spill cut the race by two laps. However, once green flags flew, the action was relentless. Clean racing, bold overtakes, and fewer incidents gave Race 2 a different energy—though there were still casualties.
- Tina Hausmann collided with Nina Gademan, spinning the Alpine driver—but Gademan recovered to claim the final point in P10.
- Joanne Ciconte, Aurelia Nobels, and Nicole Havrda all retired after separate incidents.
- Chloe Chong and Hausmann both received 10-second time penalties for their respective collisions.
TOP 5 RACE 2 RESULTS:
- P1: Doriane Pin (Mercedes) – 24:52.883
- P2: Maya Weug (Ferrari) – 24:54.893
- P3: Chloe Chambers (Red Bull Ford) – 24:57.419
- P4: Alba Larsen (Tommy Hilfiger) – 24:59.467
- P5: Emma Felbermayr (Kick Sauber) – 25:01.141
Doriane Pin shared her excitement about her brilliant start of the season, saying: “Really happy about the weekend here in Shanghai. In Race 2, we maximized everything we could. We did a mega start with an outside overtake in T1. I knew it was essential to be smart at the beginning to finish the race in front. I’m very happy about how the team worked and how strong we were together, and I’m delighted to start the season like this.”
Next Stop: Saudi Arabia
The 2025 Chinese GP F1 Academy weekend kicked off in Shanghai with drama, talent, and a grid full of potential. From Palmowski’s breakthrough win to Pin’s ruthless race craft, and standout rookie performances from Larsen, Ferreira, and Lloyd, the opening round gave us a proper taste of the battles to come.
Now, the field heads to Saudi Arabia for the first in-season test (April 4–6), before taking on the high-speed streets of Jeddah for Round 2 (April 18–20). A very different track, a new set of challenges—and with the title fight already simmering, this season is only just heating up.
Feature Image Credit: PREMA Racing
[…] single-seater talent will take on one of the most demanding street circuits in motorsport. After a thrilling season opener in Shanghai, it’s 18-year-old Alisha Palmowski racing under the Red Bull banner with Campos who’s emerged […]