F1 Academy headed to Canada alongside F1 for its fourth round, comprising three races after the cancelled Race 2 in Miami.
Collisions and Upset as a New Championship Leader Emerges During F1 Academy’s Canadian Weekend
Doriane Pin won Race 1, Emma Felbermayr won Race 2, and Chloe Chambers won Race 3. Pin now leads the Drivers’ Championship, taking the lead from Maya Weug.
Free Practice
Alisha Palmowski made an impression on her debut at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, leading F1 Academy’s sole Free Practice session of the weekend. The Red Bull Racing driver topped the timesheets with a lap time 1:38.898.
It was a strong showing for Campos Racing from the outset, as teammates Palmowski and Chloe Chambers continually traded fastest laps. Chambers looked to have the upper hand after becoming the first to dip into the 1:39s, but Palmowski reclaimed the top spot by a 0.074s margin.
Alba Hurup Larsen built speed from 1:55.428 to 1:42.647. That effort briefly put her three-tenths ahead of McLaren’s Ella Lloyd, who had topped the session despite going too deep over the final chicane’s run-off.
As the session unfolded, Chambers began to assert herself with a 1:41.701, edging out Palmowski at the time. However, the Briton was not finished, opening up an eight-tenths gap at the top.
The pair continued into the second half of the session. Chambers fought back to provisional P1 by just 0.018s, only for Palmowski to answer again with a 1:39.315. Chambers was not finished either, soon becoming the first to enter the 1:38s.
Elsewhere, Larsen, pushing hard in third, narrowly avoided the barriers after a spin through the chicane. Not long after, the session was briefly halted by a red flag when a fan came loose from Doriane Pin’s car as she exited the pit lane.
Following the restart, there was still time for final improvements. Chambers looked set to end on top with a strong lap late on, but Palmowski had time for one last effort. With her tyres past their best, she delivered the decisive lap, a 1:38.898, to seal the fastest time of the day and P1.
Larsen held on to third, ahead of Chloe Chong and Lloyd. Nina Gademan secured a late jump to sixth, while Rafaela Ferreira saw all three Campos Racing cars featured in the top seven. Pin ended the session in eighth, with Lia Block and Aurelia Nobels rounding out the top ten.
Maya Weug experienced a frustrating session and did not set a time due to an issue with her car.
Qualifying
Chambers claimed her third consecutive pole position of the season with a 1:38.125 in the final moments of Qualifying.
The session began with Weug, who was first out after missing Free Practice due to an electrical issue. However, despite the early push, she would end a difficult day in P15.
Up front, Chambers initially set the benchmark with a 1:45.283 before dipping into the 1:41s. That time was soon bettered by Larsen, who momentarily took control with a 1:40.910. What followed was a flurry of changes at the top as Block, Lloyd, and Palmowski each had brief spells in P1.
However, it was Larsen who shone in the first half, breaking into the 1:39s and extending her advantage with a 1:39.246. She was nearly a full second clear of Lloyd at that stage.
As the session reached its midpoint, Pin entered the mix and immediately slotted into the top three. With Larsen pitting, Palmowski capitalised by taking provisional pole on a 1:39.260. Despite this, Chambers was quick to respond, overtaking her teammate before Palmowski struck back with a 1:38.749.
The battle intensified as Chambers reclaimed P1 by 0.059s, only for Palmowski to lead ahead by 0.039s. With under six minutes remaining, Chambers delivered when it mattered most.
Pin briefly split the Campos pair with a late flyer, but Palmowski reclaimed second on her final lap. Behind them, Lloyd secured fourth ahead of a strong late effort from Hausmann, who climbed to fifth.
Felbermayr led the rookies in sixth, closely followed by Gademan and Chong. The latter’s P8 placed her on reverse-grid pole for Race 2. Block and Ferreira rounded out the top ten.
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Race 1
Pin emerged victorious in Race 1 in Montreal, claiming her third win of the season. The Mercedes driver’s calm approach paid off as she pounced on an early incident between front-row starters Chambers and Palmowski, then held firm through a Safety Car restart to achieve the win.
From pole, Chambers made a strong getaway, keeping Palmowski at bay into Turn 1. Lloyd surged from seventh with a bold move, going nearly three-wide with Nobels and Felbermayr to take fourth.
Palmowski, right on Chambers’ gearbox, went for a risky move into Turn 1. The attempt ended in contact after the Brit locked up and tagged her teammate, spinning off as Chambers continued with a damaged front wing.
Pin reacted instantly, cruising past the compromised Red Bull Ford to snatch the lead. Chambers briefly reclaimed P1 before her front wing detached, forcing a pit stop after receiving the Black and Orange Flag. That left Pin with a clear track and a growing gap, pulling over a second ahead of Lloyd by Lap 6. Felbermayr, up into third, came under heavy pressure from Gademan in the fight for the final podium spot.
Further back, Weug’s nightmare weekend continued, as she was plagued by a recurring issue that saw multiple pit visits.
As Palmowski began recovering, she battled Chong for position. A last-second lunge into the hairpin gave her the place, only for Chong to fight back, though she later ran wide, conceding again. Their duel was halted when Wild Card entry Mathilda Paatz crashed, triggering a Safety Car.
The pack bunched up for a restart on Lap 15. Pin timed it perfectly, catching Lloyd off guard and breaking clear again. Felbermayr applied pressure but could not find a way past her Rodin teammate. Behind them, Ferreira and Larsen scrapped for sixth until Ferreira locked up and collided with Chong. Not long after, contact between Ciconte and Crone brought out a second Safety Car.
Race 1 finished behind the Safety Car. Pin claimed the win and a 24-point championship lead. Lloyd took second with a brilliant recovery, and Felbermayr earned her maiden podium. Felbermayr was later disqualified.
Emma Felbermayr has been disqualified from Race 1 after her car was found to be under the minimum weight.
Additionally, Alisha Palmowski has been handed a 10-second time penalty, and Rafaela Ferreira will take a five-place grid drop in Race 2 following separate incidents.… pic.twitter.com/0HBX27AVOK
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) June 14, 2025
Gademan, Block, Larsen, and Hausmann followed, while Palmowski and Chambers recovered to eighth and ninth. Anagnostiadis rounded out the top ten.
Race 2
After being disqualified from Race 1, Felbermayr achieved her first F1 Academy win in Race 2 in Montreal. The Austrian driver timed her late move to perfection, snatching victory on the final lap after a late Safety Car neutralised what had looked a sure win for Gademan.
Starting from the reverse grid pole, Chong led cleanly into Turn 1, holding off Gademan behind. Felbermayr, Lloyd and Hausmann fought for position just behind, with Lloyd moving into third in the opening corners. Moments later, Gademan spotted a gap and dived up the inside of Chong, who left just enough room. Felbermayr and Lloyd quickly followed, pushing Chong down the order by the end of Lap 1.
Felbermayr’s charge continued on Lap 2 as she used the slipstream to move past Lloyd, while Chambers attempted a move on Pin into Turn 2 but lost control and spun off into the run-off, dropping to 14th.
The battle between Lloyd and Pin intensified, with both cutting the final chicane. Though Pin briefly came out ahead, she was instructed to give the place back. At the same time, Larsen edged past Palmowski to move into fifth before attempting an ambitious move on Pin at the hairpin. Light contact ensued, and the Dane received a warning for the incident.
The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 14 following a collision between Hitech TGR teammates Havrda and Anagnostiadis, erasing Gademan’s advantage, setting up a one-lap dash to the finish.
The reverse grid race delivers again. Last lap battles to write home about. 🥵#F1Academy #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/oi0IVAex30
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) June 14, 2025
At the restart, Gademan bolted early, but Felbermayr stayed close and made her move into Turn 9, diving up the inside to take the lead. Lloyd capitalised on this, sliding past Gademan at the hairpin to seal second.
Felbermayr held firm despite bouncing over the kerbs at the final chicane, crossing the line to take a long-awaited victory. Lloyd and Gademan completed the all-rookie podium. Pin reclaimed fourth from Larsen on the final lap, with Palmowski sixth, Hausmann seventh and Block finishing eighth.
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Race 3
Chambers converted pole position into a long-awaited victory for Campos Racing. The American kept her composure in a stop-start Race 3 full of incidents and Safety Car interruptions.
Lining up before Palmowski, Chambers made a clean getaway and retained the lead into Turn 1. Behind her, Lloyd progressed from the second row, going around the outside of Palmowski to snatch second. However, chaos unfolded immediately as Palmowski moved across into Lloyd, making contact. Though Lloyd escaped unharmed, Palmowski was not as lucky. She dropped down the order and eventually pitted for a new front wing.
Further back, a separate incident between Paatz and Anagnostiadis brought out the first Safety Car. The delay allowed Hausmann to climb into third, while Weug gained three positions from P15. When racing resumed at the end of Lap 7, Chambers timed her restart to perfection, maintaining her lead ahead of Lloyd and Hausmann.
Pin quickly began her recovery, picking off Hausmann for third and setting the fastest lap in pursuit of the leaders. Gademan’s move on Felbermayr at the hairpin triggered more drama as the Alpine driver spun the Race 2 winner, resulting in a 10-second penalty.
Another Safety Car followed when Block collided with Ferreira at Turn 8, also wiping out an upset Nobels.
Weug worked her way up to seventh, while Palmowski recovered to 14th. On the restart, Weug passed Larsen for sixth with light contact, as Palmowski climbed into the top eight.
Another incident between Felbermayr and Crone brought out a third Safety Car, and with time running out, the race ended behind it. Chambers took the flag unchallenged to claim her first win of the weekend, with Lloyd securing her third straight podium and Pin completing the top three to extend her championship lead.
Hausmann finished fourth ahead of Chong, with Weug salvaging sixth. Palmowski recovered to seventh, followed by Larsen, Ciconte, and Felbermayr, who took the final point after a disastrous race.
Next Round
F1 Academy returns in Zandvoort between August 29 – 31.
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Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / PsnewZ
Recording Date: 14.06.2025
