DORIANE PIN & MAYA WEUG Show Class While F1 Academy Rookies Struggle in China

April 13, 2025

by Shayni Solanki // from www.motorsportweek.com

• The experienced drivers are absolutely schooling the field, with DORIANE PIN, MAYA WEUG, and CHLOE CHAMBERS running clean battles up front while chaos erupts behind them. PIN’s resume reads like a motorsport encyclopedia – endurance titles, GT wins, you name it – and it shows when the pressure’s on. Meanwhile, we’re watching 16-year-olds straight from karting try to figure out wheel-to-wheel racing against rally sensation LIA BLOCK. The talent gap isn’t about speed; it’s about racecraft, and Shanghai made that crystal clear.
• Shanghai turned into a demolition derby with eight safety cars across two races and eight retirements total. The Sunday pile-up between teammates TINA HAUSMANN and NINA GADEMAN took out JOANNE CICONTE, AURELIA NOBELS, and NICOLE HAVRDA in one swoop. While the series gets props for F1 team backing and eliminating financial barriers, we’re watching predictable results where experience wins every time. ABBI PULLING didn’t just pull away because she’s fast – she pulled away because she knows how to race.
• F1 Academy’s growing pains are real, but so is its potential. The series pairs 16-year-old ALBA LARSEN (who’ll likely graduate before she’s 20) with seasoned campaigners, creating a fascinating but frustrating dynamic. Yes, other feeder series have sent drivers to FRECA and GB3, but none have Formula 1’s direct backing and spotlight. The question isn’t whether these women can drive – PIN, WEUG, and CHAMBERS proved that in spades. It’s whether mixing karting graduates with endurance champions serves anyone well, or if we need racing divisions that actually make sense.

all-female f1 academy, formula 1 feeder series, shanghai international circuit, single-seater racing