PREVIEW: F1 Academy returns to Singapore for Round 6

F1 Academy returns this weekend (October 3-5) for Round 6 around the streets of Singapore. Abbi Pulling took the win in both Race 1 and Race 2 in 2024… meaning we will have a new race winner or two in 2025, but who will it be?

Singapore is a challenging street circuit, characterised by high speeds, bumpy streets, high temperatures and intense concentration required to navigate around the 19-corner track, making it one of the most physically demanding races on the calendar.

To make it even more challenging, the drivers will be competing under floodlit lights for the qualifying session and in bright sunshine for the practice session and both races.

The circuit isn’t the only challenge these drivers face; the unpredictable weather can always throw up a curveball, with heavy rain or a thunderstorm never off the cards. But extremely humid conditions with weather averaging over 30˚C are a given.

Keep an eye on Maya Weug and Doriane Pin this weekend. Weug finished second in both races last season and Pin finished third in both races. Both drivers were aggressive and engaged in on-the-edge battles with each other last season. Ella Lloyd also performed strongly around Singapore, scoring eight points in her wild card debut.

Singapore 2024 Podium

Zandvoort recap

The series visited Circuit Zandvoort for the third time, with Dutch driver Esmee Kosterman joining as the wild card.

Maya Weug, Kosterman and Nina Gademan were the stand-out performers of the race weekend, with Gademan and Weug taking one race win each. Kosterman was the first wild card driver to score points this season with a seventh-place finish in Race 2, outscoring five full-time drivers in the Championship Standings.

Read our complete round-up of the F1 Academy Round 5 in Zandvoort.

Esmee Kosterman

Singapore race weekend format

The 2025 season introduced a change to the weekend format, which is now split into three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Up to two practice sessions, each lasting up to 40 minutes, take place on Friday. A 30-minute qualifying session will take place on either Friday or Saturday, depending on the number of practice sessions allocated.

Saturday will host Race 1, and following this season's reform of the Sporting Regulations, it will be a reverse grid race.

The reverse grid race means that the top eight drivers from qualifying will be reversed on the grid, while the drivers that finish between P9 and P18 will start from the position they qualify in. In this race, only the first eight drivers will earn points and the driver who records the fastest lap and finishes in the top eight will score an extra point.

Race 1 points allocation:

• P1 - 10 points

• P2 - 8 points

• P3 - 6 points

• P4 - 5 points

• P5 - 4 points

• P6 - 3 points

• P7 - 2 points

• P8 - 1 point

Race 2 has no changes from previous seasons, with drivers starting from the position that they qualified in. The first 10 drivers to cross the chequered flag will earn points on a sliding scale from 25 points to the winner and down to one point to the driver finishing in P10.

The driver who earns Pole Position for Race 2 will earn two extra points. The driver who sets the fastest lap will earn an additional point if they finish the race within the top 10.

Race 2 points allocation:

• P1 - 25 points

• P2 - 18 points

• P3 - 15 points

• P4 - 12 points

• P5 - 10 points

• P6 - 8 points

• P7 - 6 points

• P8 - 4 points

• P9 - 2 points

• P10 - 1 point

What’s the schedule for the race weekend?

Round 6 begins on Friday, 3 October, with Free Practice at 08:10 and Qualifying at 12:00.

Race 1 will take place on Saturday, 4 October, at 08:00 and Race 2 will take place on Sunday, 5 October, at 08:25.

All times are in British Summer Time (BST).

Block in Singapore

Who is the wild card entry?

French driver Lisa Billard will make her F1 Academy debut in Singapore. Billard will drive car number 60, which will be sporting a custom Gatorade livery, to celebrate the brand's 60th anniversary.

Billard had recently taken part in the F1 Academy Rookie Test and is the youngest-ever Wild Card driver, having recently turned 16 years old.

She is currently competing in the French F4 Championship, securing her first points in the series with a ninth-place finish at Spa-Francorchamps. She is also leading the French F4 Female Trophy.

Lisa Billard

Aiva Anagnostiadis to miss Round 6 due to injury

Anagnostiadis sustained a fracture in her left foot and withdrew from the Singapore race weekend. British driver Megan Bruce was announced as her stand-in for the race weekend, driving the TAG Heuer car.

Bruce had recently taken part in the F1 Academy Rookie Test, producing strong lap times and finishing in the top four in both the morning and afternoon sessions. The British driver is currently competing in her second GB4 Championship season.

Aiva Anagnostiadis

Everything you need to know about the Marina Bay Street Circuit

The first F1 Academy race around Marina Bay Street Circuit was held in 2024 as part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix race weekend.

Races 1 and 2 will cover a distance of 69.16km over 14 laps. The circuit length is 4.94km, with 19 corners and the fastest lap time is held by Abbi Pulling in 2024 with a 2:03.631s lap time.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit encompasses large areas of the Downtown Core and Kallang, located in the centre of Singapore, around Marina Bay.

2025 Season Standings After Round 5

1. Doriane Pin - 127 points

2. Maya Weug - 107 points

3. Chloe Chambers - 93 points

4. Ella Lloyd - 84 points

5. Alisha Palmowski - 73 points

6. Nina Gademan - 51 points

7. Alba Larsen - 48 points

8. Tina Hausmann - 46 points

9. Lia Block - 23 points

10. Emma Felbermayr - 22 points

11. Rafaela Ferreira - 13 points

12. Chloe Chong - 12 points

13. Esmee Kosterman (WCD) - 6 points

14. Aurelia Nobels - 5 points

15. Avia Anagnostiados - 5 points

16. Joanne Ciconte - 4 points

17. Nicole Havrda - 1 point

18. Courtney Crone

19. Mathilda Paatz (WCD)

20. Ava Dobson (WCD)

21. Shi Wei (WCD)

22. Farah Alyousef (WCD)

Lloyd in Singapore 2024

The F1 Academy qualifying session, Race 1 and Race 2 throughout the season can be streamed on F1 Academy’s YouTube, X Channels, F1 TV and Sky Sports F1.

All images are credited to F1 Academy Limited.