F1 Academy championship leader Doriane Pin sends warning to rivals ahead of season finale

F1 Academy championship leader Doriane Pin has sent a strong warning to her rivals ahead of the season finale.

The all-female racing series' season finale is set for this coming weekend during the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. Pin, backed by the Mercedes F1 team, currently leads the drivers' standings by nine points over Maya Weug. Ella Lloyd follows Weug in third by 41 points.

While the championship will come to a head this weekend, Pin claimed it's the drivers behind her in the standings who need to worry.

“We are P1 so we’re the ones leading,” Pin said. “We are the ones who have to stay cool and do what we normally do.

"We don’t need to change anything or bring anything. We just have to be fast from free practice… and everything will come naturally, so I’m not very worried about that. It’s the other ones behind that have to worry!”

Weug, Pin's closest challenger, is looking to continue her momentum from the last two race weekends in Singapore and Zandvoort.

“It’s been a season of ups and downs,” Weug explained. “The weekend in Montreal really put us on the back foot for the whole season. It was not what we needed and it has made our lives very difficult.

Podium: Race winner Maya Weug, MP Motorsport, second place Doriane Pin, PREMA Racing, third place Ella Lloyd, Rodin Motorsport

Photo by: Pauline Ballet - Formula 1

“We had a mega comeback in Zandvoort and Singapore to get ourselves within nine points. That’s something that I think a lot of people wouldn’t have expected – not even Doriane! I think from that side we can be very proud of ourselves and we will push until the end to win this title.”

She added: “It’s not the best position to be in, but in the end, we are in a strong position. We’re coming off a very strong last two races, so we have the momentum.

"We have the mentality to win. The momentum is the most important – we’ve been really quick and catching up a lot. We’re in a place where we can give it all because there is nothing to lose.”