The storylines to watch out for as the F1 ACADEMY season heats up in Miami

Two rounds down, five to go, but there’s no rest for the class of 2025 as F1 ACADEMY returns to the streets of Miami.

With some drivers ready to light up the track and others feeling the heat as they try to kickstart their campaigns, there are several talking points to mull over for Round 3.

READ MORE: MIAMI PREVIEW: Talking Points ahead of Round 3

Title fight taking shape

Although we’d be getting ahead of ourselves to say the title protagonists are set in stone at this early stage, it’s clear that a trio of frontrunners have begun to form.

For the first time in her F1 ACADEMY career, Maya Weug leads the Drivers’ Standings courtesy of her four-race podium streak, including being promoted to the win in Race 2 last time out in Jeddah.

On 59 points, the Ferrari driver holds a seven-point advantage over Doriane Pin, with the Mercedes driver yet to score a podium in Saturday’s reverse grid races. Rounding out the trio is Chloe Chambers, who achieved Haas’ first-ever podium on home territory in Miami last season.

Now backed by Red Bull Ford, the American driver has scored three podiums but has yet to bring home a win this year, after receiving a five-second time penalty for forcing Weug off the track in their battle for the lead in Race 2.

Three rookies also remain within touching distance, with Alisha Palmowski joining her Campos Racing team mate Chambers inside the top-four. Tommy Hilfiger’s Alba Larsen sits fifth on 28 points, with Ella Lloyd’s win in the reverse grid Race 1 in Saudi Arabia helping the McLaren driver’s cause.

READ MORE: ‘It’s a shame we couldn’t get a podium’ – Palmowski laments car changes in underwhelming Jeddah outing

The importance of practice

Although no points are awarded in Practice, these sessions in Miami will be some of the most valuable yet. Unlike the first two rounds in Shanghai and Jeddah, the field have had no opportunity to test around the Miami International Autodrome before the race weekend commences.

Instead of three days of testing, the 18 drivers will have two 40-minute Free Practice sessions on Friday to learn the track and find their groove ahead of diving into Qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday.

The six returning drivers from the 2024 season, alongside last year’s Wild Card driver Courtney Crone, will all have some idea of what to expect but first impressions aren’t always lasting ones.

READ MORE: ART searching for consistency after unlucky opening rounds says Team Manager Soullier

Hitech TGR looking to make their mark

The newest team on the grid, Hitech TGR always knew that the 2025 season was going to be an uphill battle.

Hitech face the difficulty of both the team and their drivers starting from scratch at mostly unfamiliar venues, fielding two rookies in American Express’ Nicole Havrda and TAG Heuer’s Aiva Anagnostiadis alongside the Wild Card entry of Ava Dobson, with the 16-year-old American joining the grid this weekend in the #90 Morgan Stanley-liveried car.

As a result, the team have struggled to make their presence known further up the order, with Anagnostiadis’ P8 finish in a chaotic Race 1 in Shanghai the only notch on their points-scoring tally so far.

Being unaccustomed to Miami is a double-edge sword for the British team. On the one hand, their drivers are far from the only ones needing to get acquainted with the 5.41km circuit, but that also means they have to get on the pace quickly themselves if they want to capitalise.

Can Rodin recreate their 2024 domination?

If you asked where Abbi Pulling’s title charge got underway last year, there’s little doubt that Miami set the stage for what was to come. Sealing both pole positions on offer, the Rodin Motorsport driver went on to dominate both races, winning by over 5.2s and 3.8s, respectively.

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That form will be something they’ll be eager to replicate in 2025, with their trio of Ella Lloyd, Emma Felbermayr and Chloe Chong all showing varying degrees of competitiveness. Lloyd is leading the charge at the moment, with the McLaren driver hungry to perform on Sundays after her win in the reverse grid Race 1 in Jeddah.

Felbermayr too has benefitted from the reverse grids but the Kick Sauber driver, who is in her first year in single-seaters, has struggled to hold position and fend off her more experienced rivals. Chong is also making progress after scoring a point in Jeddah Race 2 but needs to deliver a clean weekend and avoid getting caught up in trouble elsewhere.

Delivering a Pulling-esque feat might be a challenge given the change in format, but a strong Qualifying performance could set themselves up nicely for a big haul of points in Miami.

READ MORE: Ava Dobson announced as F1 ACADEMY Miami Wild Card driver

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