F1 Academy Round 7 – Las Vegas

KICK Sauber F1 Team driver, Emma Felbermayr, brought her rookie F1 Academy season to a close last weekend as the series made its debut on the streets of Las Vegas for the final round of the year. Racing under the lights of the Strip, the young Austrian approached the event determined to carry forward the progress built throughout the season and sign off her first single-seater campaign on a positive note.

After another good qualifying performance that placed her well within the fight at the top of the timesheets, Emma lined up on the front row for Race 1 per the reverse grid rule. However, as the field set off on the formation lap, a technical issue – later found to be affecting the clutch – left her stranded on the grid and forced a pitlane restart. Not giving up, Emma fought her way up through the field, eventually finishing 10th and ultimately being promoted to 9th following Alisha Palmowskis disqualification. In a near-repeat scenario ahead of Race 2, the following day, the same problem struck again, forcing her to start from the pitlane once more. Despite limited running, Emma made the most of the opportunity to rejoin the race, still giving her all in another solid performance climbing through the field.

While it wasn’t an ideal end to her campaign for Emma, the Las Vegas round brought to a close a rookie season of consistent progress – whose highlight surely was the incredible maiden win in Montreal. Her focus now shifts to the work ahead, as preparations for next season begin.

Emma Felbermayr (car number 5)

KICK Sauber F1 Team operated by Rodin Motorsport

Qualifying: 7th

Race 1: 9th

Race 2: 12th

“It definitely wasn’t the weekend I wanted to finish the season, but that’s racing sometimes. Qualifying went well and we were in a strong position for Race 1, but the clutch issue stopped us before the start and unfortunately it happened again on Saturday. Even though I didn’t get the chance to properly put up a fight, I still used both races to keep learning and give the team as much feedback as possible on this track. Looking back, my rookie season has taught me a lot: there were highs and lows, but I feel like I’ve grown so much as a driver and as a person, and I am already hungry for more. I would like to thank everyone who has been supporting me this year, especially Rodin Motorsport and my KICK Sauber family for always being by my side.”