© 2025 Getty ImagesF1 Academy Round 7 ReportSeason finale under the lights of Las Vegas
The Entertainment Capital of the World was the venue of the season finale of the 2025 F1 Academy, and what a place to end a championship. This was the F1 Academy’s first visit to the Las Vegas Strip Circuit in what promised to be an action-packed weekend of racing. How did our very own Rafaela Ferreira do? Join us and find out.
Under The Sphere© 2025 Getty Images
To kick off the weekend, we were delighted to announce that Rafa would remain part of our VCARB family for the 2026 season, a testament to her solid performance all year. Rafa was ninth-fastest in the one and only Practice session, which was led by title protagonist Doriane Pin. Rafa also qualified in P9, just over a second off the pole position time from Chloe Chambers. Rafa improved one position in the damp and difficult Race 1 to finish P8 and add another Championship point to her tally. In Race 2, Rafa battled with Ella Lloyd’s McLaren and Tina Hausmann’s Aston Martin to bring her VCARB home in P9, adding another two points to her weekend’s haul.
Rafa ended the season in P12 overall, with her best weekend coming at Round 1 in Shanghai. Luckily, she’s back with us next year to build on these results and bring home the silverware for VCARB in 2026.
Pulling Out For Race Time© 2025 Getty Images
“We finished the season strong here in Las Vegas, it’s felt like my best weekend in terms of pace and the lap times backed that up. I’m really happy overall as ending the season on a positive is so important going into next year.” - Rafaela Ferreira
From all of us at VCARB and the Red Bull F1 Academy, that’s us done for the year. Racing-wise, at least. We’ll be back at the factory with Rafa soon to begin working on our 2026 campaign. See you next year, Academy friends!
Season Finale In Vegas© 2025 Getty Images
