2026 F1 Academy standings after the Reverse Grid Race at the Canadian GP

Spread the love

The F1 Academy Reverse Grid Race at the 2026 Canadian GP shook up the standings as it delivered chaos, penalties, and a maiden winner as Mathilda Paatz inherited victory after Rafaela Ferreira was penalised for a false start. Although Alisha Palmowski endured a difficult second race of the day, the Campos Racing driver remains in control of the Drivers’ Championship after her dominant Opening Race win earlier in Montréal.

Palmowski continues to lead the standings with 51 points, while Emma Felbermayr remains second on 36 after salvaging points from a difficult race. Paatz’s maiden victory moves her up to third on 35 points, making her one of the biggest gainers of the Canadian GP weekend.

Campos Racing also strengthens its position at the top of the Teams’ Championship, moving to 108 points after Paatz’s victory and Megan Bruce’s points finish.

Paatz takes maiden victory after Ferreira penalty

The second race of the 2026 F1 Academy Canadian GP weekend used the reverse grid format, with the top eight qualifiers starting in reversed order. Kaylee Countryman lined up on pole ahead of Rafaela Ferreira, while Alba Larsen and Mathilda Paatz started from the second row.

Ferreira made the strongest launch when the lights went out and immediately took the lead into Turn 1. Countryman dropped back from pole but remained in the fight at the front, while Paatz slotted into the podium places.

Behind them, the opening lap quickly descended into drama. Larsen and Felbermayr went wheel-to-wheel in the battle for fourth, with the Audi-backed driver spinning and dropping down the order. Further back, Ava Dobson and Rachel Robertson both came to a stop on track after separate incidents, bringing out the first Safety Car of the race.

Ferreira leads on track as penalties begin to build

Ferreira controlled the restart well and continued to lead the field, but race control soon began investigating whether she had jumped the start. While she remained out front on track, the threat of a penalty left the final result uncertain.

Several other drivers also came under scrutiny. Ella Stevens received a stop-and-go penalty for being out of position at the Safety Car line before later collecting an additional five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Jade Jacquet was also handed a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

As the race settled, Palmowski became involved in a key incident when she ran into the back of Larsen under braking. The Campos driver continued with visible front wing damage, but her pace was compromised as she tried to recover from the midfield.

Late Safety Car ends race as Paatz inherits win

The closing stages brought more drama. Megan Bruce sent Palmowski into a spin, while Nina Gademan attempted to take avoiding action but ended up in the barriers. That triggered a second Safety Car, and with the time limit expiring, the race finished behind the Safety Car.

Ferreira crossed the line first, but her five-second penalty for a false start changed the final result. Paatz was promoted to victory, securing her maiden F1 Academy win and delivering Aston Martin its first win in the series.

Countryman finished second after a composed drive from pole, while Payton Westcott was promoted to third following post-race penalties. Natalia Granada finished fourth ahead of Lisa Billard, Felbermayr, Bruce, and Ferreira, who dropped to eighth after her penalty.

Post-race penalties reshape the final order

The final classification changed further after the chequered flag. Larsen initially crossed the line in the podium places but received a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Felbermayr, dropping her to 11th.

Ella Lloyd and Autumn Fisher were also handed five-second penalties for causing collisions with Robertson and Dobson respectively. Lloyd dropped to 13th, while Fisher fell to 14th.

The penalties promoted Westcott onto the podium, marking her second F1 Academy podium, while Granada and Billard secured valuable points finishes. Felbermayr’s recovery to sixth helped her remain second in the Drivers’ Championship, although Paatz has now closed to within one point.

Palmowski remains in control of the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ standings after the Reverse Grid Race at the Canadian GP

Despite a difficult Reverse Grid Race, Palmowski remains the championship leader after her dominant Opening Race victory earlier at the Canadian GP. Her advantage now stands at 15 points over Felbermayr, with Paatz only one point further back in third.

Westcott moves up to fourth after her podium, while Ferreira sits fifth following her penalty-affected race. Gademan and Lloyd are now tied on 24 points, while Bruce and Larsen remain close behind after a bruising second race of the weekend.

Campos Racing extends Teams’ Championship lead

Campos Racing continues to lead the Teams’ Championship after another strong points haul in Montréal. Paatz’s victory and Bruce’s seventh-place finish move the Spanish outfit to 108 points.

PREMA Racing rises to second on 74 points after Countryman and Westcott both finished on the podium, moving the team ahead of Rodin Motorsport, which now sits third on 73. MP Motorsport remains fourth, while ART Grand Prix and Hitech complete the Teams’ standings.