Alisha Palmowski remains in control of the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ standings after a dramatic Reverse Grid Race at the Dutch GP, despite failing to score at Zandvoort.
The Campos Racing driver stalled from eighth on the grid and eventually finished 12th. However, championship rival Emma Felbermayr also left the race without points after a five-second penalty dropped her from eighth to 13th. As a result, Palmowski retains her 30-point advantage at the top on 108 points, while Felbermayr remains second on 78.
Meanwhile, Payton Westcott converted reverse-grid pole into her maiden F1 Academy victory and added the fastest-lap bonus point. The PREMA Racing driver consequently climbs from sixth to fourth in the standings, while Nina Gademan’s home podium strengthens her hold on third.
Palmowski retains 30-point F1 Academy standings lead despite difficult race
Palmowski arrived at Zandvoort with a 30-point advantage after winning the Silverstone Feature Race and extending her total to 108 points. However, the championship leader endured a difficult start to the Dutch GP Reverse Grid Race.
Having qualified on pole for Sunday’s Feature Race, Palmowski started eighth on the reversed grid. She stalled when the lights went out and dropped to the rear of the field before eventually recovering to 12th. With points only available to the top eight, she failed to add to her championship total.
Nevertheless, Felbermayr could not capitalise. The Rodin Motorsport driver crossed the line eighth but received a five-second penalty for contact with Rachel Robertson, dropping her to 13th and out of the points. Therefore, Palmowski remains first on 108 points, 30 clear of Felbermayr on 78.
Gademan strengthens third with home podium
Gademan produced a strong performance on home soil to strengthen her position in third. The MP Motorsport driver started fourth and quickly moved forward, passing Robertson before overtaking Megan Bruce for second during the opening phase.
Although Alba Larsen later passed her following the second Safety Car restart, Gademan held third to secure another podium. The six points increase her championship total from 50 to 56.
She remains third but has reduced her deficit to Felbermayr from 28 to 22 points. Palmowski, meanwhile, holds a 52-point advantage over Gademan ahead of Sunday’s Feature Race.
Westcott jumps to fourth with maiden victory
Westcott made the largest move among the leading championship contenders after dominating from reverse-grid pole. The Mercedes-backed PREMA Racing driver inherited the top starting position after Wild Card entrant Zoe Florescu was disqualified from Qualifying and controlled both Safety Car restarts to secure her maiden F1 Academy victory.
Westcott also claimed the fastest lap, giving her 11 points from the race. Her total rises from 36 to 47, allowing her to jump Ella Lloyd and Bruce from sixth into fourth in the Drivers’ standings.
She now sits nine points behind Gademan and 31 behind Felbermayr. However, Palmowski remains 61 points clear of Westcott at the top.
Lloyd moves ahead of Bruce as Larsen climbs to eighth
Lloyd also gained a championship position after producing a strong recovery from 11th on the grid. The Rodin Motorsport driver worked her way through the field and passed Robertson late in the race to finish fifth, adding four points to her total.
She consequently moves from fifth to fifth outright on 43 points, breaking the tie she previously shared with Bruce. Bruce added two points for seventh and now sits sixth on 41.
Mathilda Paatz remains seventh on 35 after finishing outside the points, while Larsen makes significant progress following her maiden F1 Academy podium. The Ferrari-backed MP Motorsport driver climbed five places to finish second and added eight points, moving from 24 to 32.
Larsen therefore jumps Rafaela Ferreira and Natalia Granada to take eighth in the standings.
Kosterman scores first points as Robertson and Dobson add to totals
Esmee Kosterman produced her strongest result of the season in front of her home crowd. The MP Motorsport driver finished fourth after battling inside the leading group and collected five points, moving from zero to 16th in the championship.
Robertson finished sixth and added three points, increasing her total from 13 to 16. She consequently moves ahead of Lisa Billard into 12th.
Meanwhile, Felbermayr’s penalty promoted Ava Dobson into eighth and the final points-paying position. The Hitech driver adds one point to reach eight, remaining 15th in the standings.
Ferreira remains ninth on 27 points, while Granada stays 10th on 23 following her early retirement after hitting the barrier at Turn 3. Silverstone Wild Card Chiara Bättig remains 11th on 22.
2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ standings after the Dutch GP Reverse Grid Race
The official F1 Academy standings after Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race are:
- A. Palmowski — 108
- E. Felbermayr — 78
- N. Gademan — 56
- P. Westcott — 47
- E. Lloyd — 43
- M. Bruce — 41
- M. Paatz — 35
- A. Larsen — 32
- R. Ferreira — 27
- N. Granada — 23
- C. Bättig — 22 – WCD
- R. Robertson — 16
- L. Billard — 15
- K. Countryman — 14
- A. Dobson — 8
- E. Kosterman — 5
- E. Stevens — 4
- A. Fisher — 0 – WCD
- Z. Florescu — 0 – WCD
- J. Jacquet — 0
- W. Shi — 0 – WCD
Campos Racing retains Teams’ standings lead
Campos Racing remains comfortably ahead in the Teams’ standings, although its advantage over Rodin Motorsport has narrowed slightly.
Bruce provided Campos’ only points from the Reverse Grid Race with seventh place, while Palmowski and Ferreira both finished outside the top eight. The team therefore adds two points to move from 174 to 176.
Rodin Motorsport added four points through Lloyd’s fifth-place finish. Felbermayr’s penalty prevented her from contributing, while Ella Stevens also finished outside the points. Rodin moves from 121 to 125, reducing its deficit to Campos from 53 to 51 points.
MP Motorsport makes biggest gain after double home podium
MP Motorsport enjoyed the strongest Teams’ Championship haul of the Reverse Grid Race. Larsen finished second, Gademan third and Kosterman fourth, giving the team 19 points from a highly successful home event.
As a result, MP Motorsport moves from 74 to 93 points. Although it remains fourth, the team has reduced its deficit to PREMA Racing considerably.
PREMA also enjoyed a productive race through Westcott’s victory and fastest lap. Her 11-point haul moves the team from 94 to 105, leaving it 20 points behind second-placed Rodin and only 12 ahead of MP Motorsport.
Hitech adds four points through Robertson and Dobson to reach 46, while ART Grand Prix remains sixth on 29 after failing to score.
2026 F1 Academy Teams’ standings after the Dutch GP Reverse Grid Race
- Campos Racing — 176
- Rodin Motorsport — 125
- PREMA Racing — 105
- MP Motorsport — 93
- Hitech — 46
- ART Grand Prix — 29
Palmowski remains in control ahead of Zandvoort Feature Race
The Reverse Grid Race created significant movement behind Palmowski but did not change the gap between the leading two drivers. Both Palmowski and Felbermayr failed to score, leaving the championship leader’s 30-point advantage intact.
However, Gademan has strengthened her position in third, while Westcott’s breakthrough victory has moved her firmly into the leading championship group. Larsen also made a significant gain with her first podium, while MP Motorsport’s 19-point haul tightened the battle behind Campos and Rodin in the Teams’ standings.
Palmowski will have the opportunity to respond immediately in Sunday’s Feature Race, where she starts from pole position at Zandvoort.
