Alisha Palmowski strengthened her grip on the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship after claiming her fifth victory of the season in the United States GP Opening Race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
The Campos Racing driver overcame an early challenge from Payton Westcott and two Safety Car interruptions to secure victory ahead of Nina Gademan and Alba Larsen. Palmowski collected 25 points, increasing her championship total from 136 to 161 and extending her advantage over Emma Felbermayr from 48 to 63 points.
Felbermayr recovered from 11th on the grid to finish fifth, while Gademan reduced her deficit to the Austrian to just nine points. Meanwhile, MP Motorsport moved ahead of Rodin Motorsport into second in the Teams’ Championship after all three of its drivers scored points.
Palmowski opens 63-point F1 Academy standings lead
Palmowski entered the Austin Opening Race on 136 points, holding a 48-point advantage over Felbermayr following her fourth victory of the season at Zandvoort.
Starting from pole, Palmowski initially lost the lead to Westcott, who made a stronger getaway. However, the championship leader quickly reclaimed first place before Westcott ran wide and dropped down the order.
Palmowski subsequently resisted pressure from Larsen and maintained her advantage through two Safety Car interruptions. She eventually secured victory by 1.9 seconds, collecting 25 points and moving to 161.
Felbermayr climbed from 11th to fifth, adding 10 points to increase her total from 88 to 98. Nevertheless, Palmowski’s victory extended the difference between the leading pair from 48 to 63 points.
The result leaves Palmowski with an opportunity to secure the Drivers’ Championship during Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race.
Gademan strengthens third and closes on Felbermayr
Gademan continued her impressive form with another podium finish, taking second place in the Opening Race.
The MP Motorsport driver started third and initially lost a position to teammate Larsen following the first Safety Car restart. However, officials instructed Larsen to return the position after she gained an advantage by leaving the circuit.
Gademan reclaimed second on the final lap and maintained her position until the chequered flag, collecting 18 points.
Her result increases her championship total from 71 to 89. She remains third in the standings but now trails Felbermayr by just nine points, compared with 17 before the race.
Furthermore, Gademan extends her advantage over Larsen in fourth from 21 to 23 points.
Larsen consolidates fourth with another podium
Larsen continued her strong run of results by securing third place in Austin, extending her podium streak to three consecutive races.
The Ferrari-backed MP Motorsport driver entered the weekend on 50 points after claiming two runner-up finishes at Zandvoort. Her latest podium adds another 16 points, increasing her total to 66.
Although Larsen briefly held second ahead of Gademan, she ultimately returned the position following the stewards’ intervention.
Nevertheless, the result strengthens her hold on fourth in the standings. Larsen now leads Westcott by 11 points, having entered the weekend just one point ahead.
She also increases her advantage over Megan Bruce in sixth to 17 points.
Westcott extends advantage over Bruce and Lloyd
Westcott recovered to seventh after losing the lead during the opening lap, adding six points to her championship total.
The Mercedes-backed PREMA Racing driver moves from 49 to 55 points, maintaining fifth place ahead of Bruce.
Meanwhile, Bruce endured a difficult Opening Race after becoming involved in an opening-lap incident. She eventually finished 13th and failed to score, remaining sixth on 49 points.
Ella Lloyd also left the race without points following contact with Ava Dobson. The Rodin Motorsport driver finished 14th and remains seventh on 47.
Consequently, Westcott extends her advantage over Bruce from zero to six points and now leads Lloyd by eight.
Mathilda Paatz also failed to score after finishing 11th, remaining ninth in the championship on 35 points.
Granada climbs to eighth as Billard makes significant gains
Natalia Granada gained a championship position after securing sixth place in Austin.
The PREMA Racing driver collected eight points, increasing her total from 35 to 43. She consequently moves ahead of teammate Paatz into eighth place, opening an eight-point advantage.
Meanwhile, Lisa Billard produced her strongest result of the season with fourth place. The ART Grand Prix driver collected 12 points, increasing her total from 15 to 27.
Billard consequently moves from 13th to 11th, drawing level with tenth-placed Rafaela Ferreira. However, the official standings retain Ferreira ahead on countback.
Further down the order, Esmee Kosterman moves ahead of Ava Dobson into 15th after collecting four points for eighth. Ella Stevens adds two points to reach six, while Jade Jacquet secures her maiden championship point after finishing tenth.
2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ standings after the United States GP Opening Race
The official F1 Academy Drivers’ standings after Friday’s Opening Race are:
- A. Palmowski — 161
- E. Felbermayr — 98
- N. Gademan — 89
- A. Larsen — 66
- P. Westcott — 55
- M. Bruce — 49
- E. Lloyd — 47
- N. Granada — 43
- M. Paatz — 35
- R. Ferreira — 27
- L. Billard — 27
- C. Bättig — 22 — WCD
- R. Robertson — 22
- K. Countryman — 14
- E. Kosterman — 10
- A. Dobson — 8
- E. Stevens — 6
- J. Jacquet — 1
- A. Fisher — 0 — WCD
- Z. Florescu — 0 — WCD
- A. Danielsson — 0 — WCD
- W. Shi — 0 — WCD
WCD = Wild Card Driver.
Campos Racing retains Teams’ Championship lead
Campos Racing maintained its advantage at the top of the Teams’ Championship following Palmowski’s fifth victory of the season.
Palmowski contributed 25 points, while teammates Bruce and Ferreira failed to score. Bruce finished 13th, while Ferreira recovered from an opening-lap incident to finish 15th.
Consequently, Campos increases its championship total from 212 to 237 points.
However, MP Motorsport’s stronger result reduces Campos’ advantage over its nearest challenger from 73 to 72 points. Rodin Motorsport also loses ground to the championship leaders, with its deficit increasing from 73 to 86 points.
Despite the changes behind it, Campos remains firmly in control of the Teams’ Championship heading into the remaining Austin races.
MP Motorsport overtakes Rodin after double podium
MP Motorsport made the largest gain in the Teams’ Championship after all three of its drivers finished inside the points.
Gademan contributed 18 points from second, Larsen added 16 for third and Kosterman collected another four with eighth place. Their combined 38-point haul increases MP’s total from 127 to 165.
The result promotes MP Motorsport from third to second, moving it 14 points ahead of Rodin after entering the race 12 behind.
Rodin drops to third despite adding 12 points. Felbermayr contributed ten from fifth and Stevens collected two, while Lloyd failed to score. The team consequently moves from 139 to 151.
PREMA Racing remains fourth after Westcott and Granada combined for 14 points, increasing its total from 119 to 133.
Meanwhile, Hitech remains fifth on 52 points after failing to score, while ART Grand Prix adds 13 through Billard and Jacquet to reach 42. ART consequently reduces its deficit to Hitech from 23 to just ten points.
2026 F1 Academy Teams’ standings after the United States GP Opening Race
The official F1 Academy Teams’ standings after Friday’s Opening Race are:
- Campos Racing — 237
- MP Motorsport — 165
- Rodin Motorsport — 151
- PREMA Racing — 133
- Hitech — 52
- ART Grand Prix — 42
Palmowski moves closer to title as MP Motorsport gains ground
Palmowski entered the United States GP with a 48-point championship advantage and now leads by 63 following her fifth victory of the season.
Behind her, Felbermayr retains second but faces increasing pressure from Gademan, who has reduced the gap between them to nine points. Meanwhile, Larsen strengthens fourth with her third consecutive podium, opening an 11-point advantage over Westcott.
MP Motorsport also emerges as the biggest winner in the Teams’ Championship. Its 38-point haul moves it ahead of Rodin into second, although Campos continues to maintain a commanding lead.
F1 Academy returns for Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race, where Palmowski will have her first opportunity to secure the 2026 Drivers’ Championship. Sunday’s Feature Race will then conclude the Austin weekend before the championship heads to Las Vegas for its final round in November.
