Alisha Palmowski secured the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship following a remarkable recovery from eighth to second during Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The Red Bull Racing-backed driver extended her championship advantage over Emma Felbermayr, putting the title mathematically beyond her remaining challengers with three races still to contest.
Meanwhile, Alba Larsen claimed her maiden F1 Academy victory, continuing an impressive run of performances for MP Motorsport. Lisa Billard completed the podium with her first top-three finish, while Felbermayr and Nina Gademan finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
With the Drivers’ Championship decided, attention now turns to the battle for second, where Felbermayr, Gademan and Larsen remain the leading contenders. The Teams’ Championship also remains open, with Campos Racing retaining its advantage over MP Motorsport.
Palmowski seals 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship in Austin
Palmowski entered Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race with 161 points, holding a 63-point advantage over Felbermayr following her fifth victory of the season in Friday’s Opening Race.
However, the championship leader faced a challenging starting position, lining up eighth on the reversed grid, immediately ahead of Felbermayr. Despite briefly losing a position to the Austrian during the opening lap, Palmowski recovered amid the early incidents and began moving through the field.
Following the Safety Car restart, she overtook Gademan before benefiting from Natalia Granada’s penalty to move into third. On Lap 10, Palmowski completed a decisive overtake on Billard into Turn 12, securing second place behind Larsen.
The British driver subsequently maintained her position to the chequered flag, adding eight points for second and another for the fastest lap, which she recorded on Lap 12.
Consequently, Palmowski increases her championship total to 170 points, excluding the two outstanding Feature Race pole points, and extends her advantage over Felbermayr to 67.
Her second-place finish also makes her the first Campos Racing driver to win the F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship and the fourth champion in the series’ history.
With the title secured, Palmowski can concentrate on extending her five-race victory tally during Sunday’s Feature Race and the Las Vegas season finale.
Felbermayr retains second as Gademan remains close behind
Although Felbermayr’s hopes of securing the Drivers’ Championship ended on Saturday, the Austrian remains second in the standings following another points-scoring performance.
The Rodin Motorsport driver began the Reverse Grid Race ninth, immediately behind Palmowski, and made an encouraging start by overtaking her championship rival during the opening lap. However, Palmowski recovered the position amid the incidents involving Rafaela Ferreira and Jade Jacquet.
Felbermayr subsequently moved through the field, passing Gademan and the struggling Ferreira before finishing fourth. The result added five points to her championship total, increasing it from 98 to 103.
Meanwhile, Gademan entered the race third in the standings with 89 points, nine behind Felbermayr. Starting sixth, the Alpine-backed MP Motorsport driver initially held a promising position but lost ground during the Safety Car restart.
Gademan eventually finished fifth, collecting four points to reach 93. Consequently, her deficit to Felbermayr increases slightly from nine to ten points.
However, with Sunday’s Feature Race and the Las Vegas weekend still to come, the battle for second remains open. Gademan has demonstrated competitive pace throughout the recent rounds, while Felbermayr will aim to maintain her advantage over the remaining three races.
Larsen strengthens fourth with maiden F1 Academy victory
Larsen continued her impressive second half of the 2026 season by securing her maiden F1 Academy victory during Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race.
The Ferrari-backed driver started fourth but capitalised on the opening-lap incidents involving Ferreira and Jacquet to claim the lead. She subsequently controlled the race, maintaining her advantage through the Safety Car restart and resisting any opportunity for Palmowski to challenge.
Larsen eventually crossed the line 2.368 seconds ahead of the newly crowned champion, collecting ten points and increasing her championship total from 66 to 76.
The victory follows three consecutive podium finishes, including two runner-up results at Zandvoort and third place during Friday’s Austin Opening Race.
Consequently, Larsen strengthens her hold on fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, extending her advantage over Payton Westcott from 11 to 18 points.
Furthermore, the Danish driver reduces her deficit to Gademan from 23 to 17 points, while moving within 27 of second-placed Felbermayr.
Although Larsen remains fourth, her recent form puts her firmly in contention for a higher championship finish. With 65 race points still available across Sunday’s Feature Race and the Las Vegas weekend, the battle for second remains mathematically open to several drivers.
Westcott maintains fifth as Bruce and Lloyd collect points
Westcott retained fifth in the championship following a sixth-place finish during Saturday’s race.
The Mercedes-backed PREMA Racing driver started seventh and remained among the points-scoring positions despite the incidents that disrupted the opening lap. She eventually collected three points, increasing her championship total from 55 to 58.
Meanwhile, Megan Bruce recovered from a difficult Friday Opening Race to finish seventh, adding two points to her existing tally of 49.
The Campos Racing driver therefore strengthens her hold on sixth, moving to 51 points and reducing her deficit to Westcott from six to seven points after entering the weekend level.
Ella Lloyd also returned to the points following her difficult Opening Race, finishing eighth to collect the final point available. The McLaren-backed Rodin Motorsport driver moves from 47 to 48 points, remaining seventh overall.
Consequently, Westcott continues to lead the closely contested group behind Larsen, although Bruce and Lloyd remain within striking distance.
Billard climbs into the top ten after maiden podium
Billard delivered another significant result for ART Grand Prix, securing her maiden F1 Academy podium with third place in Austin.
The French driver started third and capitalised on the opening-lap collision between Ferreira and Jacquet to move into the leading group. Although Palmowski subsequently overtook her for second, Billard maintained third until the chequered flag.
Her result follows fourth place during Friday’s Opening Race, completing an impressive sequence of performances during the penultimate round.
The six points earned on Saturday increase Billard’s championship total from 27 to 33, promoting her from eleventh to tenth in the standings, ahead of Ferreira.
The Racing Bulls-backed driver, meanwhile, endured another disappointing result after starting from reverse-grid pole. Ferreira received a five-second penalty for contact with Jacquet and eventually finished thirteenth, remaining on 27 points.
Further down the standings, Granada also failed to score after receiving a ten-second stop-and-go penalty for a formation-lap infringement. She remains eighth with 43 points, while Mathilda Paatz stays ninth on 35.
2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ standings after the United States GP Reverse Grid Race
The updated standings, calculated from the Saturday Reverse Grid Race results and the championship totals after Friday’s Opening Race, are:
- A. Palmowski — 170 points — Champion
- E. Felbermayr — 103
- N. Gademan — 93
- A. Larsen — 76
- P. Westcott — 58
- M. Bruce — 51
- E. Lloyd — 48
- N. Granada — 43
- M. Paatz — 35
- L. Billard — 33
- R. Ferreira — 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. These calculated standings include Palmowski’s fastest-lap point but exclude the two Feature Race pole points pending their inclusion in the official standings.
Campos Racing retains Teams’ Championship lead
Campos Racing maintained its advantage at the top of the Teams’ Championship following Palmowski’s title-winning performance.
The Spanish outfit entered Saturday with 237 points, holding a 72-point lead over MP Motorsport after Palmowski secured victory in Friday’s Opening Race.
Her second-place finish in the Reverse Grid Race contributed eight points, alongside the fastest-lap bonus, while teammate Bruce added another two for seventh. Ferreira failed to score following her opening-lap collision and subsequent penalty.
Consequently, Campos Racing adds 11 points to increase its championship total to 248, excluding any outstanding pole-position bonus.
However, MP Motorsport enjoyed another successful race, with Larsen’s victory and Gademan’s fifth-place finish combining for 14 points.
The result reduces Campos’ advantage over MP Motorsport from 72 to 69 points, keeping the Teams’ Championship open heading into Sunday’s Feature Race.
Although Palmowski has secured the Drivers’ title, Campos must continue scoring consistently to maintain its advantage over the chasing teams.
MP Motorsport extends advantage over Rodin Motorsport
MP Motorsport strengthened its position in second following Larsen’s breakthrough victory.
The Dutch outfit entered Saturday on 165 points, having moved ahead of Rodin Motorsport through its double podium during Friday’s Opening Race.
Larsen contributed ten points with her victory, while Gademan added another four after finishing fifth. Esmee Kosterman completed the race eleventh and failed to score.
Consequently, MP Motorsport increases its championship total to 179 points, extending its advantage over Rodin Motorsport from 14 to 22.
Rodin, meanwhile, collected six points through Felbermayr’s fourth-place finish and Lloyd’s eighth place. Ella Stevens finished twelfth, leaving the team third on 157.
PREMA Racing remains fourth with 136 points after Westcott collected three, while Granada and Paatz failed to score.
MP Motorsport therefore strengthens its hold on second as it attempts to reduce Campos Racing’s championship advantage during the remaining three races.
ART Grand Prix closes on Hitech following Billard’s podium
The battle for fifth in the Teams’ Championship also intensified following Billard’s podium finish.
ART Grand Prix entered Saturday with 42 points, trailing Hitech by ten following its strong performance during Friday’s Opening Race.
Billard subsequently added six points with third place, increasing ART’s championship total to 48.
However, her teammates could not contribute additional points. Jacquet retired following the opening-lap incident with Ferreira, while Kaylee Countryman finished tenth.
Hitech, meanwhile, endured another difficult race, with Rachel Robertson finishing fifteenth and both Ava Dobson and wildcard Alexia Danielsson retiring.
The team consequently remains on 52 points, reducing its advantage over ART Grand Prix from ten to just four.
With the Feature Race and Las Vegas weekend remaining, both outfits retain opportunities to improve their championship positions.
2026 F1 Academy Teams’ standings after the United States GP Reverse Grid Race
The updated Teams’ Championship standings, calculated from the Saturday results, are:
- Campos Racing — 248 points
- MP Motorsport — 179
- Rodin Motorsport — 157
- PREMA Racing — 136
- Hitech — 52
- ART Grand Prix — 48
These totals remain subject to official confirmation and do not include any outstanding Feature Race pole-position points.
Palmowski crowned champion as battle for second takes centre stage
Palmowski’s recovery from eighth to second secured the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship with three races remaining, completing a campaign in which the British driver has claimed five victories and consistently maximised her results.
However, the remaining championship positions are far from settled. Felbermayr holds second on 103 points, but Gademan remains just ten behind, while Larsen’s maiden victory moves her within 17 points of her MP Motorsport teammate and 27 of the Austrian.
Meanwhile, Westcott, Bruce and Lloyd remain involved in a separate battle for the positions immediately behind the leading four.
The Teams’ Championship also remains open, with Campos Racing leading MP Motorsport by 69 points. However, Larsen’s recent form and Gademan’s consistent scoring have helped MP strengthen its position ahead of Rodin Motorsport.
With Sunday’s Feature Race still to come at COTA, attention now turns towards the remaining championship battles. Palmowski will start from pole as the newly crowned champion, while her rivals attempt to maximise their points before the season concludes in Las Vegas.
