The 2026 F1 Academy Feature Race at the United States GP has been completed, view the full report here.
Nina Gademan claimed victory in Sunday’s 2026 F1 Academy Feature Race at the United States GP, converting third on the grid into a commanding performance at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The Alpine-backed MP Motorsport driver took the lead on the opening lap and successfully defended her advantage through a late Safety Car restart, securing a crucial victory in her battle with Emma Felbermayr for second in the Drivers’ Championship.
Mercedes-backed Payton Westcott finished second, while Sephora-backed Natalia Granada completed the podium. However, the race took a dramatic turn on Lap 10 when Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen and newly crowned champion Alisha Palmowski collided while battling for second, forcing both drivers to retire.
Meanwhile, Williams-backed Jade Jacquet secured her best F1 Academy finish in fourth, ahead of Felbermayr in fifth. Consequently, Gademan moved ahead of the Austrian into second in the championship standings as the Austin weekend concluded.
Palmowski on pole for 2026 F1 Academy Feature Race at the United States GP
Less than 24 hours after securing the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship with a second-place finish in Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race, Red Bull Racing-backed Alisha Palmowski lined up on pole position for the final race of the United States GP weekend. Mercedes-backed Payton Westcott joined her on the front row, while Alpine-backed Nina Gademan, who remained locked in a battle with Audi-backed Emma Felbermayr for second in the Drivers’ Championship standings, started third alongside Sephora-backed Natalia Granada in P4.
Meanwhile, Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen, fresh from claiming her maiden F1 Academy victory in Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race, lined up fifth alongside Gatorade-backed Lisa Billard, who had also celebrated a career milestone with her maiden podium. Williams-backed Jade Jacquet occupied seventh, with Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race polesitter, Racing Bulls-backed Rafaela Ferreira, alongside her in eighth.
Felbermayr started ninth, sharing the fifth row with PUMA-backed Rachel Robertson. TAG Heuer-backed Megan Bruce lined up 11th, ahead of McLaren Oxagon-backed Ella Stevens in 12th. Meanwhile, McLaren-backed Ella Lloyd and Aston Martin-backed Mathilda Paatz occupied the seventh row in 13th and 14th, respectively.
Haas-backed Kaylee Countryman started 15th alongside LEGO-backed Esmee Kosterman in 16th, while Ava Dobson completed the 17-car grid after receiving a three-place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement during Thursday’s Free Practice session. The penalty had affected her starting positions for all three races of the weekend, with the final grid also reflecting the withdrawal of wildcard entrant Alexia Danielsson.
Danielsson withdrawn from Feature Race
Danielsson was involved in an opening-lap collision with Jacquet during Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race. She sustained a wrist injury that required medical assessment. Following further examinations, the Chief Medical Officer declared the Hitech driver unfit to compete in Sunday’s Feature Race, with all drivers originally scheduled to start behind her moving forward one grid position.
Gademan claims the early lead of the F1 Academy Feature Race at the 2026 United States GP
Following an uneventful formation lap, the drivers returned to their grid positions ahead of lights out. Westcott made an excellent start to seize the lead, but Gademan also launched strongly, overtaking Palmowski before sweeping around the outside of Westcott to claim the lead. The Alpine-backed driver immediately began building a gap, while Palmowski came under pressure from Larsen, who had already overtaken Granada for fourth. Meanwhile, Jacquet moved past Billard for sixth, although the French driver continued challenging for the position, with Robertson following closely behind the battle for eighth.
On Lap 2, Palmowski overtook Westcott to reclaim second, leaving the Mercedes-backed driver vulnerable to Larsen’s advances. Further down the order, Felbermayr passed Robertson for eighth, while Paatz and Countryman battled for fourteenth. Paatz eventually emerged ahead, with Dobson also overtaking Countryman to claim fifteenth. Meanwhile, Ferreira dropped to seventeenth as Larsen continued her charge through the field, passing Westcott to secure third.
The battles continued into Lap 3, with Lloyd overtaking Bruce for tenth. Meanwhile, Palmowski’s race engineer encouraged a “step-by-step” approach as the newly crowned champion chased Gademan, reminding her of the strong pace she had demonstrated throughout the weekend. Further back, Felbermayr continued her recovery, overtaking Billard for seventh as she worked to maximise her points in the battle for second in the Drivers’ Championship.
Palmowski and Larsen pressure Gademan in battle for the lead
By Lap 4, Ferreira had returned to the pit lane with front-wing damage. Although the Racing Bulls-backed driver rejoined following a lengthy stop, she remained more than a minute behind the field. Meanwhile, Gademan continued to lead but faced increasing pressure from Palmowski and Larsen, who closely matched her pace.
Although Gademan defended her position through Turn 1 and the opening sector, Palmowski remained just three-tenths behind, with Larsen also within a second of the leader. The leading trio had established an advantage of almost 2.5 seconds over Westcott in fourth, allowing them to concentrate on their battle for the lead. As Larsen closed on Palmowski, her engineer encouraged her to “be decisive” if she committed to an overtake.
By Lap 6, Larsen had demonstrated impressive straight-line speed, drawing alongside Palmowski as she attempted to claim second. However, Palmowski defended successfully, with her engineer encouraging her to remain calm as she continued chasing Gademan. The newly crowned champion maintained a gap of approximately half a second over Larsen, while several drivers further down the field struggled to remain within track limits.
The battle intensified on Lap 7 when Larsen challenged Palmowski around the outside of Turn 1, with the pair running side by side. Nevertheless, Palmowski retained second, preventing the Ferrari-backed driver from completing the move. Their battle allowed Gademan to extend her advantage slightly, increasing her lead to approximately half a second as the race approached its midpoint.
Gademan moves into provisional championship P2 as battle for the lead intensifies
On Lap 8, Felbermayr challenged Jacquet for sixth, hoping to gain valuable positions in the battle for second in the Drivers’ Championship. However, Jacquet defended successfully, leaving the Audi-backed driver seventh. Meanwhile, Gademan continued to lead despite relentless pressure from Palmowski and Larsen. With Felbermayr unable to make further progress, Gademan provisionally moved into second in the championship standings, pushing the Austrian down to third.
The battle between Palmowski and Larsen intensified as the pair ran side by side through Sectors 2 and 3 and into Lap 9. Although Larsen briefly edged ahead, Palmowski defended successfully to retain second. However, Gademan capitalised on their battle, extending her advantage to more than 1.3 seconds. Meanwhile, Westcott closed to within 1.6 seconds of the battling duo, bringing herself back into contention for a podium finish.
Further down the order, Felbermayr continued challenging Jacquet for sixth. Although Jacquet held her off on Lap 9, Felbermayr briefly moved ahead on Lap 10 before the Williams-backed driver reclaimed the position. Meanwhile, Billard overtook Robertson for eighth, with both drivers closing on the battle ahead.
Palmowski and Larsen collide
However, the fight for second took a dramatic turn on Lap 10 when Larsen attempted an ambitious move down the inside of Palmowski. The pair collided at Turn 12, with Larsen sustaining front-wheel damage and an apparent wrist injury. Although Palmowski initially continued, damage to her car ultimately forced her to retire as well.
Race Control subsequently deployed the Safety Car, bringing Gademan’s advantage to an end. The incident promoted Westcott to second and Granada to third, significantly reshaping the podium positions as the race entered its closing stages.
Gademan secures F1 Academy victory after final-lap restart at the 2026 United States GP
The Safety Car returned to the pit lane at the end of Lap 12, setting up a final-lap shootout. With Westcott close behind, Gademan executed a strong restart and immediately began extending her advantage, pulling clear of the Mercedes-backed driver through Turn 18. Meanwhile, Westcott faced pressure from Granada in the battle for second but successfully defended her position.
Further down the order, Billard climbed to sixth, while Kosterman made significant progress, overtaking Stevens for tenth before passing Bruce to claim ninth. Meanwhile, Felbermayr continued challenging Jacquet for fourth, but a lock-up compromised her attempt and allowed the Williams-backed driver to retain the position. Behind them, Stevens and Bruce battled for tenth as the field completed its final lap.
Despite Felbermayr’s continued attempts to find a way past, Jacquet defended successfully to secure fourth, her best F1 Academy finish. The Audi-backed driver ultimately settled for fifth, losing valuable points to Gademan in their battle for second in the Drivers’ Championship.
At the front, Gademan maintained her advantage to claim an F1 Academy victory, converting her strong race pace into a breakthrough result. Westcott crossed the line second, while Granada completed the podium in third, securing a strong result for PREMA Racing.
Gademan’s victory also strengthened her championship position, moving her ahead of Felbermayr into second in the provisional Drivers’ standings as the Austin weekend drew to a close.
2026 F1 Academy Feature Race at the United States GP results
