Emma Felbermayr’s 2026 F1 Academy campaign got off to an impressive start at the Chinese GP as she claimed a P3 podium in Race 1 and victory in Race 2.
After qualifying P3, the Audi driver started Race 1 in P6 and worked her way up to the podium with clean overtakes. In Race 2, at lights out, pole sitter and weekend favorite Alisha Palmowski got off to a slow start, letting Alba Larsen take the lead, and Felbermayr move to P2.
Felbermayr was then involved in a three-car battle against Palmowski and Payton Westott in the early laps but managed to stay ahead. Later, at a safety car restart, race leader Larsen made a small mistake and ran into the gravel at the final turn, handing Felbermayr the lead as five laps remained. In the final stages, she resisted the growing pressure from Palmowski with a drag race to the line, claiming victory by just 0.242 seconds.
Felbermaur proud of her performance
Speaking after the 2026 F1 Academy Chinese GP round, Felbermayr reflected on her strong performance and the 31 points that put her in the Drivers’ Championship lead.
“Having two clean races without any risk – that’s exactly what I wanted the weekend to be, extracting the most amount of points possible,” she said. “Yesterday we had quite a good one going from P6 to P3, and today P3 to P1 with a good start, a good restart. It was just good!”
Looking back at the moment she claimed the Chinese GP Race 2 lead from Larsen’s incident, Felbermayr noted that she stayed focused on herself, knowing that she was faster after setting the fastest lap of 2:05.539 on Lap 5.
“I already knew that I was faster than her. I think I was from the beginning, so it didn’t really matter to me to be fair. Of course I was a bit lucky that she fell a bit down the order, but I just kept calm and kept my head down so it was all good.”
Underestimated in the championship fight
Despite heading into her second season in F1 Academy, Felbermayr was not part of the 2026 pre-season championship favorites, such as Palmowski, Larsen, and her Rodin Motorsport teammate, Ella Lloyd. However, now, she leaves Round 1 with the championship lead and the motivation to carry her momentum into the upcoming rounds.
“I think I was the underdog because last year I had so many complications and some things with the team,” she said. “Honestly, I was just not prepared for all of the season. I had some highlights but also some lows. I think I can be one of the favourites now.”
Looking forward to the rest of the 2026 F1 Academy season, she shared: “Just have smooth and clean races again – that’s the goal for the whole season. I don’t expect every race to be as it was here but I’ll try to be as prepared as here and to give my best.”
