The 2026 F1 Academy Canadian GP Opening Race got underway on Saturday morning at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. The race served as a makeup for the Jeddah round, which was cancelled in April. Eighteen drivers took to the grid for the additional points opportunity.
Each driver’s second-fastest Qualifying lap set the grid for the Opening Race. Alisha Palmowski led the field from pole with a 1:38.526. Megan Bruce lined up alongside her on the front row. Westcott and Felbermayr locked out the second row, separated by just 0.001 seconds. Mathilda Paatz, Rafaela Ferreira, Alba Larsen, Lisa Billard, Kaylee Countryman, and Nina Gademan completed the top ten.
Lights out for the F1 Academy Canadian GP Opening Race
Palmowski made a strong launch from pole and immediately held the lead into Turn 1 of the F1 Academy Canadian GP Opening Race. Bruce also got away well and settled into second, while championship leader Felbermayr struggled off the line, stalling briefly before she managed to get going again as she plummeted down the field.
Further back, Gademan attempted to move around the outside in the midfield, while Stevens gained positions after diving down the inside of Countryman. Lloyd, who started down in P16 after her Qualifying issues, immediately began working her way through the order.
Early contact between Kosterman and Dobson created further drama. Dobson suffered a deflated rear right tyre but continued racing. Granada also made contact in the early exchanges and dropped back down the order.
Palmowski pulls away as battles rage behind
Palmowski controlled the race through the opening laps and steadily extended her lead. Behind her, Bruce focused on defending from Westcott and Paatz. By the early stages, the Campos driver had already built a gap of over one second and set the fastest lap of the race.
Larsen pressured Ferreira for fifth while Billard held position despite front wing damage from an earlier incident. Gademan quickly closed in on the damaged ART car as Lloyd continued making progress from the back half of the grid.
Felbermayr also began recovering after her difficult start, working her way through the field and executing a move around the outside of Turn 2 on wild card entry Autumn Fisher. Kosterman, meanwhile, suffered front wing damage and a puncture later in the race, compounding a difficult afternoon for the driver.
Westcott received a five-second time penalty for failing to follow the Race Director’s instructions. Despite holding her position on track, the penalty placed her in a vulnerable spot as the cars behind continued to close in.
Pressure builds in the battle for the podium
Palmowski stretched her advantage in the Canadian GP Opening Race past three seconds as the fight behind her intensified. Bruce defended strongly from Westcott while Paatz steadily closed onto the back of the leading group with stronger pace.
Westcott then ran onto the dusty outside line while attempting to challenge Bruce around the outside, sliding across the grass and dropping several positions. The incident promoted Paatz into podium contention and allowed Lloyd and others to capitalise on it.
Westcott subsequently headed into the pits, where the PREMA team cleared grass from the car’s radiator that had caused her to overheat and lose straight-line speed in the closing stages. She rejoined at the back of the field.
Gademan also came under investigation for failing to follow the Race Director’s instructions after cutting the track and gaining a lasting advantage, with the stewards issuing her a five-second time penalty that ultimately dropped her from sixth to ninth in the final classification.
Palmowski wins the F1 Academy Canadian GP Opening Race
Lloyd’s recovery drive continued to impress as the McLaren-backed driver climbed from P16 into the points with several bold overtakes. One of her best moves came around the outside of Westcott before the PREMA driver’s troubles began. Countryman also defended well throughout the race ahead of her reverse grid pole start later in the day.
Palmowski crossed the line to win the F1 Academy Canadian GP Opening Race by more than nine seconds after leading every lap and setting the fastest lap of the race. The victory moved the Red Bull-backed Campos driver into the championship lead.
Bruce held on for a superb second place, defending from multiple challengers across the 17-lap race to secure her best F1 Academy finish to date. Ferreira completed the podium ahead of Paatz and Larsen, while Lloyd recovered from P16 on the grid to finish sixth. Gademan crossed the line seventh but dropped to ninth after her five-second penalty, promoting Stevens to seventh.
