For the F1 Academy Canadian GP Reverse Grid Race, Alisha Palmowski arrived as the driver to beat after winning the earlier Opening Race, where she led every lap and took victory by more than nine seconds to move into the championship lead.
For the second race of the 2026 F1 Academy Canadian GP, the reverse grid format placed the top eight qualifiers in reversed order at the front of the field. Kaylee Countryman started from pole position after qualifying eighth-fastest, lining up alongside Rafaela Ferreira on the front row. Alba Larsen and Mathilda Paatz occupied the second row, with Emma Felbermayr, Megan Bruce, Payton Westcott, and Alisha Palmowski completing the reversed top eight.
From ninth onward, the grid followed the original Qualifying order. Nina Gademan led that group ahead of Lisa Billard, with the remaining drivers lining up based on their Qualifying results.
Opening laps bring immediate chaos in Montreal
At the start, Kaylee Countryman lost positions from pole as Rafaela Ferreira made a strong launch to take the lead into Turn 1 of the Canadian GP Reverse Grid Race. Paatz slotted into third while Larsen and Felbermayr went wheel-to-wheel immediately in the fight for fourth. The Audi-backed driver came off worse in the battle, spinning around and dropping to the back of the field.
Further back, the midfield pack bunched up heavily through the opening corners. Multiple drivers ran side-by-side through Turn 2, with close racing leading to contact and several position changes. Dobson and Robertson both came to a stop on track as a result of separate incidents, prompting race control to deploy the Safety Car.
As incidents continued to unfold further down the pack, marshals recovered the stranded cars and cleared the circuit while the field circulated behind the Safety Car.
Restart reshuffles midfield order and triggers early penalties
Ferreira controlled the restart at the 2026 F1 Academy Canadian GP Reverse Grid Race and led the field back to racing once the Safety Car returned to the pits. Countryman stayed close in second and immediately applied pressure into the opening sector.
Behind them, the midfield pack regrouped quickly. Multiple battles broke out inside the top ten as drivers fought for position on the dusty surface. Lloyd and Gademan both gained ground as rivals ahead struggled for grip. Billard and Granada also engaged in close fighting, with positions changing through the opening corners after the restart.
Stewards soon noted several incidents. Ferreira came under investigation for a possible false start, with replays appearing to show her car moving before the lights went out. Stevens received a stop-and-go penalty for being out of position at the safety car line and then collected a further five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane while serving it. Jacquet was handed a five-second time penalty for pit lane speeding.
Contact for Palmowski at the 2026 F1 Academy Canadian GP Reverse Grid Race
As the race settled, Palmowski became involved in a key moment further down the field. She ran into the back of Larsen during a braking phase, leaving her with visible front wing damage. The Campos driver continued but the damage compromised her performance as the field compressed behind the leaders.
Ferreira stayed in the lead but the investigation into her start continued to hang over the race. Paatz moved into second and applied consistent pressure, while Countryman and Westcott remained in close contention behind them.
Paatz wins the F1 Academy Canadian GP Reverse Grid Race
Further drama unfolded as Bruce sent Palmowski spinning in the closing stages, with Gademan attempting to take avoiding action but ending up in the barriers. A second Safety Car was deployed to retrieve the stricken car. The time limit expired before a full restart was possible and the chequered flag fell at the end of the safety car lap.
Ferreira crossed the line first but her five-second time penalty for the false start proved decisive, dropping her all the way to tenth in the final classification. The penalty handed Paatz a maiden F1 Academy victory and delivered Aston Martin their first win in the series.
Larsen inherited second place ahead of Countryman, who completed the podium after a composed drive despite her slow getaway from pole. Westcott recovered from a difficult Opening Race to finish fourth, while Granada and Billard rounded out the top six. Felbermayr salvaged eighth after her early spin.
