Red Bull Racing-backed Campos Racing driver Alisha Palmowski strengthened her lead in the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship with victory in the Opening Race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The championship leader overcame an early challenge from Mercedes-supported PREMA Racing driver Payton Westcott and two Safety Car interruptions to secure the win, crossing the line 1.9 seconds ahead of Alpine-backed MP Motorsport driver Nina Gademan. Gademan’s Ferrari-backed teammate Alba Larsen completed the podium after a contentious overtake and a closely fought battle for second place.
Palmowski leads the field into the opening race at COTA
The fifth round of the 2026 F1 Academy season commenced its racing action in Austin, Texas, with Palmowski starting from pole position following a dramatic qualifying session. The Briton entered the weekend with a 48-point advantage in the Drivers’ Championship, giving her an opportunity to secure the title before the season finale in Las Vegas.
Westcott lined up alongside Palmowski on the front row, while Gademan occupied third place ahead of Gatorade-supported ART Grand Prix driver Lisa Billard. Larsen completed the top five, positioning herself to challenge the leading drivers over the 13-lap contest.
With three races on the Austin schedule, the Opening Race offered the drivers their first opportunity to collect points around COTA before Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race and Sunday’s Feature Race.
Westcott takes the early lead before opening-lap chaos
Westcott made an excellent getaway when the lights went out, immediately surging past Palmowski to claim the lead into the opening corners. Gademan also launched an attack as the leading drivers fought for position.
However, Westcott struggled for traction on the exit of a corner, allowing Palmowski to reclaim the lead. The championship leader capitalised on the opportunity and defended against Gademan to maintain her advantage.
Westcott’s difficulties continued moments later when she suffered a snap of oversteer and ran wide. Gademan, Larsen and Billard moved ahead, while SEPHORA-backed PREMA Racing driver Natalia Granada and Williams-supported ART Grand Prix driver Jade Jacquet also gained positions. Audi-backed Rodin Motorsport driver Emma Felbermayr likewise took advantage of Westcott’s mistake, leaving the Mercedes junior with considerable ground to recover.
Further back, an incident involving PUMA-backed Hitech driver Rachel Robertson, Racing Bulls-supported Campos Racing driver Rafaela Ferreira and TAG Heuer-backed Campos Racing driver Megan Bruce disrupted the midfield battle. All three drivers dropped towards the rear of the field following the incident.
Robertson could not continue, prompting Race Control to deploy the Safety Car while marshals recovered her car. The interruption brought the field back together and temporarily halted the battles throughout the order.
Larsen challenges Gademan as Palmowski maintains the lead
The Safety Car returned to the pits at the end of Lap 3, allowing Palmowski to lead the field across the line and begin Lap 4 under green-flag conditions.
Gademan remained close to the championship leader through the final corner, but Palmowski timed her acceleration effectively and maintained first place. Behind her, Larsen immediately placed Gademan under pressure and launched an attack for second.
Larsen emerged ahead following their battle at Turn 1, although Gademan quickly questioned the legality of the move. The Alpine-backed driver argued over the team radio that Larsen had left the circuit while completing the overtake and gained an advantage.
Race Control subsequently placed Larsen under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Nevertheless, the Ferrari-backed driver continued in second place and began closing on Palmowski.
Meanwhile, Westcott worked her way back through the midfield after her opening-lap mistake. The PREMA Racing driver recovered to seventh place after overtaking McLaren Oxagon-supported Rodin Motorsport driver Ella Stevens and Jacquet.
Felbermayr also made progress, passing Granada for fifth place before setting her sights on Billard in fourth.
Further back, Aston Martin-backed PREMA Racing driver Mathilda Paatz endured a difficult restart. LEGO-supported MP Motorsport driver Esmee Kosterman overtook her, while American Express-backed Hitech driver Ava Dobson also gained a position at her expense.
Dobson subsequently challenged Jacquet for tenth place as she attempted to recover further positions.
Larsen closes in as the battle for victory intensifies
Palmowski continued to control the race from the front, recording a 2:08.640 on Lap 6 to establish the fastest lap at that stage of the contest. However, Larsen refused to allow the championship leader to escape.
By Lap 8, less than a second separated the leading pair, with Larsen consistently reducing Palmowski’s advantage. The MP Motorsport driver maintained her pursuit and eventually brought the gap down to approximately four to five tenths.
Palmowski briefly ran wide through the final corner, offering Larsen another opportunity to close the distance. Despite the pressure, the Campos Racing driver retained the lead.
Gademan remained within striking distance of her teammate, running approximately one second behind Larsen as the battle for the podium intensified.
Behind the leading trio, Felbermayr moved into Billard’s slipstream and began applying pressure for fourth. The Audi-backed driver sought to gain further positions after starting outside the leading group.
Race Control also noted several drivers for track limits infringements as the field continued to push around COTA.
Further back, Paatz recovered to eleventh place after overtaking Dobson, while McLaren-backed Rodin Motorsport driver Ella Lloyd climbed to thirteenth.
Ferreira also made progress following her opening-lap incident, overtaking TeamViewer-supported Hitech Wild Card driver Alexia Danielsson for sixteenth place.
Dobson and Lloyd collide as the Safety Car returns
The race took another dramatic turn on Lap 10 when Dobson and Lloyd made contact while fighting for twelfth place.
Lloyd moved across during their battle and caught Dobson, triggering an incident that brought the Hitech driver’s race to an early conclusion. Lloyd spun following the contact but managed to recover and continue in fourteenth place.
Race Control deployed the Safety Car for a second time, bringing Palmowski’s advantage over Larsen back to nothing and setting up a potentially decisive restart.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Larsen’s earlier overtake on Gademan continued to influence the fight for second place.
Race Control instructed Larsen to return the position to Gademan after determining that she had gained an advantage by leaving the circuit. However, the Safety Car intervention prevented Larsen from immediately complying because the regulations restricted position changes during the neutralisation.
As the Safety Car period continued into Lap 12, the drivers prepared for a final-lap showdown. Palmowski faced the challenge of defending her lead once more, while Larsen and Gademan still had to settle their battle for second.
Palmowski wins as Gademan reclaims second on the final lap
The Safety Car returned to the pits at the end of Lap 12, leaving the field with one final lap to determine the outcome of the Opening Race.
Palmowski delivered another strong restart, accelerating away from the final corner and immediately establishing a gap over the drivers behind her.
Gademan capitalised on the restart to launch an attack on Larsen, moving past her MP Motorsport teammate to reclaim second place. The move resolved the disputed position from the earlier restart on track, although Larsen continued to apply pressure.
The Ferrari-backed driver remained close throughout the final lap, searching for an opportunity to recover second place before the chequered flag.
Behind them, Billard and Felbermayr continued their battle for fourth, with both drivers pushing to maximise their points haul.
At the front, Palmowski capitalised on the battle behind her and extended her advantage. The Red Bull Racing-supported driver crossed the finish line 1.9 seconds ahead of Gademan to secure another victory in her increasingly dominant 2026 campaign.
Gademan held on to second place despite Larsen’s late pressure, while the Ferrari junior completed the podium in third. The stewards ultimately dropped the investigation into Larsen’s earlier overtake, allowing her to retain her finishing position.
The victory further strengthened Palmowski’s position at the top of the Drivers’ Championship as the series continued its penultimate round in Austin. With the Reverse Grid Race and Feature Race still to come, the championship leader moved another step closer to securing the 2026 F1 Academy title before the season-ending event in Las Vegas.
2026 F1 Academy Opening Race results at the United States GP
