Driving at the iconic Zandvoort circuit for the last time, the 2026 F1 Academy Dutch GP delivered drama, breakthrough performances, and crucial championship moments. While some drivers strengthened their campaigns, others suffered setbacks at a crucial stage of the season.
Winners of the 2026 F1 Academy Dutch GP
Alisha Palmowski – Campos Racing (supported by Red Bull Racing)
Alisha Palmowski earned a place among the 2026 F1 Academy Dutch GP winners after bouncing back from a difficult Reverse Grid Race to extend her championship lead with her fourth win of the season.
The weekend got off to a quiet start for the Campos Racing driver, as Palmowski finished P10 in Free Practice without setting a flying lap. However, she quickly found pace in Qualifying, topping the timesheets to take her fourth pole of 2026 with a 1:40.911. Palmowski’s weekend took a dramatic turn at the start of the Reverse Grid Race, when she stalled on the grid and dropped to the back of the field. Although she attempted to recover positions throughout the race, Palmowski could only manage P12. While her Reverse Grid Race result marked a major setback, Palmowski later proved that the poor result would not derail her weekend.
Starting from pole for the Feature Race, Palmowski had another challenging start, immediately coming under pressure from MP Motorsport’s Alba Larsen. While Larsen remained within DRS range for much of the race, the Briton remained composed, setting the fastest lap on Lap 13 before pulling away to claim victory by 2.8s.
With her fourth win, the Briton now holds a 48-point advantage over nearest rival Emma Felbermayr in the Drivers’ Standings. If Palmowski can carry this momentum into the penultimate round in Austin, she could have the opportunity to seal the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ title.
Alba Larsen – MP Motorsport (supported by Scuderia Ferrari)
MP Motorsport’s Alba Larsen joins Palmowski as one of the biggest winners of the 2026 F1 Academy Dutch GP as she delivered her strongest and most consistent weekend of the season so far.
Larsen entered her second F1 Academy season with high expectations of becoming a top challenger for the title. However, the first half of her season proved incredibly disappointing as the Danish driver only managed to score 24 points across the first three rounds. Coming into Zandvoort, Larsen quickly turned around her fortune, going third fastest in Free Practice before taking P2 in Qualifying.
Starting P7 in the Reverse Grid Race, Larsen fought her way through the field with impressive overtakes to finish P2, her best result of the season. She then repeated the result in the Feature Race, pressuring Palmowski throughout before settling for another podium.
Larsen’s double podium made her the highest-scoring driver of the weekend, with a total of 26 points elevating her from P8 to P4 in the Drivers’ Standings. After three difficult opening rounds, Zandvoort could prove to be the turning point Larsen needed to regain her confidence and end her final F1 Academy campaign on a high.
Payton Westcott – PREMA Racing (supported by Mercedes)
Rookie Payton Westcott had a breakthrough 2026 Dutch GP weekend as she finally converted her strong racecraft into a maiden victory during the Reverse Grid Race.
Westcott kicked off Round 4 with a mediocre FP1 and Qualifying, where she finished P13 and P8 respectively. However, a post-qualifying disqualification for Wild Card Zoe Florescu promoted Westcott to reverse-grid pole. The Mercedes-backed driver took full advantage of the opportunity, making a strong launch to lead into Turn 1. She controlled the race from there, smoothly overcoming two Safety Car periods before holding off Larsen in the final laps to secure her first F1 Academy victory.
While she could only manage P9 in the Feature Race, the Reverse Grid victory marked a significant moment in Westcott’s campaign. The PREMA Racing driver had already established herself as one of the grid’s most impressive newcomers, entering the Dutch GP with two podiums to her name. Now, her win makes her the second rookie to win in F1 Academy this season, following Mathilda Paatz’s success in Montreal.
Losers of the 2026 F1 Academy Dutch GP
Rafaela Ferreira – Campos Racing (supported by Racing Bulls)
Rafaela Ferreira had a disappointing 2026 F1 Academy Dutch GP weekend, missing out on points despite showing impressive speed in Free Practice.
The Campos Racing driver showed promising pace in Free Practice, finishing P2. However, her weekend unraveled in the final five minutes of Qualifying when a snap of oversteer sent her spinning into the barriers at Turn 2. The incident triggered the second Red Flag of the session, preventing her from setting a competitive time and ultimately leaving her with too much ground to make up in both races.
Starting the Reverse Grid Race from the back of the grid, Ferreira managed to claim P14 before finishing P15 in the Feature Race. After also failing to score points in the previous round at Silverstone, Zandvoort marked her second consecutive weekend without points. With just 27 points, Ferreira remains P10 in the standings and is the lowest-placed Campos Racing driver, trailing rookie teammate Megan Bruce by 22 poimnts and championship leader Palmowski by a significant margin.
Considering the pace she showed in Free Practice, Ferreira’s Zandvoort weekend marked a major missed opportunity.
Emma Felbermayr – Rodin Motorsport (supported by Audi)
Emma Felbermayr endured one of her weakest weekends of the 2026 F1 Academy season, leaving the Zandvoort round with only 10 points while seeing her championship deficit to Palmowski grow to 48 points.
The Rodin Motorsport driver started the weekend reasonably well, finishing P6 in Free Practice before qualifying fourth. However, her Reverse Grid Race proved extremely disappointing despite starting from P5. After initially challenging for a podium finish, Felbermayr’s late contact with Esmee Kosterman dropped her down the order before she received a five-second penalty for further contact with Rachel Robertson. The penalty ultimately left her P13 at the chequered flag, ending her consecutive points-scoring streak.
Felbermayr had an opportunity to recover in the Feature Race but could only manage P5 after struggling to get past rookie Natalia Granada. Now, with just 10 points, Zandvoort has become Felbermayr’s lowest-scoring round of the season so far.
More importantly, the weekend came at a costly time in her championship battle, with Palmowski now ahead by a significant amount of points. Felbermayr will need to rediscover her early-season form in Austin to keep her title hopes alive and force the championship battle into a final-round showdown in Las Vegas.
Megan Bruce – Campos Racing (supported by TAG Heuer)
Megan Bruce faced a difficult 2026 F1 Academy Dutch GP, continuing her recent dip in form after a challenging previous round at Silverstone.
The Campos Racing driver struggled for pace in Free Practice, finishing P15 before improving to P7 in Qualifying. Starting from the front row in the Reverse Grid Race, Bruce had a strong opportunity to fight for her first F1 Academy win. However, she quickly slipped down the order as Nina Gademan, Felbermayr, and Larsen all moved ahead, eventually leaving her with a disappointing P7 result.
Bruce showed better pace in the Feature Race, recovering to P6, but the result still left her with only 10 points from the weekend. Notably, the result saw her drop from P4 to P6 in the Drivers’ Standings, while losing her position as the highest-placed rookie to Westcott.
After securing two podiums in Montreal, Bruce has now endured two consecutive difficult rounds, finishing P9 in both races at Silverstone before taking P7 and P6 at Zandvoort. These results suggest that the momentum she built earlier in the season has stalled.
