Alpine-backed Nina Gademan secured the first win of the 2026 F1 Academy season after a strong Race 1 performance at the Chinese GP. Starting from reverse-grid pole, Gademan defended confidently and controlled the race from lights to flag, despite a Safety Car restart.
Gademan in control from start to chequered flag
After a carefully managed race, Gademan reflected on her performance and credited the experience she gained during the 2025 season. However, she admitted her start had not been ideal and revealed that tyre degradation proved challenging throughout the race.
Speaking on her race, Gademan said, “It was a very easy race. I learned a lot from last year on how to manage a race from P1. I actually had a really bad start, which I normally don’t have.
She continued, “I instantly looked in my mirror, and I was like, ‘Wait, everyone else also had a bad start, so I’m safe’. From then on, I could push a lot in the beginning, it was good. I think I over-pushed a bit at the start. Then the tyres started to drop, so good thing the Safety Car came out so I could get them under control again. After the Safety Car was done, I managed to open the gap a lot again.
The Safety Car, she explained, helped her regain control of her tyres for the final stint. After a strong restart allowed her to extend the gap to the chasing pack, Gademan adopted a more cautious approach in the closing laps.
“Then the last two laps, I was thinking I’m not even going to push anymore. I’m going to play it safe. The degradation here is really high, so I thought let’s play it safe. Let’s not over-push, let’s not spin or something and just finish.
“I tried to see what was going on behind me, but at some point they were too far away because of the battling. I don’t know what happened. It was just me and Natalia chilling at some point and Rafaela for a bit, but that was it.”
Preparing for Race 2 at the 2026 F1 Academy Chinese GP
After opening her 2026 campaign with a Race 1 victory, Gademan hopes to carry the momentum into Race 2. However, starting from P8 will make another win more difficult, so the Dutch driver has set her sights on a top-five finish.
Speaking about leading the F1 Academy standings for the first time, she said:
“I might actually just screenshot that and hang it on the wall as a motivation (to say) you need to be there. Tomorrow I’m starting P8, obviously not where we wanted but also not where we should be.
“We looked back later and that lap should have been a P3 or P4 at least. We know we have the pace, we showed it today. I know I’ve got really good racecraft. For tomorrow, I think the most important thing is to get into the top five, just score some points and do a bit of damage reduction really on that.”
With 10 points already secured, the Alpine driver will aim to add more valuable points and maintain her position at the top of the standings. A strong result in Race 2 would further strengthen Gademan’s early championship challenge.
