Natalia Granada believes she is moving closer to securing her maiden F1 Academy victory after claiming her second podium of the 2026 season at the United States GP. The Sephora-backed PREMA Racing driver finished third in Sunday’s Feature Race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), although she acknowledged that further improvements are necessary to challenge consistently for victories.
The 18-year-old qualified fourth for Sunday’s contest and remained among the leading contenders throughout the race. Although she initially lost a position to Alba Larsen, the Spaniard maintained a competitive pace and capitalised on the collision between Larsen and newly crowned champion Alisha Palmowski to move into third.
Granada subsequently maintained her position through a late Safety Car restart, finishing behind Nina Gademan and PREMA Racing teammate Payton Westcott. The result secured her second podium of the season and promoted her to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship.
With the season finale approaching in Las Vegas, Granada is determined to build on her improving performances and believes that a first victory remains an achievable objective.
Granada reflects on challenging start to Austin Feature Race
Granada entered Sunday’s Feature Race looking to recover from a mixed weekend at COTA. Having qualified fourth, she secured sixth in Friday’s Opening Race before a formation-lap infringement compromised her performance in Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race.
The Spaniard received a ten-second stop-and-go penalty after stopping on the formation lap and reclaiming her original grid position. She eventually finished 14th, leaving her without additional championship points.
However, Sunday’s race provided another opportunity to demonstrate the pace she had shown during qualifying. Granada started fourth and challenged Palmowski through the opening corners before coming under pressure from Larsen.
The Ferrari-backed driver completed an overtake into Turn 3, dropping Granada to fifth. Nevertheless, she remained within reach of the leading group while attempting to preserve her tyres.
Reflecting on the opening stages, Granada acknowledged that she had initially struggled to match the strongest drivers.
“It wasn’t an easy race,” she admitted. “The start wasn’t bad, but unfortunately I had to concede the position to stay on the track into Turn 3, then settled a bit.
“We were missing a bit of pace initially in the race, but I think we started to find something we were missing during this weekend. So just settled in a bit better. I think we found a few more tenths. We weren’t the fastest, but we were faster than yesterday and I’m happy about that.”
Tyre management proves crucial to Granada’s recovery
Although Granada initially struggled to match the pace of the leading trio, she gradually settled into the race and began managing the gap to Westcott.
The Spaniard recognised that running too closely behind another car increased the strain on her front tyres, particularly through COTA’s demanding high-speed corners. Rather than attempting to remain directly behind her teammate throughout the contest, she elected to preserve her tyres while maintaining a competitive position.
“I kept my tyres alive. I didn’t want to stay too close to Payton for the whole race, especially as I saw that when I was driving quite close, I was really struggling with my fronts. So I just kept a bit of distance and tried to see what I could do.”
The decision also reflected Granada’s awareness of the developing battle ahead. Palmowski and Larsen were engaged in a close contest for second, creating the possibility of an opportunity later in the race.
With overtaking proving difficult, Granada focused on maintaining her pace and avoiding unnecessary mistakes rather than compromising her tyres in pursuit of immediate gains.
“We saw that Alisha and Alba were fighting ahead, for me, it looked likely that there would be opportunities later in the race, so we kept everything clean. Tried to stay as close as we could.”
Her approach ultimately proved valuable as the battle between the leading drivers intensified.
Granada capitalises on Palmowski and Larsen collision for second podium
The decisive moment arrived on Lap 10 when Palmowski and Larsen collided while battling for second. Both drivers sustained damage and retired, promoting Westcott and Granada into the podium positions.
Officials deployed the Safety Car to recover the damaged cars, bringing the remaining competitors together ahead of a final-lap restart.
Gademan successfully defended her advantage when racing resumed, while Westcott maintained second despite Granada remaining close behind.
The Sephora-backed driver subsequently crossed the line third, securing her first podium since finishing second in the Shanghai Reverse Grid Race.
However, Granada acknowledged that she had not possessed sufficient pace to challenge Gademan for victory, even after the late restart.
“The opportunity came. We picked up the pieces and even on the restart we were too far away from Nina to capitalise on and try and fight for the win. It is what it is.
“I also couldn’t have managed to get in front of Payton, but that’s it. We kept it clean, which I think was the most important. Grab some important points for the Standings and just keep building momentum. I think it will be very important ahead of Las Vegas.”
Austin podium strengthens Granada’s position in rookie championship battle
Granada’s third-place finish completed an important recovery after Saturday’s disappointment, bringing her second podium of the season and another 15 championship points.
The Spaniard collected 23 points across the Austin weekend, increasing her championship total from 35 to 58 and moving her into sixth in the Drivers’ Championship.
She now sits six points ahead of Megan Bruce and Ella Lloyd, who are level on 52, while Westcott occupies fifth with 76.
The result also reduced the gap between Granada and her PREMA Racing teammate in the battle for the highest-ranked rookie. Although Westcott retains an 18-point advantage, Granada remains mathematically capable of challenging her during the final two races.
Granada’s progress follows a period of focused development throughout the season. During in-season testing at Navarra, she highlighted the importance of improving her race pace and managing tyre performance.
Her Austin podium provided further encouragement that those efforts are producing results, although Granada remains focused on closing the remaining performance gap to the championship’s leading competitors.
Granada determined to fight for maiden victory at Las Vegas finale
Granada will make her first competitive appearance at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit during the final round of the 2026 F1 Academy season.
The unfamiliar venue presents another challenge, particularly given the limited practice time available before qualifying. However, the Spaniard believes the preparation undertaken for Austin provides a useful reference as she approaches another new circuit.
While her latest podium has strengthened her championship position, Granada remains determined to secure her first victory before the season concludes.
“It’s also a track where I haven’t been and we know the work that we had to do here in order to prepare properly and have an opportunity on Sunday,” she explained.
“It has been a lot of work and we had an extra race here, so we needed to work even harder if we want to be faster and fight for better positions in the season closer. Which is the goal and we want to win, that’s the objective and it’s been there for a long time. We are getting closer and closer.”
Although Granada believes her performances have improved, she acknowledged that additional work will be required to challenge consistently for the top step of the podium.
“We are still, unfortunately, a bit too far away for my liking, but we are getting there and I’m sure if I put in the work and the team helps me, which they are and I’m incredibly appreciative of, we can make something happen in Las Vegas.”
Family support adds significance to Granada’s Las Vegas debut
Alongside her ambition to secure a maiden victory, Granada is looking forward to the opportunity to compete in front of her family during the season finale.
The 18-year-old hopes that her relatives will be able to attend the Las Vegas weekend, providing additional encouragement as she prepares to complete her first full F1 Academy campaign.
Granada explained that the occasion would be particularly meaningful because her family members have rarely been able to attend races together during the season.
“I’m very excited about Las Vegas. Might have a surprise coming for myself in Las Vegas. I’m super happy that, if everything goes well, my family will be coming there, and my brother will be coming for the second time this season, and the first time apart from Zandvoort that they’ll all be there together, so I’m just looking forward to it.”
She added: “It will be a great opportunity and I’ll just maximise it as much as possible and enjoy it.”
With two races remaining, Granada will aim to carry her Austin momentum into Las Vegas from 19–21 November. Although her first victory remains elusive, the Spaniard believes her recent progress has brought her closer to challenging at the front as she prepares to conclude her rookie season.
