Dutch Nina Gademan took her second win of the 2026 F1 Academy season in Austin and GB’s Alisha Palmowski’s championship celebrations were followed by a dramatic DNF in Sunday’s Feature Race.
Gademan started third at the Circuit of the Americas but made a great move into Turn 1, passing both Payton Westcott and Alisha Palmowski to take the lead. She then controlled the race and handled the safety car restart well to secure an impressive victory.
The drama!
The biggest drama came on lap 10 when Palmowski and Alba Larsen collided, forcing both drivers to retire. The stewards later ruled that Larsen was wholly at fault and handed her a three-place grid penalty for her next race.
The incident promoted American driver Payton Westcott to second place, earning her a podium in front of her home crowd. Natalia Granada (ESP) finished third, securing her first podium since Shanghai.
Jade Jacquet also had a strong race, finishing fourth ahead of Emma Felbermayr in fifth. Ella Lloyd made up plenty of ground, climbing from13th on the grid to finish eighth, while Esmee Kosterman gained two places on the final lap to take ninth.
British success
Despite Palmowski not finishing the race she had already secured the 2026 F1Academy title on Saturday finishing second on the Reverse Grid Race. The British driver therefore had the championship wrapped up before Sunday’s feature race, making the collision disappointing but not costly in terms of the title.
With the drivers’ championship decided, the focus now switches to Las Vegas for the season finale on 19-21 November. There are still positions to fight for in the standings, so the final round should provide plenty of action as the drivers look to end their season.
By: Scarlett Archer