Alisha Palmowski wins action-packed F1 Academy Opening Race at COTA
Alisha Palmowski took another important step in her title fight with her fifth victory of the season in an action-packed opening race at Circuit of The Americas, where she capitalised on early drama and held her nerve through two safety car periods to take the win ahead of Nina Gademan and Alba Larsen.
Alisha Palmowski took another important step towards the 2026 F1 Academy title with her fifth victory of the season in an action-packed opening race at Circuit of The Americas. The championship leader capitalised on early drama and held her nerve through two safety car periods to take the win ahead of Nina Gademan and Alba Larsen, extending her advantage over title rival Emma Felbermayr to 63 points.
Friday afternoon's race opened a crucial three-race programme for F1 Academy at COTA, the penultimate round of the season and a potentially decisive weekend in the all-female series' championship battle. The championship returned to Austin for the first time since its inaugural visit in 2023, when Marta García secured the title at the Texan circuit.
Palmowski arrived in the United States leading the standings after a strong Zandvoort round, where she extended her advantage with another victory. Felbermayr remained her closest challenger, while Gademan and Larsen had both emerged from the Dutch weekend with consecutive podium finishes. The qualifying session had put Palmowski on the front row alongside home driver Payton Westcott, with Gademan and an impressive Lisa Billard lining up behind them. Larsen and Jade Jacquet shared the third row, while Felbermayr faced an uphill task from 11th on the grid, her first start outside the top 10 this season.
The opening lap immediately delivered drama. Westcott and Palmowski launched aggressively from the front row, running almost wheel-to-wheel towards Turn 1, while Gademan made an excellent start and joined the fight. Westcott initially held the advantage into the uphill corner, but ran deep under braking, leaving the door open as the pack charged through the opening sequence of corners.
Palmowski and Westcott continued to run side by side through the esses, while further back a collision between Rafaela Ferreira and Rachel Robertson sent Ferreira spinning and left Robertson's car damaged. The chaos continued at Turn 9, where Westcott clipped the kerb and briefly ran off track, losing several positions and dropping to eighth.
Gademan moved into second, with Larsen also getting ahead of Billard, who had made a slower getaway. The safety car was deployed to recover Robertson's damaged PUMA-sponsored Hitech car, neutralising the race after an eventful opening lap.
The field remained behind the safety car until the end of lap three, leaving Palmowski at the head of the pack for the restart. Felbermayr had already made significant progress, climbing from 11th to seventh as she looked to limit the damage to her championship challenge.
Palmowski timed the restart well, waiting until the last moment to accelerate away. Behind her, Larsen immediately put Gademan under pressure, pulling off a move around the outside into Turn 1 to take second place. The Ferrari driver demonstrated strong pace from the outset, while Felbermayr continued her recovery with a late move on Jacquet. The Austrian locked her tyres under braking but completed the pass, with Ella Stevens also moving forward into the top 10.
Jacquet subsequently lost further ground as Esmee Kosterman looked to capitalise, while Ava Dobson also began a recovery from the back of the field. The American had already climbed to 11th, making up several positions in the opening stages.
Felbermayr's charge continued on lap five, when she passed Natalia Granada to move into fifth. At the front, however, Larsen was setting the pace, posting a fastest lap of 2:08.771 as she began to close on Palmowski. Gademan also remained within striking distance, keeping the leading trio in contention as the race settled into a tense fight for victory.
Palmowski responded with a 2:08.640 to take the fastest lap, but Larsen continued to push. The MP Motorsport driver lowered the benchmark again to 2:08.611, with Palmowski only a few hundredths slower as the pair exchanged quick laps.
Larsen's pursuit was complicated by an investigation into her earlier pass on Gademan, which had taken place outside track limits at Turn 1. Nevertheless, she remained firmly in the fight for the win, closing the gap to Palmowski again by lap seven.
Further back, Billard was coming under increasing pressure from Felbermayr, who had her sights set on fourth place after a superb recovery. However, just as the battle at the front threatened to intensify, another incident brought out the safety car.
Dobson went wide, allowing Ella Lloyd to attempt a pass, but the two made contact as Lloyd moved across the track. The American sustained suspension damage, while Lloyd spun at speed before managing to continue. The incident also opened the door for a three-wide battle involving Megan Bruce and Kaylee Countryman, with Countryman ultimately gaining two positions under braking to move into 12th.
The safety car was then deployed to recover Dobson's stricken Hitech car, interrupting the fight for the lead. During the neutralisation, Larsen was instructed to give second place back to Gademan following the investigation, reshaping the order behind Palmowski ahead of the final restart.
The field returned to racing for the final lap, with Palmowski once again making an excellent restart. Larsen allowed Gademan through before Turn 1 but immediately had to defend from Billard and Felbermayr. The Ferrari driver then used her speed to launch another attack on Gademan, keeping the pressure on her MP Motorsport teammate through the closing corners.
Palmowski, however, had already done enough to secure the victory, crossing the line to claim her fifth win of the season and strengthen her grip on the championship. Gademan held on for second ahead of Larsen, with both drivers recording their third consecutive podium finishes after another competitive yet tense performance from the MP Motorsport pairing.
Billard completed her strongest F1 Academy result to date in fourth, while Felbermayr's charge from 11th to fifth represented a valuable recovery. The Audi driver showed strong fighting spirit throughout the race, making up six positions.
Granada secured sixth after holding off Westcott, whose first-lap mistake had proved costly for the home driver. Kosterman continued her recent progress with eighth place, scoring points for the third consecutive race after taking her first championship points at Zandvoort. Stevens returned to the points for the first time since Montreal in ninth, while Jacquet completed the top 10 to score her first championship point.
Paatz delivered a clean drive from the back of the field to finish 11th after a practice technical issue had severely limited her preparation ahead of qualifying; the Aston Martin driver finished ahead of Countryman and Bruce, who had lost positions while taking evasive action during the opening-lap incident involving Ferreira and Robertson. Lloyd recovered to 14th, while Ferreira finished 15th after a spirited battle with wild card Alexia Danielsson, who completed the race in 16th.
The result leaves Palmowski on 161 points, holding a commanding 63-point advantage over Felbermayr with four races remaining. The championship leader has further strengthened her position ahead of Saturday's reverse-grid race, where Ferreira will start from pole position.
The second race of the weekend is scheduled for Saturday at 18:00 local time, with the fight for the title entering its decisive phase.
