Emily Cotty secures maiden F4 podium with superb UAE4 opener at Abu Dhabi
- RACERS
- 31 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Rising British–New Zealand talent Emily Cotty claimed a breakthrough podium finish at Abu Dhabi for the opening round of the UAE Formula 4 Championship at Yas Marina Circuit, securing her first ever F4 podium in race two before adding another strong top-five finish in race three.
Rising British–New Zealand talent Emily Cotty claimed a breakthrough podium finish at Abu Dhabi for the opening round of the UAE Formula 4 Championship at Yas Marina Circuit, securing her first ever F4 podium in race two before adding another strong top-five finish in race three. After showing front-running pace all weekend, Cotty left Abu Dhabi fourth in the drivers’ standings and as the leading female driver of the event.
Entering her second full season of F4 racing following a busy 2025 campaign across Italian F4 and E4, Cotty arrived in the Middle East series determined to take a clear step forward. From the opening days of testing, she immediately looked competitive in the deep 37-car field, which included also four other femaler drivers: Ferrari Driver Academy's Alba Larsen, Payton Westcott, Emma Felbermayr and Kaylee Countryman.
Across the pre-event test sessions, Larsen was fourth fastest in the opening test, while Payton Westcott placed inside the top ten twice. Cotty, however, emerged as the most consistent of the female entries in official practice, closing to within the top ten and leading Larsen, Westcott and Emma Felbermayr in the combined times. Kaylee Countryman, contesting her first international championship outside the United States, focused on adapting to the Yas Marina track and the highly competitive European-style race environment.
Qualifying confirmed Cotty’s progress. In Q1, she was one of the early pace-setters, becoming the first driver to dip under the 2:01 barrier before lap times tumbled rapidly. She improved to a 1:56.4, placing herself in top-ten contention, with Larsen just a tenth behind. Westcott continued to build pace into the 1:56s, while Felbermayr also broke into the same bracket.
On the final runs, Westcott climbed to 16th, and Cotty secured a strong 12th on the grid, finishing as the top female driver. Larsen ended Q1 in 15th with a 1:56.596, followed by Westcott, Felbermayr in 20th, and Countryman 34th.
The second qualifying session followed immediately and proved even stronger for Cotty. She ran consistently in the low 1:56s before a red flag halted the session when Zakaria Doleh went off at Turn 5. When running resumed, Cotty produced her best lap, a 1:56.166, briefly lifting her into the top ten. She ultimately qualified 11th overall, once again the leading female driver. Larsen finished 17th after a late improvement, with Westcott 23rd and Felbermayr 24th separated by just four hundredths of a second. Countryman also made progress, qualifying 32nd.
The first race of the season, set by Q1 results, saw Cotty start 12th and immediately gain ground. Despite several stalled cars at the start, the field made it cleanly through Turn 1, and Cotty advanced into the top ten on the opening lap. Larsen climbed to 13th, Westcott held 15th, Felbermayr ran 20th, and Countryman slipped down the order.
A safety car was deployed after Gebrayel sustained front-wing damage, and Doleh later retired as well. At the restart, Cotty resumed in the top ten and targeted the group ahead, while also defending from pressure behind. Larsen became involved in a tight scrap with Palmer, with Westcott hovering close behind.
Cotty defended strongly from Costoya Sanabria over several laps but eventually lost tenth position after a prolonged duel. Larsen finally completed a clean move on Palmer to take 13th, while Westcott recovered after briefly losing a place to Kostin. Felbermayr quietly picked up positions after a difficult restart, while Countryman suffered contact that damaged her front wing and forced a pit stop.
Up front, Oleksandr Bondarev controlled the race to take the season’s first win. Cotty finished just outside the top ten in 11th, narrowly missing out after a combative drive. Larsen secured an impressive 13th after sustained battles, Westcott recovered to 16th on the final lap, and Felbermayr finished 21st before a post-race penalty dropped her to 22nd. Countryman was classified 35th after her unscheduled stop.
Race two featured a reverse-grid format, putting Cotty on the front row alongside Niccolò Maccagnani, in her first genuine chance to fight for a Formula 4 victory. The start was immediately interrupted by a heavy multi-car accident, bringing out the safety car before the field completed a full lap.
Once racing resumed, Cotty applied relentless pressure to Maccagnani, staying within striking distance while also opening a small gap to the chasing pack. Larsen surged into 11th, Westcott into 13th, Felbermayr to 19th, and Countryman to 33rd.
Cotty continued to put pressure on the leader as battles erupted behind her. The safety car once again neutralised the race after Westcott hit the barriers, ending her race. On the restart, Cotty again sat in the slipstream of Maccagnani, but opportunities were limited by repeated interruptions.
Larsen briefly broke into the top ten before being forced into intense four-wide battles that eventually shuffled her back down the order. Felbermayr impressed in midfield fights, defending robustly in multiple three-car battles.
A final late safety car and a red flag after Countryman was hit and spun into the barriers, bringing the race to an early conclusion. With the result taken back, Maccagnani was declared the winner, and Emily Cotty secured second place, in her first podium in Formula 4 and one of the highlight drives of the weekend.
Larsen finished 19th after her earlier charge, Felbermayr 24th, and Countryman 33rd. Despite just missing out on victory by less than half a second, Cotty’s front-row battle and podium marked a major career milestone for the young talent.
Starting ninth for the final race, Cotty once again launched cleanly and immediately latched onto the leading group. An early spin for Aksoy promoted her to eighth, while Larsen stormed into the top ten and Felbermayr climbed rapidly into the top 20. Multiple safety cars punctuated the race as incidents continued across the packed field.
Cotty ran just behind the front pack, maintaining a crucial gap to those behind while watching battles ahead. Larsen again became heavily involved in multi-car duels, briefly dropping back before re-entering the fight. Felbermayr continued her recovery drive, gaining positions at every restart.
Late drama reshuffled the top ten, and when Al Azhari's stranded car on the main straight triggered another safety car, Cotty was elevated into seventh. The race went green for a final lap shootout, with Cotty under intense pressure from Craigie and Lindblom.
In a frenetic final lap full of wheel-to-wheel contact, Cotty kept her calm, executed clean passes, and crossed the line in fifth place - just over a second shy of the podium. It marked her second top-five finish of the weekend and in F4.
Alba Larsen finished 12th on the road and was later promoted to tenth after penalties, wrapping up a strong recovery drive. Emma Felbermayr gained eight places to finish 14th, while Payton Westcott ended 22nd following a time penalty. Kaylee Countryman completed the race in 33rd.
After three highly competitive races, Emily Cotty left Abu Dhabi fourth in the championship standings with 28 points, establishing herself as one of the early protagonists of the season.
“I had a great build up to the weekend, firstly getting back into driving the car after Christmas holidays and then working with my new coach, former F2 driver, Calan Williams", Cotty explained. "R-ace GP put out a top car for all of us this weekend and it really showed in the results with the team now leading the standings."
“I was very pleased to get my first podium in F4 in a super competitive field of 37 other drivers including multiple F1 juniors ending the weekend P4 overall in the championship", she continued. "It’s been a lot of hard work to get this podium and I’ll be pushing even harder to keep up the momentum for the rest of the series. Finishing strongly in race 3 in P5 gives me a lot of confidence to keep going. I’m looking forward to next week and getting back on the Yas Marina Corkscrew layout for another challenge.”
With the championship remaining at Yas Marina for the second round in a week's time, this time on the Corkscrew layout, Emily Cotty now carries real momentum into the next round of her UAE Formula 4 campaign.