FWS: Chiara Bättig and Mathilda Paatz return to the overall top ten at Aragon
- RACERS
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Two female drivers returned to the overall top ten at the fourth round of the Formula Winter Series as Chiara Bättig and Mathilda Paatz shared the Female Trophy victories during a weather-affected weekend at MotorLand Aragón.
Two female drivers returned to the overall top ten at the fourth round of the Formula Winter Series as Chiara Bättig and Mathilda Paatz shared the Female Trophy victories during a weather-affected weekend at MotorLand Aragón, once again highlighting the competitiveness of the female entries.
The penultimate round of the 2026 season unfolded under typically unpredictable conditions, with rain affecting the majority of sessions and only limited dry running available. Despite the constantly changing grip levels, several female drivers consistently fought inside the top-15 and remained in contention for overall points throughout the weekend.
Alongside Red Bull junior Bättig and Aston Martin-supported F1 Academy representative Paatz - both already podium finishers earlier in the season at Estoril - the grid featured returnee Alisha Palmowski, who had secured a fourth-place finish at the opening round, Italian racer Ginevra Panzeri, a points scorer earlier in the year, and series debutant Megan Bruce, preparing for her upcoming full-time F1 Academy campaign and seeking valuable single-seater mileage.
Six pre-event testing sessions allowed drivers to adapt to the challenging Aragón circuit. Bättig once again demonstrated strong pace, consistently running near the top ten, while Palmowski also impressed by setting the fourth-fastest time in the second collective test. Bättig however would emerge as the most consistently competitive female driver heading into qualifying.
Saturday’s first qualifying session took place on a wet circuit and was heavily disrupted by multiple red flags. Bättig initially placed herself competitively with a 2:18.8 lap, while Bruce briefly ran close behind inside the top ten before an early red flag halted proceedings following an incident involving Busso and Slater. Palmowski had been setting a purple second sector when the stoppage occurred, denying her a potentially strong benchmark.
A second red flag soon followed after Alibhai’s incident, leaving drivers with minimal uninterrupted running. As conditions improved in the closing minutes, Bättig produced a 2:12.7 lap to finish P16 overall. Palmowski qualified P25 (2:13.633), just ahead of Paatz in P26, Bruce in P27, and Panzeri in P29, with the disrupted session leaving several drivers unable to complete representative laps.
Under threatening skies but initially dry conditions, Race 1 began cleanly. Bättig held P12 at the start, while Palmowski made an exceptional launch, climbing from P21 to P13 within a single lap. Paatz also gained positions to P19, with Bruce advancing into the top 20.
Palmowski quickly became the leading female runner after overtaking Bättig and immediately matched top-ten pace, setting a 2:04.5 lap by lap three. As rain began falling across parts of the circuit, tyre choices became decisive.
Bättig maintained solid pace close behind, while Paatz steadily climbed the order through midfield battles. However, penalties began to shape the race: Palmowski received a five-second track limits penalty despite running as high as P11, while both Bättig and Bruce later incurred similar sanctions.
As rainfall intensified, drivers on wet tyres gained a significant advantage. Palmowski crossed the line P11 but dropped to P19 after penalties, denying her the Female Trophy victory. Bättig finished P16 to claim another Female Trophy win ahead of Paatz (P20) and Bruce (P21), while Panzeri endured a difficult race in worsening conditions and finished P29.
Sunday morning brought more rain, continuing a trend that had defined much of the Formula Winter Series season. Panzeri briefly topped the female classification with a 2:16.9 lap before Palmowski improved dramatically to eighth overall with a 2:15.820. Bättig and Paatz also found significant gains late in the session, both entering the 2:15 range. A late improvement from Battig to P16 was deleted for track limits, leaving Paatz as the best-placed female qualifier in P16 with a 2:14.941. Bättig settled for P19, Palmowski P24, Bruce P27, and Panzeri P28.
For the first time all weekend, Race 2 began on a dry track, immediately producing close racing throughout the field. Bättig delivered a stellar launch from P6, remaining with the leading group as the top six cars broke away early. Paatz surged into ninth at the start, while Palmowski climbed into P11, all three drivers in contention for points.
Bättig showed particularly strong pace, running consistent 2:01 laps and pressuring Samuel Ifrid for fifth position. Behind, Paatz maintained competitive times while battling within a tightly packed midfield.
Palmowski’s race unfortunately ended prematurely after contact resulted in a puncture during an overtaking attempt, forcing her retirement.
A chaotic multi-car battle then saw Bättig and Paatz with up to seven cars fighting for top-ten positions. From sixth, Bättig lost momentum in the closing laps and despite hard defense, she eventually crossed the line P10. However the Swiss driver received a five-second penalty for track limits, dropping her to P12.
Paatz, however, benefited from penalties applied to several competitors and was promoted to ninth overall, securing the Female Trophy victory and her second point-scoring finish of the season.
Megan Bruce finished P18 after a steady race, while Panzeri enjoyed a clean drive to P21, missing the top twenty by just 0.002 seconds.
The final race of the weekend took place Sunday afternoon in dry conditions. Paatz started as the highest-placed female driver in P18, ahead of Bättig (P20), Palmowski (P24), Bruce (P27), and Panzeri (P28).
Early drama saw Panzeri sustain front-wing damage after contact at Turn 3, triggering the safety car. On the restart, Bättig immediately resumed her duel with Paatz, passing her to lead the Female Trophy battle.
Further incidents brought additional safety car periods, allowing the female drivers to move forward. Bättig climbed to P14, with Paatz and Palmowski close behind as the race repeatedly restarted.
Palmowski showed strong late-race pace, setting purple sectors and advancing into P13 after overtaking Paatz. Meanwhile, Bättig hunted down Ifrid for a place inside the top ten.
In the closing laps, Bättig completed the decisive move to claim P10, holding off pressure from Palmowski and Paatz behind. She finished just 0.092 seconds shy of ninth place but secured valuable championship points and her second Female Trophy victory of the weekend.
Palmowski completed an impressive recovery drive to P13, while Paatz finished P21 after losing ground in late-race battles. Bruce advanced to P20 after penalties reshuffled the order.
The Aragón weekend once again demonstrated the competitiveness of the female drivers within the Formula Winter Series, with multiple contenders fighting consistently near the overall top ten despite extremely challenging conditions.
Alisha Palmowski, Mathilda Paatz, and Megan Bruce will now shift focus to their upcoming F1 Academy debut in Shanghai, meaning they will miss the season finale in Barcelona. Chiara Bättig and Ginevra Panzeri, meanwhile, will continue their campaigns, aiming to capitalise on additional track time as the winter championship concludes in a week's time.
