Nina Gademan wins action-packed F1 Academy feature race at COTA as Palmowski and Larsen collide
Nina Gademan claimed her second victory of the 2026 F1 Academy season in a dramatic feature race at Circuit of The Americas, after a superb start saw the Dutchwoman take the lead before a three way battle for the win ended in a late collision that eliminated title winner Alisha Palmowski and Saturday's race winner Alba Larsen.
Nina Gademan claimed her second victory of the 2026 F1 Academy season in a dramatic feature race at Circuit of The Americas, holding off Payton Westcott after a late collision eliminated title winner Alisha Palmowski and Saturday's race winner Alba Larsen from contention. Westcott secured second place ahead of Granada, who claimed her first Feature Race podium, while Jade Jacquet delivered her best result of the season in fourth.
With the championship already secured, Palmowski started Sunday's final race of the Austin weekend from pole position, looking to end her title-winning campaign on another high. Westcott lined up alongside her on the front row, determined to bounce back from a difficult opening race, while Gademan and Granada shared the second row. Larsen started fifth alongside Lisa Billard after taking her maiden F1 Academy victory in Saturday's reverse-grid race.
Cooler temperatures greeted the field on Sunday, which was reduced to 17 cars after wild card Alexia Danielsson was ruled out of the final race. The Swede had visisted the medical centre following her first-lap crash in Saturday's race and was not cleared to compete after sustaining a wrist injury.
Westcott made an excellent start from the front row to launch herself into the lead, but Gademan produced an even stronger getaway from the second row. Braking late and sweeping around the outside through the opening corner, the Dutch driver passed the cars ahead to seize the lead. Palmowski dropped to third, while Larsen moved up to fourth in a much cleaner start for the rest of the field.
Gademan immediately began building a gap at the front, but Palmowski soon launched her challenge. The newly crowned champion attempted to retake second place from Westcott on lap two, only for Larsen to join the fight and emerge ahead of both drivers on the back straight. The Danish driver had shown impressive pace throughout the weekend and was quickly in contention for another strong result.
Further down the field, Billard lost ground to compatriot Jade Jacquet, while Rachel Robertson also looked for a way past. Meanwhile, Palmowski began closing on Gademan once she had clear air ahead, setting a 2:09.252 lap. Larsen responded by improving through every sector to take the fastest lap in 2:08.387, bringing her within half a second of the champion.
On lap 4, Emma Felbermayr and Rafaela Ferreira made contact, with the Brazilian forced to pit for a replacement front wing, dropping to the back of the field.
By lap five, the leading trio had broken away from the rest of the pack and were running nose to tail. Gademan, Palmowski and Larsen were separated by just a few tenths of a second, setting up a three-way fight for victory. Granada, meanwhile, was catching Westcott for fourth place, although the pair remained more than 2.5 seconds behind the leaders.
Larsen made her first serious attempt to pass Palmowski around the outside, but the champion defended through the esses. The MP Motorsport driver tried again a lap later, braking late on the inside into Turn 1, only for Palmowski to cover the move and retain second place. The duel allowed Gademan a little breathing room at the front, as the Dutch driver looked to manage the pace and protect her lead.
A similar battle unfolded further back, where Felbermayr challenged Jacquet for sixth. The Austrian attempted an almost identical move on consecutive laps but could not find a way past the 16-year-old Frenchwoman, who has made considerable progress over the last few rounds.
The fight at the front intensified again on lap eight, when Larsen launched an ambitious move into Turn 15. The Danish driver appeared to have completed the pass, but Palmowski fought back with a switchback manoeuvre. The pair ran side by side through the following corners, coming close to touching wheels in a superb battle before Palmowski once again emerged ahead.
The two drivers continued their fight, but their contest came to a dramatic end on lap 10. Larsen carried strong speed down the back straight and dived down the inside, appearing to have finally made the move stick. Palmowski attempted another switchback, however, and as they both fought for the same piece of tarmac the pair made contact. Larsen's MP Motorsport car suffered front suspension damage, forcing her to retire, while Palmowski initially tried to continue but her steering had been bent. The champion was therefore also forced to park her car, eliminating two of the leading contenders from the race.
The Safety Car was deployed on lap 11, with Gademan retaining the lead ahead of Westcott, Granada, Jacquet and Felbermayr. The race was set to resume for a final lap, leaving little time for the chasing pack to mount a challenge.
Gademan made a perfect restart to protect her position, while Westcott immediately came under pressure from Granada. Behind them, Ella Stevens and Esmee Kosterman fought side by side for the final points-paying position, with Kosterman emerging ahead after the esses to take tenth. Ella Lloyd, Robertson and Megan Bruce were also involved in close battles for positions inside the top ten.
Gademan ultimately held on to take her second victory of the season, following her triumph in the opening round in Shanghai, and her third win in the series. Westcott successfully defended second place from Granada, who secured her second F1 Academy podium and her first in a Feature Race.
Jacquet produced her highlight performances of the season to date to finish fourth, a significant step forward after scoring her first point of the season in Saturday's opening race. The result also marked a major gain in the championship standings, as she held off Felbermayr throughout the race to finish ahead of the Austrian, who crossed the line in fifth.
Gademan's victory proved particularly valuable in the points battle, allowing her to move ahead of Felbermayr in the standings and take second place behind Palmowski. Billard finished sixth, ahead of Robertson and Lloyd, while Kosterman secured ninth after her late battle with Stevens. Bruce claimed the final point in tenth, followed by Stevens, Mathilda Paatz, Ava Dobson and Kaylee Countryman. After her earlier pit stop for front-wing damage, Ferreira rounded out the field.
With the Austin weekend complete, F1 Academy now heads to the Las Vegas Strip Circuit for the season finale on 20–21 November, where a double-header will bring the 2026 campaign to a close.
