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Payton Westcott makes promising single seater debut at Formula Winter Series opener

Writer's picture: MIKA BÖCKERMIKA BÖCKER

“My first race weekend in Formula 4 was an unforgettable experience" - American driver Payton Wescott made a promising F4 debut in Formula Winter Series at Portimão, showcasing good racecraft in challenging conditions and securing two top-20 finishes as she gained valuable experience ahead of her main 2024 campaigns.


Rafaela Ferreira, Campos Racing, Red Bull, Formula Winter Series, 2025 Portimao
Photo credits: Daniel Bürgin

In her first-ever Formula 4 race weekend, American Payton Wescott delivered a solid performance as she stepped up from karting to single-seaters. Across three strong races—one of which in wet conditions—she showcased impressive racecraft, securing two top-20 finishes at Portimão in the Formula Winter Series season opener.


The fifteen-year-old recently announced a dual campaign in both the Italian F4 and Euro4 Championships with Van Amersfoort Racing. Her entry into the Formula Winter Series, therefore, serves as the perfect opportunity to gain experience ahead of her main programs.


Wescott began karting only three years ago but quickly climbed the ranks in the U.S., winning KA100 events and competing in the prestigious SKUSA SuperNationals. In 2024, she was among the female talents selected for the F1 Academy "Discover Your Drive" scholarship and joined the newly launched Champions of the Future Academy Program in the OK-N Senior class.


Transitioning from karting, Wescott embarked on an F4 testing program primarily in Italy and Spain toward the end of 2024, making rapid improvements. Now, she was ready to make her first competitive start in race cars in the highly competitive Formula Winter Series, which hosted its opening round of 2025 in Portimão, Portugal.


"I like the track—there are lots of elevation changes, completely different from anything I’ve driven before," Wescott explained before the event. The young American, who has primarily raced on relatively flat karting circuits, remained confident that the transition would not be too overwhelming.


"To be honest, the Formula vehicles feel much slower because they are much bigger and you don’t notice the speed as much", she added. "I have to do everything much more slowly and carefully than in a kart. My biggest lesson so far has probably been how other grip and tyres behave."


"Here in Europe there is generally much more grip. I have to adapt not only between the vehicles but also between America and Europe“, she continued. Her main goal for the Winter Series was to learn, understand the car, and gain experience in battles—something that testing alone can not fully prepare for.


In preparation for the race weekend, drivers participated in six testing sessions on Thursday and Friday. Wescott quickly settled into the midfield of a competitive 30-car grid, placing 14th in the first session and consistently running around the top 20 in subsequent sessions, gradually improving her lap times.


RACE 1

Wescott qualified 24th for the first race, alongside fellow female driver Joanne Ciconte.


At the start, she avoided minor incidents but lost a position. Undeterred, she battled with Raffaela Ferreira and initially moved ahead on lap three, only to lose the position again a lap later, this time to Popov.


Shortly afterward, she gained a spot when Anurag, who had been running in the top ten, retired due to technical issues. She continued fighting for positions, overtaking Ciconte, who later pitted.


With 11 minutes remaining, Wescott gained another position against Mathilda Paatz and found herself in a tight battle for a top-20 finish. However, a small mistake at Turn 1—where she ran over the high curb—caused her car to momentarily lift off the ground, costing her the position she had just gained.


As the race progressed, positions fluctuated in the midfield battle until a safety car was deployed eight minutes before the end due to the stranded vehicle of Enea Frey.


At the restart, she initially gained a position but was unable to hold onto it in the tightly packed field, ultimately finishing 22nd. However, after post-race penalties for track limit violations and other infractions, she was classified in 17th place, securing her first top-20 on her very first F4 start.


RACE 2

For the second race, Wescott qualified 23rd with a best lap time of 1:48.078, lining up alongside Mathilda Paatz.


She gained a position at the start as incidents further up the field caused collisions and damage. She then held position until the safety car was deployed on lap two to recover stranded cars.


At the restart, Wescott gained two positions but lost one shortly after; another neutralization followed due to a crash in Turn 4, where a car that had lost its front wing was unable to avoid contact with an overtaking vehicle.


During this second safety car period, Wescott moved up further as she inherited positions from the drivers involved in the crash, as well as from McLaughlin, who pitted for a new front wing. She restarted in 19th place but was unable to gain further positions. With just two minutes remaining, she made one final move to finish in 18th place - and was classified in P17 after penalties, gaining six positions from the start.


RACE 3

The third race was held in tricky wet conditions. Though it had stopped raining, the damp track meant that tyre selection was uncertain. Some drivers opted for slicks, while others remained on wet tyres.


The start was unusual: instead of the usual five lights, only three illuminated before the race began. This caught many drivers off guard, leading to a chaotic getaway.

In the first corners, a car spun out at Turn 2, momentarily stopping on track. The drivers on wet tyres initially had a significant advantage, but their gain was short-lived as the race was red-flagged and restarted due to the starting light technical issue.


For the restart, the grid was re-formed, and the race resumed behind the safety car. Many drivers used the break to change tyres; Wescott restarted in 24th place and worked her way forward. In the first full lap after the restart, she moved up to 22nd, overtaking Sebastian Bach.


Despite the changing conditions, wet tyres remained the better choice as no dry racing line had formed. After 10 minutes, slick tyres were still 10 seconds slower per lap. However, Wescott lost a position to the fast-moving Bach, who was making his way through the field.


She ultimately finished 23rd but maintained a solid pace and created a gap to the cars behind her.


Overall, Payton Wescott had a promising debut in Formula 4, proving that her step up from karting was well-timed. Reflecting on the weekend, she shared:


“My first race weekend in Formula 4 was an unforgettable experience. While I made plenty of mistakes along the way, each one has become a lesson to build on."

"I’m pleased with how the weekend unfolded, but there’s still so much room for improvement. I’m eager to take what I’ve learned and push harder when we hit Valencia.”


As the Formula Winter Series heads to Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia from February 13-16, Payton Wetscott looks forward to another exciting race weekend of progress.

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