Payton Westcott signs with Mercedes for F1 Academy campaign

American racer Payton Westcott will step onto the F1 Academy grid full-time in 2026, joining Prema Racing and representing the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in the all-female single-seater championship.

Photo credits: Mercedes AMG F1 Team

American racer Payton Westcott will step onto the F1 Academy grid full-time in 2026, joining Prema Racing and representing the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in the all-female single-seater championship.

Born in 2009, Westcott began her racing career at just 12 years old and quickly built a strong foundation in top-level karting in the United States. She achieved notable results across the United States Pro Kart Series and the California Pro Kart Challenge, before finishing third overall in the highly competitive Challenge of the Americas. Her rapid progression soon earned her the selection for the Champions of the Future Academy Program in 2024, supported by F1 Academy’s Discover Your Drive initiative, which facilitated her transition to European karting in the OK-N Senior category.

In 2025, Westcott made the jump to single-seater racing, contesting a demanding multi-series campaign across Europe and the Middle East. She debuted in the Formula Winter Series with Van Amersfoort Racing, where she ran competitively in a stacked field, scoring seven top-20 finishes. Her strongest weekend came at MotorLand Aragón, where she achieved a personal best 13th place and added a second top-15 result.

Westcott then took on the Italian Formula 4 Championship, again with Van Amersfoort Racing. After a solid opening round at Misano, where she finished inside the top 20 on her debut, the season proved more challenging in one of the world’s most competitive F4 grids. She returned to the top 20 at Imola in the penultimate round and concluded the campaign as runner-up in the Female Trophy classification.

Her third programme of the year came in the E4 Championship, Europe’s continental Formula 4 series. Across three rounds, Westcott continued to build experience, claiming a best finish of 16th at Le Castellet before matching that result in the Monza finale. She then wrapped up her season in the Middle East with a breakthrough performance in the Formula Trophy UAE, where she secured an impressive overall victory at Dubai.

Westcott was invited to the inaugural F1 Academy Rookie Test at Navarra, Spain, where the Californian set the third-fastest time overall and topped the afternoon session, showcasing her potential against a strong field of emerging talent.

Later in the year, she made her F1 Academy race debut as a Wild Card entry at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Delivering a mature performance on a demanding street circuit, Westcott finished sixth, the best result among the Wild Card drivers in 2025, opening the door for a full-time seat.

In 2026, Westcott will work closely with reigning F1 Academy champion and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Development Driver Doriane Pin, who secured her title with Prema Racing in 2025, as she embarks on her first full campaign in the series.

“I’m excited to join the Mercedes family for the 2026 F1 Academy season. They are an incredible team and one that is driven by passion, determination, and a constant pursuit of excellence", Westcott said. "It’s an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of people that are commitment to developing young talent."

"I’m looking forward to learning new tracks throughout the season and continuing to grow my skill set both on and off the circuit. Every race weekend will be a chance to push my limits, refine my driving, and build consistency. I’m motivated to make the most of this journey and take the next big step in my career.”

With extensive single-seater mileage over the last season and with already the UAE4 Championship with Prema under her belt in 2026, Payton Westcott now prepares to contest the full 2026 F1 Academy season with one of the championship’s leading teams.