UAE4: Emily Cotty and Payton Westcott score points twice at Dubai
- RACERS
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The third round of the UAE 4 Series in Dubai saw Emily Cotty, after securing her best qualifying of the season, score points twice - as well as Payton Westcott finishing twice in the top ten across a solid weekend.
The UAE 4 Series continued its 2026 season at Dubai Autodrome for the third round of the campaign, moving from the opening two events held in Abu Dhabi on different Yas Marina configurations. The new track brought new challenges as well as new opportunities for the championship’s female drivers, who once again featured with point-scoring results across the three races of the weekend.
Both Emily Cotty and Payton Westcott scored twice, with the former protagonist of her best qualifying effort of the season.
Cotty arrived in Dubai as the top among the female contenders, having enjoyed a consistently positive start to her second season with R-ace GP. The British-New Zealand driver had already established herself as a regular top-ten finisher and claimed her maiden F4 podium earlier in the season.
Alba Larsen, meanwhile, had also impressed in the opening round with a top-ten result, while Emma Felbermayr made a significant step forward during the second round. Despite difficult qualifying sessions, Payton Westcott had repeatedly demonstrated strong race pace through impressive recovery drives; Kaylee Countryman completed the female entries, continuing her first international campaign outside the United States and focusing on steady progress and adaptation to the highly competitive UAE 4 environment.
Dubai Autodrome held particular significance for Westcott, as the Prema Racing driver had claimed her first victory at the circuit just one month earlier in the Formula Middle East Trophy. Early running across the weekend suggested that several female drivers would again be competitive: Alba Larsen in particular emerged during pre-event testing, consistently running inside the top ten and finishing just ahead of Cotty. That form carried into official practice, where Larsen was sixth fastest with a 2:02.758 lap. Cotty was eighth, and Felbermayr close behind in 11th, as drivers geared up for qualifying.
Saturday morning’s qualifying began with the 15-minute Q1 session. Early laps saw Westcott immediately inside the top five, while Countryman briefly impressed with competitive early sector times. As the session developed, Larsen showed again her practice pace by setting a 2:02.9 lap to go fourth with five minutes remaining.
Cotty however soon raised the bar, posting a 2:02.300 to move into third, before improving again to a 2:02.073. That lap kept her inside the top five even as the field found more time. Larsen narrowly missed out on a top-ten place late in the session, while Cotty was unable to improve further and concluded Q1 in eighth. Felbermayr delivered a strong final run to jump up to 12th, just ahead of Larsen in 13th. Westcott secured 17th with a 2:02.545, while Countryman finished P38.
Q2 proved even stronger for Cotty. As representative lap times began to emerge midway through the session, she was immediately inside the top five with a 2:01.8. She continued to improve, producing a 2:01.296 to go fourth, while both Felbermayr and Larsen also dipped into the low-2:02 range. Felbermayr later broke the 2:02 barrier, and Westcott also went under with a 2:01.846.
At the chequered flag, Cotty secured an excellent fifth place - her best qualifying performance of the season. Felbermayr qualified 14th, ahead of Westcott in 16th, with Larsen 20th and Countryman again starting from the back.
Race 1 saw Cotty line up eighth, with Larsen 12th, Westcott 16th, Felbermayr demoted to 30th and Countryman 37th. The race was immediately disrupted when two cars stalled at the start and Lindblom was collected, triggering an early Safety Car.
Before the neutralisation, Cotty had already gained a position, while Westcott made a spectacular launch to climb into ninth. Larsen held 13th, Felbermayr surged from 30th to 23rd on the opening lap, and Countryman survived the chaos to move up to 35th. Under the Safety Car, Felbermayr’s race ended in frustration as her car stopped at the end of the main straight, delaying the restart.
With just seven minutes remaining, racing resumed. Cotty ran closely behind Aksoy, while Westcott briefly lost ground before fighting back into the top ten. Cotty set her personal best lap in the low 2:04s and maintained pressure on the group ahead.
In the shortened contest, Cotty crossed the line eighth to score points once again, while Westcott secured tenth after gaining six positions. Larsen finished a respectable 14th in a tightly packed midfield, and Countryman climbed to 32nd after late issues for rivals. Post-race penalties promoted Westcott to ninth and Larsen to 13th.
Sunday morning’s reverse-grid race placed two women inside the top five, with Westcott starting fourth and Cotty fifth. Larsen lined up 13th, while Felbermayr and Countryman faced recovery drives from near the back.
Cotty made an aggressive start and challenged for third into Turn 1 but sustained contact in a three-car collision. Westcott held fourth amid a fierce fight at the front, while Larsen made an outstanding launch to climb into ninth before the Safety Car. Felbermayr gained several positions on the opening lap, and Countryman was forced to start from the pit lane after missing the formation lap for a technical issue. She would rejoin the race after a good effort for the Pinnacle Motorsport's mechanics, albeit a lap down.
After the restart, Westcott immediately went on the attack for a podium position, while Cotty continued despite the first lap contact. Larsen remained heavily involved in battles near the front as well.
A major incident for Rafael Vaessen however brought out a red flag when his car flipped on lap 5, shortening the race.
In the final sprint, Westcott held firm to finish eighth, securing back-to-back top-ten results. Emily Cotty brought her car home in a still respectable 13th, while Felbermayr completed an impressive charge from the back to finish 16th. Larsen suffered contact on the final lap and dropped to 26th, while Countryman finished 35th.
The final race of the weekend saw Cotty start fifth, Felbermayr 14th, Westcott 16th, Larsen just inside the top 20, and Countryman 37th. Cotty opted for a cautious opening lap and slotted into sixth, while Westcott ran off the road and fell to 27th. Larsen made a strong start to move up to 15th, and Countryman capitalised on early incidents to gain positions.
After a Safety Car restart, Cotty focused on breaking back into the top ten, eventually passing Campbell Pilling after sustained pressure to reclaim tenth. Larsen settled into a steady rhythm in 14th, while Westcott mounted another recovery drive to reach the top 20. Countryman made late gains to finish 30th - in her first top-30 result of the weekend. Emma Felbermayr, delayed by an early pit stop for damage, finished 32nd despite competitive lap times.
At the chequered flag, Cotty secured tenth and another valuable point, finishing in the points twice over the weekend. Larsen completed a clean race in 14th, Westcott recovered to 20th, and Countryman continued her steady progress in P30.
After three rounds, Emily Cotty remains the highest-placed female driver in the UAE 4 Series, sitting ninth in the overall standings with 37 points. Westcott’s consistent recovery drives gained her first points of the season, moving her up to 18th overall. With confidence growing across the group, attention now turns to the final round of the championship, scheduled for 11-13 February at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.