Nina Gademan secured victory in the F1 Academy United States Grand Prix Feature Race at the Circuit of the Americas. Payton Westcott and Natalia Granada completed the podium in the fifth round of the 2026 season.
Alisha Palmowski, who started from pole position, had already clinched the 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ Championship. She secured her title the previous day in the Reverse Grid Race at Austin.
Palmowski, supported by Red Bull Racing, sealed the championship with three races remaining in the season. She held a 63-point advantage over Emma Felbermayr before the Reverse Grid Race.
At the start of the Feature Race, Palmowski was slow off the line. This allowed Payton Westcott to initially move into the lead. Nina Gademan then swept around the outside of the first corner to take first place.
Gademan, a Dutch driver backed by Alpine and competing for MP Motorsport, claimed her second F1 Academy victory of the 2026 season. Her first win came in the season opener in Shanghai.
The F1 Academy is an all-female, Formula 4-level open-wheel racing championship. It is currently in its fourth season, supporting selected rounds of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
The series utilises Tatuus F4-T421 chassis, Pirelli tyres, and 123-kilowatt turbocharged 4-cylinder Autotecnica engines. Ten of the 18 cars feature liveries sponsored by Formula 1 teams.
The battle for second position intensified between Palmowski and Alba Larsen, a Ferrari-backed driver for MP Motorsport. Larsen had secured her maiden F1 Academy victory in the preceding Reverse Grid Race.
On Lap 10, Larsen locked up while challenging Palmowski, drifting wide and causing a collision between the two. Both drivers were forced to retire from the race following the incident.
Larsen was observed clutching her wrist after the collision, indicating a potential injury. The incident necessitated the deployment of a Safety Car, which neutralised the gaps across the field.
The Safety Car period concluded on Lap 12, leaving a single lap of green flag racing. Gademan managed the restart effectively to maintain her lead and take the chequered flag.
Alexia Danielsson, a Wild Card entry for the Austin round, was unable to compete. The Swedish driver sustained a wrist injury during a collision in the Reverse Grid Race.
Danielsson was the first Swede to compete in a formula car during an F1 weekend. She was declared unfit to drive in the Feature Race.
The Circuit of the Americas, a 5.513-kilometre track featuring 20 corners, hosted F1 Academy for the first time since 2023. The circuit is known for its steep uphill approach to Turn 1.
The top eight finishers in the F1 Academy United States Grand Prix Feature Race were: Nina Gademan, Payton Westcott, Natalia Granada, Jade Jacquet, Emma Felbermayr, Lisa Billard, Rachel Robertson, and Ella Lloyd.
