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STANDOUT STARS: Who brought the party to Round 4 in Zandvoort?
F1 ACADEMY has its last dance around the Circuit Zandvoort and it’s a weekend that will be etched into the memories of the drivers and fans alike.
Alisha Palmowski was the big winner in the Feature Race, but she wasn’t the only one bringing home the prizes. With that in mind, let’s see who made the cut as we select our top drivers from Round 4 in the Netherlands…
ALBA LARSEN
Alba Larsen had 21 race starts in F1 ACADEMY without a piece of silverware to show for it, but Zandvoort would change all that. The summer break reset seemed to come at the perfect time for the Ferrari driver, as she qualified on the front row for the first time since Shanghai.
Lining up seventh for the Reverse Grid Race, the Dane pushed her way through into P2 and then tried to chase down Payton Westcott for the win. It was a podium so nice that Larsen had to do it twice. The 17-year-old mounted a challenge to Alisha Palmowski’s lead in the Feature Race but couldn’t sustain the pace and pressure her into a mistake, ultimately settling for second.
Although Larsen will be a little disappointed that the top spot eluded her twice, it marked a much-needed set of results. Scoring 26 points, two more than she’d achieved in all three previous rounds, she now moves up to fourth in the Standings. A late arrival to the top three battle, Larsen needs to build this into some real momentum if she wants to bridge the 21-point deficit to her teammate Nina Gademan.
PAYTON WESTCOTT
It’s a moment Payton Westcott has been more anxious to realise as the rounds have ticked down, but the Mercedes driver can now call herself an F1 ACADEMY race winner.
Promoted to pole for the Reverse Grid Race following Zoe Florescu’s disqualification, Westcott seized the chance with both hands. Although pole put her in the ideal position to bring home the win, she had to prove herself worthy of it — and that’s exactly what she did.
READ MORE: Larsen delighted with double podium in Zandvoort but rues missed Feature Race victory
A masterful drive saw Westcott overcome two Safety Car restarts and attacks from Larsen to become the series’ youngest race winner at only 17 years old, five months and two days. Recovering from a blip in performance after her point-less weekend at Silverstone, the American’s assuredness behind the wheel is exactly why the top three contenders shouldn’t overlook this rookie heading into the final two rounds.
MP MOTORSPORT
Home sweet home was calling MP Motorsport’s name at Zandvoort, and the Dutch squad assertively answered the call. There were accolades all round as the team enjoyed their most successful weekend so far this season, with their 53-point haul outscoring Teams’ Standings leaders Campos Racing by 15 points.
Larsen wasn’t their only driver to get her share of silverware, as the Ferrari driver was joined on the podium on both occasions by Gademan. The Alpine driver marked her first double podium since last year’s trip to Montreal and takes her tally up to four podiums (one win, one P2 and two P3s), matching her 2025 haul with five races remaining.
Elsewhere in the garage, Esmee Kosterman got her first points of 2026 on the board, netting back-to-back points finishes in front of her compatriots. It’s no secret that the LEGO Racing driver has had a tough start to her rookie season.
However, her performance in the Reverse Grid Race showed glimpses of the driver who impressed many by achieving points as a Wild Card at Zandvoort last year. After fighting her way from 10th to fourth, Kosterman completed the weekend with a P10 finish in the Feature Race and heads to Austin more upbeat about her chances going forward.
NATALIA GRANADA
Natalia Granada didn’t match the highs of her Shanghai Reverse Grid Race podium over the weekend, but arguably the pace she showed was more significant. Racing around Zandvoort for the first time was never going to be easy, but the Sephora driver took it in her stride.
Two tenths shy of a front row start, Granada made her first top-three appearance in Qualifying in the mixed conditions. An error whilst battling in the Reverse Grid Race saw the Spaniard make an early retirement, but she shook off the setback in the Feature Race.
Although she lacked the pace to chase down a podium, the 18-year-old valiantly defended from Felbermayr throughout the 17-lap race to finish fourth. Navigating her first single-seater season and finding herself able to match up to some of the leading contenders, Granada is adjusting to life in F1 ACADEMY better than many of her fellow rookies.
MEGAN BRUCE
Leaving Zandvoort with P7 and P6 finishes might not be much to rave about, but the tenacity Megan Bruce showed makes the achievement all the more notable. Missing out on testing in order to prioritise her recovery from injury, the TAG Heuer driver was at a disadvantage, having only a few push laps in Practice to get introduced to the track.
The odds weren’t going to be in her favour as Bruce faced a wet to dry Qualifying with no wet-weather baseline to go off. Nevertheless, the Briton qualified in seventh and although she was unable to make up ground in both races, she demonstrated her ability to get up to speed despite a lack of mileage — a trait that should serve her well for Austin and Las Vegas.
RACHEL ROBERTSON
Having not scored in the previous five races before Silverstone, Rachel Robertson now extends her points-scoring run to four races. Qualifying in sixth put her in good stead for the races and the PUMA driver kept her nose clean amongst some scrappy battling around her to finish P6 and P7.
The surest sign yet that Robertson’s upwards trajectory from Silverstone wasn’t a one-off, the 19-year-old is only five points away from 10th-placed Rafaela Ferreira in the Standings and will now have ambitions to get on the podium.
ALISHA PALMOWSKI
Palmowski dominating an F1 ACADEMY race is a sentence that fans have gotten very used to hearing this season. The Red Bull Racing driver has already smashed the series’ record for the biggest winning margin twice and converted two of her pole positions into victories, but could this be her most consummate performance yet?
She delivered some more magic in Qualifying, taking her fourth pole position of the season by over eight tenths in the final seconds of running. Eight out of nine races at Zandvoort had been won by the polesitter and the 19-year-old kept the streak going in the Feature Race.
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Resisting Larsen’s relentless pressure in the first half, she kept her tyres in check and eventually put a firm gap between herself and the Ferrari junior to take her first Grand Slam in the series — claiming pole, the fastest lap and leading every lap on the way to victory.
Matching the number of wins Doriane Pin achieved on her way to the title last year, Palmowski’s 48-point lead puts her on the cusp of glory. Aware that she could be crowned Champion at the penultimate round, the Briton isn’t dwelling on it and is confident that her approach will carry her through in the end.