Preview

AUSTIN PREVIEW: Watch To Watch For in Round 5

21 October 2026

F1 ACADEMY has headed Stateside for the final leg of the 2026 season and the first stop in Austin promises to be an unmissable Round 5.

Both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Champions could be crowned, while the rest of the field will be eager to deliver big points hauls across the three races.

As we gear up for a four-day weekend, we’ve got the lowdown on all the key storylines to keep an eye on here in Texas.

WILL PALMOWSKI TAKE THE TITLE EARLY?

The battle for the 2026 Drivers’ Title could be wrapped up with one round still to go, as Alisha Palmowski has two shots at become the series’ fourth Champion.

The Red Bull Racing driver has put herself in the best possible position to follow in the footsteps of Marta García, Abbi Pulling and Doriane Pin, but the job isn’t quite done yet. Holding a 48-point advantage over Emma Felbermayr, the earliest she could be crowned is after Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race.

The permutations are a little complex with three races to contend with, but the short and simple breakdown is either a 68-point lead after the Reverse Grid Race, or a 40-point gap after the Feature Race will be enough to guarantee her the title regardless of what her rivals do.

Palmowski needs to outscore Felbermayr by six points in the Opening Race to have at glory in Saturday’s race. However, if the Briton finishes third or lower, she would need to outscore her by seven points, as the Audi driver would still hold the tiebreaker.

Interestingly, she has outscored Felbermayr on four out of nine occasions this season — by margins ranging from nine to 25 points — so she knows she can do it, but will the 20-year-old be able to perform under the pressure?

CAMPOS CLOSE IN ON THEIR FIRST TEAMS’ TITLE

Palmowski’s not the only one who’s title dreams could be decided this weekend, as her Campos Racing crew are within touching distance of becoming the Teams’ Champions for the first time. It’s been a hard-fought battle between Campos and Rodin at the top of the Standings, but the Spanish squad are firmly out front with a 73-point advantage.

With 231 points still up for grabs across the final two rounds — 145 of which can be scored in Austin — Campos are guaranteed to be victorious on Sunday if they have a lead of 87 points or more.

Has Palmowski already done enough to wrap up the title in Austin?

NOT OUR FIRST AUSTIN RODEO

F1 ACADEMY marks its first visit to the Circuit of the Americas since the inaugural season finale back in 2023. That weekend also saw a Champion crowned, as García took pole and swept up the Race 1 win on her way to glory.

The series has come a long way since then and for all but Ava Dobson, this will be their first time racing at the 5.513km track. This marks the first time all season that the returning drivers and all but one rookie are on a level playing field, opening the door for a shake up in the order.

That certainly played out last time in Austin, with Hamda Al Qubaisi leading from pole to win the reverse grid Race 2 and Jessica Edgar achieving her maiden pole and victory in the final race of the campaign. More so than ever this season, the teams’ knowledge will be crucial to understanding the track, which is noted for its major elevation change at Turn 1 and a run of high-speed direction changes in Sector 1.

THREE TIMES THE ACTION

Four days of on-track excitement await, with the three-race format for the second time this year. There will be only one 40-minute Free Practice session for the drivers to get acquainted with COTA before diving into the all-important Qualifying.

The field’s second-fastest laps will set the grid for Friday’s Opening Race. The top eight from Qualifying will then be flipped for the Reverse Grid Race on Saturday, while Grand Prix Sunday will see the final race of the weekend, with the Feature Race grid being established by the drivers’ quickest times in Qualifying.

García scored her seventh win on the way to the 2023 title

Campos were the dominate force the last time we featured three races back in Montreal, taking 102 out of the maximum 145 points on offer. Could we see them repeat the feat or will the unfamiliar track throw up some surprise finishes?

CAN ROBERTSON KEEP HER POINTS-SCORING STREAK GOING?

Rachel Robertson’s first half of the season had little to show for it in the way of points, but the PUMA driver’s recent upturn in form has been a big boon to Hitech.

After point-less appearances in Shanghai and Montreal, she has since brought home the goods for four races in a row, with a P4 in the Silverstone Feature Race marking her best result so far. Those results have lifted her to 12th in the Standings, only five points off Rafaela Ferreira in P10.

However, the Briton had the advantage of in-season testing at both Silverstone and Zandvoort — two tracks her Hitech team were well-versed around, unlike Austin. It remains to be seen if she can get the performance together with limited laps on the board and 20 turns to contend with, as she won’t have the chance to experiment with the setup before Qualifying.