'I have a good shot at a race win’ - Westcott encouraged after P2 in Austin Qualifying

Payton Westcott had pole in her sights in Austin before Alisha Palmowski beat her to the top spot by 0.089s at the chequered flag, but the Mercedes driver wasn't downhearted after having to settle for a P2 start in both the Opening Race and the Feature Race.

Westcott started off the weekend strong in Qualifying, with her first competitive lap good enough for P3. The Mercedes driver then spent most of the session in second, staying within two tenths of Palmowski.

As the track ramped up, so did the lap times. Westcott dropped to seventh briefly before setting a 2:07.812 to move into provisional pole with two minutes left in the session.

Palmowski went 0.098s quicker on her final lap, knocking Westcott off pole. However, the Red Bull Racing driver’s lap time was initially deleted, promoting Westcott to pole. After the session, Palmowski’s lap time was reinstated, and Westcott finished P2.

Despite just missing out on pole, Westcott was happy with her Qualifying session and equally her progression throughout the season.

“I think I did quite a good job,” she began. “They aren’t bad starting positions, so I’m really happy about that. I think there’s definitely an opportunity to learn and grow from this. There are definitely some things I could have done better on my side, but that’s all just an opportunity to grow.”

The 17-year-old has shown strong progression this season, taking her maiden series win with a dominant lights-to-flag performance in the Reverse Grid Race in Zandvoort and two third-place podium finishes, one in Shanghai and the other in Montreal.

Speaking on her Qualifying performance, she said: “This definitely shows a lot of progression, which is exactly what I have wanted since the beginning of the season. I’m very glad to be showing this upward slope. I think these results show how much I have grown as a driver.”

Westcott will line up on the front row for both the Opening Race and the Feature Race alongside Standings leader Alisha Palmowski, but is optimistic about her chances of fighting for the win in Austin.

“My approach will definitely be aggressive," she asserted. "I think with my two front-row starts in the background, I think that I can be a bit more on the aggressive side and really show some of my true colours, so I think that I definitely have a good shot to win tomorrow.”