OPENING RACE: Palmowski claims her fifth victory of the season in commanding Austin drive

Alisha Palmowski extended her advantage at the top of the Drivers' Standings with a fifth victory of the 2026 F1 ACADEMY season in Austin, overcoming early pressure and two Safety Car interruptions to win the Opening Race at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Red Bull Racing driver held firm against a determined Alba Larsen, whose pursuit of a maiden victory was complicated by a contentious early overtake. Nina Gademan ultimately secured second place after Larsen was instructed to return the position, with the Ferrari driver completing the podium in third.

Starting from pole position, Palmowski was immediately challenged by Payton Westcott, who made the better getaway and seized the lead into Turn 1. The Mercedes driver struggled for traction on the exit, however, allowing Palmowski to draw alongside and reclaim the lead through Turns 7 and 8.

Westcott's difficulties continued as she ran wide at Turn 9, dropping out of podium contention down to eighth, while contact between Megan Bruce, Rafaela Ferreira and Rachel Robertson brought out the Safety Car on the opening lap, with Robertson forced to retire.

The interruption erased Palmowski's early advantage, leaving Gademan and Larsen poised to challenge the Red Bull Racing driver at the restart on Lap 4.

Palmowski retained the lead as racing resumed, but behind her, Larsen wasted little time mounting an attack on Gademan. The Ferrari driver moved ahead into second, although her excursion beyond the track limits during the manoeuvre subsequently attracted the attention of the stewards.

With Larsen now in pursuit, the leading pair began to establish an advantage over Gademan, who found herself increasingly isolated in third. Palmowski initially looked comfortable out front, but Larsen steadily reduced the deficit, setting consecutive fastest laps as the race entered its latter stages. Although the incident remained under investigation, Larsen continued to apply pressure.

Further back, Emma Felbermayr was making considerable progress from 11th on the grid, as she looked to keep her title hopes alive. The Audi driver worked her way through the points-paying positions, eventually moving into fifth behind Lisa Billard, who was enjoying an impressive run in fourth.

With three laps remaining, Palmowski continued to hold the advantage. However, contact between Ella Lloyd and Ava Dobson on Lap 10 brought out the Safety Car for a second time, ending Dobson's race and bunching the field together for a final sprint to the chequered flag on the final lap.

Under yellow flags, Larsen was instructed to return second place to Gademan following her earlier off-track overtake. With overtaking prohibited under Safety Car conditions, the position was returned once racing resumed.

Palmowski made a clean getaway at the restart, while Gademan and Larsen became embroiled in a closely contested fight for second. Larsen attempted to reclaim the position, drawing alongside her teammate, but Gademan defended effectively to preserve the advantage.

Their battle afforded Palmowski some much-needed breathing room, and the Briton duly crossed the line to secure her fifth victory of the season and extend her gap over Felbermayr to 63 points.

Gademan finished second, securing her fourth podium in five races, ahead of Larsen, who claimed silverware for a third time in a row. The result also marked a third consecutive double podium finish for MP Motorsport.

Billard secured a career-best fourth place for Gatorade, while Felbermayr's recovery drive earned her fifth, ahead of Natalia Granada in sixth and Westcott in seventh.

Esmee Kosterman finished eighth, with Ella Stevens securing her second career points finish in ninth. Jade Jacquet completed the top 10, earning her first F1 ACADEMY point.

What’s Next?

F1 ACADEMY returns on Saturday for the Reverse Grid Race, with Palmowski facing her first opportunity to secure the 2026 Drivers’ title. Can the Red Bull Racing driver seal the title with a race to spare at the Circuit of the Americas? Lights go out at 18:00 local time (UTC−5).