REVERSE GRID RACE: Felbermayr breezes to commanding Silverstone victory

Emma Felbermayr led from the outset to earn her second victory of the 2026 F1 ACADEMY season with a dominant display in the Silverstone Reverse Grid Race.

Starting from pole, the Audi driver fended Nina Gademan off the line and perfectly managed the pace to win by two seconds. Gademan finished second ahead of Ella Lloyd, who completed a 1-3 finish for Rodin Motorsport at her home event.

It was a textbook start from polesitter Felbermayr, who immediately cut across to the left to cover off Gademan, allowing third-place Lloyd to pressure the Alpine driver. A strong start for Alisha Palmowski saw her gain two places on the opening lap, as Lisa Billard looked to find her way back past the Red Bull Racing driver.

Going side-by-side through Maggotts and Becketts, Megan Bruce fought her way past Ava Dobson for P7, while Alba Larsen gained four places to move up to ninth. At the back of the grid, both Esmee Kosterman and Jade Jacquet stalled off the line but eventually were able to get going.

By Lap 2, Felbermayr was already a second clear of Gademan and the Austrian continued to extend the gap out front.

Losing two places in the opening phase, Wild Card Chiara Bättig tried to make up lost ground, closing in and backing out of moves on Larsen. On Lap 6, the Wella driver got the switchback on the #12 Ferrari with a late lunge at Turn 6 and made it stick into Luffield.

Behind them, Payton Westcott in 11th was under investigation for a false start, with the Mercedes driver receiving a five-second penalty for moving before the signal. Her PREMA Racing teammate was also later handed the same time penalty for track limits.

Benefitting from the clear air, Bättig sliced the gap to Dobson down by six tenths in a lap. However, the American Express driver’s immediate focus was on her battle with Bruce, who defended the inside line at Turn 6, putting Dobson on the inside for the next corner. The pair brushed wheels going side-by-side again through Maggotts and Becketts, as Dobson emerged ahead.

Their dual opened the door for Bättig to slip in between, allowing the Red Bull Junior to utilise the tow to dispatch Bruce for P8 down the Hangar Straight.

Up ahead, Rachel Robertson closed in on Lloyd for P3 on Lap 10, as Palmowski bided her time closing in on the PUMA driver. Two laps later, their cat-and-mouse battle gave the McLaren driver some breathing room as the gap reopened to over a second.

Out front, Felbermayr looked untroubled as she took the chequered flag ahead of Gademan and Lloyd. Robertson bagged her first points of the season for Hitech in P4 followed by Palmowski, Billard and Dobson. Bättig netted the final point on offer in P8 and added the fastest lap point to her tally.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Bättig will have her sights set on victory when the Wild Card driver starts on pole for the Feature Race. Lights go out at 10:00 local time (UTC+1) on Sunday.