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STANDOUT STARS: Who stole the show in the Shanghai season opener?
Delivering dazzling debuts and fierce wheel-to-wheel battles, the 2026 F1 ACADEMY season started in style in Shanghai — and Round 1 certainly gave fans plenty to talk about.
But who’s flying home from China with the biggest smile on their face? It’s time to give our verdict and pick out the top performers from the opening round…
EMMA FELBERMAYR
Unquestionably, this was Emma Felbermayr’s most complete performance in the series and showcased exactly why the Audi driver holds a six-point lead at the top of the Drivers’ Standings.
Quick in Qualifying, Felbermayr scored a spot inside the top three, beating her previous best of P6. Starting from sixth on the reverse grid, she remained unshaken by the contact from Alba Larsen at Turn 3, with the Austrian admitting that she thought her “race was over” at the time. Despite the near-miss, she executed daring overtakes on Payton Westcott and Rafaela Ferreira to move on to the podium in third.
Race 2 saw her capitalise on a poor start from Alisha Palmowski to move into second but couldn’t quite keep up with Larsen in the opening stages. Inheriting the lead after a snap of oversteer sent the Ferrari driver through the gravel trap out of the final corner, Felbermayr put herself tantalizingly just out of reach to bring home her first main race victory.
Speaking after Sunday’s race, the 19-year-old believes she should be considered one of the title favourites now and after that display in Shanghai, you’d be hard pressed to disagree.
ALISHA PALMOWSKI
Alisha Palmowski’s performance in Qualifying was a statement of intent. Repeated improvements across the session saw the Red Bull Racing driver deliver a long overdue maiden pole position after four top-three results last year. While the top six were covered by less than six tenths, four of those were the difference between the Briton and Alba Larsen in P2.
Keeping clear of trouble in Race 1, she scored valuable points in P5. In Race 2, she had the pace to fight for the win, despite wheelspin on the start costing her the lead. However, the 19-year-old couldn’t find her way through. She eyed up a late move on Felbermayr but sensibly backed out of a divebomb that had hampered so many of her rivals during the weekend.
Although she didn’t return to the top step in Shanghai, her sixth podium in the series ensured a successful end to the weekend, and she picked up the bonus point for the fastest lap to boot. If this is the kind of performance she can deliver at one of her “weakest” venues, then it bodes well for what’s to come.
NATALIA GRANADA
Natalia Granada made heads turn when she went from being announced as an F1 ACADEMY driver to the second step of the podium in the space of just three days. Judging by her abilities on track, you wouldn’t believe it was her first single-seater weekend.
Qualifying a notable seventh, she lined up on the front row for Race 1. Assured behind the wheel, she kept apace with Nina Gademan — her fastest lap was only 0.080s slower than the race leader’s. Managing a Safety Car restart with ease, the Spanish driver’s mature performance was rewarded with a comfortable P2.
Unfortunately, Race 2 did not match the same highs as she made contact with Rafaela Ferreira on the opening lap and had to pit for a front wing change, highlighting her need to experience more side-by-side battles. Montreal will be a much more challenging frontier with no testing at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve beforehand, but if she approaches the weekend the way she did in Shanghai, there’s no reason why more success couldn’t be on the cards.
PAYTON WESTCOTT
Another first-year driver that stood out from the pack, Payton Westcott showed promise throughout the opening round. Third in the first Free Practice session of the year, the Mercedes driver followed that up with an impressive P4 in Qualifying, the highest rookie on the timesheets.
Race 1 was a hard but necessary lesson in how to handle on-track battles. After starting fifth, she was contending with Ferreira for the final spot on the podium but was overtaken by Felbermayr. In her efforts to fight back, Westcott made an error, going wide and dropping her down to finish in P6.
Learning from her overexuberance, the American was much more measured in Race 2, keeping an eye on both opportunities ahead and the fights behind. Capitalising on Larsen’s mistake, she drove home to her first podium in the series in P3. While Westcott hopes this will be the start of a trend, she isn’t allowing one weekend’s success to run away with her.
NINA GADEMAN
Round 1 might have been a weekend of what ifs for Nina Gademan, but the Alpine driver has shown how she can make the best out of any setbacks. Disappointed on Friday to have to settle for P8 in Qualifying, she believed she could have been on for a top-four time if not for traffic.
READ MORE: Westcott satisfied with ‘very smart’ drive to maiden podium in Shanghai
Starting from reverse grid pole for the fourth time, she was resolved to put right the win she lost out on in Shanghai last year. Out front, Gademan played it to perfection. Ensuring the gap consistently hovered around the one-second mark, she remaining just out of Granada’s grasp and kept her tyres in check, a decision that paid off following a late Safety Car appearance.
Sunday added more points to her tally with P4 in Race 2. Sitting third in the Standings, three points behind second-place Palmowski, the Dutch racer has her goals set on being a title contender. If she can avoid misfortune in Qualifying, she’s shown that she has the racecraft worthy of the P1 spot.