F1 ACADEMY: Palmowski crowned 2026 champion as Larsen takes maiden victory in Austin

Alisha Palmowski has secured the 2026 F1 ACADEMY Drivers’ title after recovering from eighth to second in the Reverse Grid Race in Austin, as Ferrari’s Alba Larsen claimed her maiden victory in the series.

The Red Bull Racing driver entered the race with a 63-point advantage over closest rival Emma Felbermayr, starting immediately ahead of the Audi driver in eighth. However, a strong recovery through the field was enough to seal the title with three races remaining.

Reverse Grid polesitter Rafaela Ferreira retained the lead at the start, but contact involving the Racing Bulls driver and Jade Jacquet brought out an early Safety Car, with Wild Card Alexia Danielsson hitting the stricken Williams car.

Larsen capitalised on the incident to take the lead and the Ferrari driver controlled the race from the restart, while Gatorade’s Lisa Billard moved into second after overtaking the damaged car of Ferreira around the outside of Turn 1.

Behind them, Palmowski and Felbermayr battled their way through the field, with the Briton gaining the upper hand as both drivers passed Nina Gademan. A penalty for third-place Natalia Granada for a starting procedure infringement subsequently promoted Palmowski into P3, before she overtook Billard for second to put herself in position to secure the title.

Larsen maintained her advantage to take her first F1 ACADEMY victory by 2.3s, having finished on the podium in each of her previous three races. Palmowski crossed the line in second to become the series’ fourth champion, while Billard completed the podium by securing her maiden top-three finish.

Felbermayr finished fourth ahead of Gademan in fifth, with Mercedes’ Payton Westcott taking sixth. Megan Bruce finished seventh, while Ella Lloyd claimed the final point in eighth.

With the drivers’ title decided, attention turns to Sunday’s Feature Race at 1200 local time, with champion Palmowski lining up on pole and hunting down her sixth win of 2026.

For a full report of the F1 ACADEMY Reverse Grid Race in Austin, head to the series’ official website.