2026 F1 Academy season

Driver changes

• Prema Racing saw reigning champion Doriane Pin move to European Le Mans Series' LMP2 class with Duqueine Team, Nina Gademan move teams to MP Motorsport, and Tina Hausmann leave the series.^[25][4] Montreal wildcard driver Mathilda Paatz replaced Hausmann as the new Aston Martin-backed driver, while Las Vegas wildcard driver Payton Westcott succeeded Pin in the Mercedes seat.^[12][13] Iron Dames karter Natalia Granada rounded out the lineup with backing from Sephora.^[14]
• Joanne Ciconte left the series to compete in Kyojo Cup with KCMG.^[26] Alba Hurup Larsen remained with MP Motorsport but switched to Ferrari, taking over from title runner-up Maya Weug.^[5] The team signed Alpine Academy driver Nina Gademan, who finished 6th with Prema Racing.^[4] Zandvoort wildcard driver Esmee Kosterman will make her full-season debut with MP Motorsport and Lego sponsorship.^[6][7]
• Rodin Motorsport replaced Chloe Chong with new McLaren junior Ella Stevens, backed by McLaren Oxagon. Stevens will be making her single-seater debut after topping the 2025 rookie test.^[11][27]
• ART Grand Prix lost both Lia Block, who returned to rallying, and Aurelia Nobels, who graduated to the GB3 Championship.^[28][29] They replaced them with a pair of French F4 graduates in Singapore wildcard driver Lisa Billard, who retained the support of Gatorade, and Jade Jacquet, who succeeded Block as the Williams-backed driver.^[15][17] 16-year-old Kaylee Countryman moved over from USF Juniors and into the Haas seat, previously occupied by Courtney Crone.^[16]
• Hitech will have an all-new line up, as Aiva Anagnostiadis was replaced by her Las Vegas substitute driver Rachel Robertson, who secured Puma sponsorship. Miami wildcard entry Ava Dobson took over from Nicole Havrda as the American Express–supported driver.^[19][18]
• Campos Racing replaced Chloe Chambers with Singapore substitute driver Megan Bruce, who succeeded Anagnostiadis as the TAG Heuer–supported driver.^[8]

Wildcard entries

• Chinese driver Shi Wei returned as the wildcard entry for Round 1 at Shanghai with the support of Juss Sports.^[22]
• Canadian Autumn Fisher was the wildcard entry for Round 2 at Montreal with the support of Standard Chartered.^[23]
• Swiss Chiara Bättig was the wildcard entry for Round 3 at Silverstone with the support of Wella Professionals.^[20]
• Romanian Zoe Florescu was the wildcard entry for Round 4 at Zandvoort with the support of Unilever brand Dirt Is Good.^[21]

Cancelled races

More information Circuit, Reverse-grid race ...

Circuit	Reverse-grid race	Feature race
Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah	18 April	19 April

Close

Calendar changes

• The Silverstone Circuit was added to the calendar for the first time and the Circuit of the Americas was reinstated, having previously appeared in the 2023 F1 Academy season. These tracks replaced the Miami International Autodrome and the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
• Round two was set to be held at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, but was cancelled due to the 2026 Iran war.^[32] An additional opening race was subsequently added to the rounds at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Circuit of the Americas.^[31]

Round 1: Shanghai

Alisha Palmowski took her maiden pole position ahead of Alba Larsen in qualifying. Nina Gademan qualified in eighth place, which gave her the reverse-grid pole for race one.^[33]

The reverse grid race saw Alpine-backed Gademan convert her pole position into an early lead. On lap 7, Ferrari-backed Larsen collided with Audi-backed Emma Felbermayr, which brought out the safety car in order to retrieve debris from Larsen's front wing. Larsen finished in last place after pitting to change her front wing; despite that, she set the fastest lap.^[34] On the final lap, Felbermayr overtook Rafaela Ferreira to claim third. Gademan led every lap and won the first race of the 2026 F1 Academy season. Rookie driver Natalia Granada finished in second place, while Felbermayr rounded out the podium.^[35]

In the feature race, Red Bull-backed Palmowski had a slow start from pole position, dropping behind Larsen and Felbermayr.^[36] Granada sustained front wing damage after she collided with the back of Ferreira in the opening lap. Williams-backed Jade Jacquet locked up and collided with the back of Esmee Kosterman on lap 6, triggering the safety car. At the restart, Larsen had a snap of oversteer through the final corner and ran into the gravel, losing the lead of the race and falling to eighth place. On lap 10, Rachel Robertson collided with wild card driver Shi Wei, leading to a retirement for Wei. Felbermayr held off Palmowski to win, with Mercedes-backed rookie Payton Westcott completing the podium.^[37]

Round 2: Canada

Due to the cancellation of the race weekend in Bahrain, three races were held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Ahead of the weekend, Emma Felbermayr led the championship standings.^[38] Alisha Palmowski dominated qualifying, taking pole position for both the opening race and feature race. Payton Westcott and Megan Bruce qualified second and third for the feature race; with their positions reversed for the opening race.

Palmowski led from pole in the opening race while championship leader Felbermayr stalled on the grid, dropping from fourth to fifteenth place. Natalia Granada spun in the opening lap, making contact with Lisa Billard and damaging the front wing of Billard’s car. On lap 6, Esmee Kosterman pitted due to a puncture and front wing damage from contact with Ava Dobson. Westcott dropped from third to eighth on lap 8 after an off-track excursion; she had to pit a few laps later due to overheating caused by grass stuck in the radiator of her car. Palmowski led every lap of the race for a crushing win, with her Campos teammate Bruce in second and Aston Martin-backed driver Mathilda Paatz in third; both Bruce and Paatz taking their first F1 Academy podiums.^[39]

In the reverse grid race. Rafaela Ferreira started from second place and took the lead from Kaylee Countryman, who started on pole. Felbermayr spun on the opening lap, after making contact with Alba Larsen. Further back, separate incidents saw both Dobson and Rachel Robertson retire from the race with damage, bringing out the safety car. Ferreira led the grid after the safety car restart on lap 6. A concertina effect on lap 13 resulted in Bruce's front wing tapping her teammate Palmowski, and Nina Gademan making contact with the rear of Bruce's car after being left with nowhere to go. The safety car was called; Gademan ultimately retired from the race, while Palmowski finished out of the points and Bruce finished in seventh. Ferreira made another good restart after the safety car came in on lap 16 and crossed the finish line first, however, she was given a five-second time penalty for a false start, which dropped her down to eighth. Paatz, who had passed Countryman for second on the road before the safety car came out, thus won her maiden F1 Academy race, which was also Aston Martin's first victory in the series.^[40] Ferrari-backed Larsen finished in third, but was given a post-race penalty for the opening lap contact with Felbermayr, which demoted her to 11th.^[41] The final classification had Paatz in first, with Countryman in second and Westcott in third.^[42]

Palmowski returned to pole position for the feature race which was held in wet conditions, and kept the lead into turn 1 with a good start. Further down the grid, Ella Lloyd dodged her teammate Ella Stevens, who stalled on the grid. Later in the opening lap, Lloyd collided with the side of Billard, which sent the latter into a spin. Felbermayr took advantage of an error by Westcott on lap 14 to move into third place; she continued her charge and overtook Bruce for second three laps later. Despite reporting an engine problem over the radio on the last lap, Palmowski had built a large enough lead to still finish in first and take her second win of the weekend, 10.9 seconds ahead of Felbermayr in second and Bruce in third.^[43] This was the largest winning margin in F1 Academy history, breaking Palmowski's own record from the opening race. Palmowski left the weekend as the championship leader, 25 points ahead of Felbermayr.^[44]

Round 3: Silverstone

Qualifying saw wildcard entry Chiara Bättig take pole, thus becoming the first wildcard to take pole in F1 Academy history and the youngest driver to top a session. Championship leader Palmowski qualified second, with Lisa Billard in third.^[45]

The reverse-grid race had Felbermayr starting on pole, and she proceeded to lead the race from lights-to-flag, taking her second win of the season. Gademan and Lloyd completed the podium, also finishing in their respective starting positions of second and third. Rachel Robertson scored her first points of the season in fourth ahead of Palmowski, and Bättig recovered from a slow start to pick up the final point in eighth, as well as an additional point for getting the fastest lap out of the top eight finishers.^[46]

The feature race started under cooler morning conditions. Multiple drivers struggled off the grid at the start; Bättig was slow and Palmowski managed to seize the lead by the apex of Turn 1. Second row starters Billard and Ava Dobson had an even tougher time of things; Billard stalling and dropping all the way to the back while Dobson lost multiple positions off the line. Lloyd and Felbermayr were the biggest beneficiaries as a result, moving through to third and fourth respectively. Contact between Rafaela Ferreira and Ella Stevens on the start-finish straight at the beginning of lap 2 resulted in the deployment of the safety car; both drivers retired with damage. On the resulting restart, Felbermayr continued her charge through the order and passed Lloyd for third, with Gademan following her through as well. Her charge ended there as she was unable to keep up with Palmowski and Bättig, as they set about pulling clear of the field. Bättig stayed close to her Red Bull stablemate Palmowski throughout the race and never let the gap extend to a second at any stage, however she could never get close enough to threaten an overtaking move either. Palmowski went on to win on home soil by six tenths ahead of Bättig, with Felbermayr finishing a distant third to take her second consecutive podium of the weekend. With this win, Palmowski extended her championship advantage over Felbermayr to 30 points heading into the summer break.^[47]

Qualifying

The fastest laps from qualifying set the grid for the feature race. The top 8 from qualifying is inverted for the reverse-grid race, with the driver that qualified P8 starting from pole position. The second-fastest laps from qualifying set the grid for the opening race.^[2][31]

Scoring system

Two points are awarded to the driver who starts the feature race from pole position. Fastest lap points are also handed out in each race to the driver and team who achieved the fastest valid lap time and classified inside the top 8 for the reverse-grid race, and top 10 for the opening and feature races. No points are given to the driver who clocked the fastest lap time but finished outside the points.^[2][48]

Reverse-grid race points

Points are awarded to the top eight classified finishers. A bonus point is awarded to the driver who set the fastest lap and finished in the top eight.^[2]

Feature race and opening race points

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers. Bonus points are awarded to only the feature race pole-sitter and to the driver who set the fastest lap and finished in the top ten.^[2]

Drivers' championship

More information Pos., Driver ...

Pos. Driver SHA MTL SIL ZAN COA LVG Points R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 1 Alisha Palmowski 5 2PF 1PF 10 1P 5 1F 12 1PF 136 2 Emma Felbermayr 3 1 10 6 2 1 3 13 5 88 3 Nina Gademan 1 4 9 Ret 7 2 4 3 3 71 4 Alba Hurup Larsen 18 8 5 11 6F 10 10 2 2 50 5 Payton Westcott 6 3 16 3 4 14 11 1F 9 49 6 Megan Bruce 12 9 2 7 3 9 9 7 6 49 7 Ella Lloyd 7F 5 6 13 9 3 5 5 8 47 8 Mathilda Paatz 14 11 3 1 5 16 12 15 17 35 9 Natalia Granada 2 14 14 4 8 15 7 Ret 4 35 10 Rafaela Ferreira 4 6 4 8 10 11 Ret 14 15 27 11 Chiara Bättig 8F 2P 22 12 Rachel Robertson 10 15† 13 Ret 14 4 6 6 7 22 13 Lisa Billard 8 7 15 5F 15 6 14 10 12 15 14 Kaylee Countryman 16 13 7 2 16 17 16 9 16 14 15 Ava Dobson 9 10 17 Ret 17 7 8 8 13 8 16 Esmee Kosterman 15 Ret 18 9 12 12 15 4 10 6 17 Ella Stevens 11 12 8 15 11 13 Ret 16 14 4 18 Autumn Fisher 11 14 18 0 19 Zoe Florescu 11 18 0 20 Jade Jacquet 13 Ret 12 12 13 18 13 Ret 11 0 21 Shi Wei 17 Ret 0 Pos. Driver R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 Points SHA MTL SIL ZAN COA LVG Source:[49]

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (empty cell) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap † — Did not finish, but classified

Close

Teams' championship

More information Pos., Team ...

Pos. Team SHA MTL SIL ZAN COA LAS Points R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 1 Campos Racing 4 2PF 1PF 7 1P 5 1F 7 1PF 212 5 6 2 8 3 9 9 12 6 12 9 4 10 10 11 Ret 14 15 2 Rodin Motorsport 3 1 6 6 2 1 3 5 5 139 7F 5 8 13 9 3 5 13 8 11 12 10 15 11 13 Ret 16 14 3 MP Motorsport 1 4 5 9 6F 2 4 2 2 127 15 8 9 11 7 10 10 3 3 18 Ret 18 Ret 12 12 15 4 10 4 Prema Racing 2 3 3 1 4 14 7 1F 4 119 6 14 14 3 5 15 11 15 9 14 11 16 4 8 16 12 Ret 17 5 Hitech 9 10 11 14 14 4 2P 6 7 52 10 Ret 13 Ret 17 7 6 8 13 17 Ret 17 Ret 18 8F 8 11 18 6 ART Grand Prix 8 7 7 2 13 6 13 9 11 29 13 13 12 5F 15 17 14 10 12 16 Ret 15 12 16 18 16 Ret 16 Pos. Team R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 Points SHA MTL SIL ZAN COA LAS Source:[50]

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (empty cell) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap † — Did not finish, but classified

Close