Palmowski Seals F1 Academy Crown in Austin — Then Gademan Wins Chaotic Finale

Updated October 26, 2026. Alisha Palmowski is the 2026 F1 ACADEMY drivers’ champion. The 20-year-old Briton clinched the title in Austin’s October 24 reverse-grid race, climbing from eighth on the grid to second behind first-time winner Alba Larsen. But the weekend supplied a final twist: in the October 25 feature race, Palmowski and Larsen both retired after contact, while Nina Gademan won. The distinction matters: Palmowski won the championship on Saturday, not Sunday’s feature race.

How Palmowski clinched the title

Palmowski arrived at the Circuit of the Americas with a substantial championship advantage and started the reverse-grid contest eighth, just ahead of nearest rival Emma Felbermayr. The opening-lap incident involving Rafaela Ferreira and Jade Jacquet reshuffled the field, and Larsen took control at the front. Palmowski steadily gained positions, passing Lisa Billard for second as Felbermayr finished fourth. That runner-up result made Palmowski mathematically unreachable with three races still to run, delivering the first F1 ACADEMY drivers’ title for Campos Racing. Larsen won by 2.3 seconds, with Billard third. Official F1 ACADEMY race report.

The result was not a one-off burst of pace. Palmowski had won Austin’s opening race and built her season around strong qualifying, repeated victories and the ability to score even when starting out of position. The championship-clinching drive showed another quality: knowing when second place was worth far more than an unnecessary fight for the win. Red Bull Racing’s October 25 account details her title weekend.

Sunday’s feature race: Gademan takes the win, champion retires

The final Austin race on October 25 belonged to Alpine-backed Nina Gademan. Starting third, she swept around the outside at Turn 1 to take the lead and held on after a late Safety Car. Payton Westcott finished second and Natalia Granada third. Palmowski had started on pole, but contact with Larsen damaged both cars and ended both drivers’ races. The retirement did not undo the championship Palmowski had already secured. Official October 25 feature-race report and Austin results confirm the finish.

Why the two outcomes matter

A championship is a measure of performance across many races, not just a perfect final weekend. Palmowski’s reverse-grid recovery demonstrates the consistency that made her lead unassailable; Gademan’s feature-race victory underlines that the competitive order behind the champion remains unsettled. The feature-race collision also shows how quickly even the strongest weekend can change at a crowded first corner or in a close battle. Those are distinct stories, and neither should be presented as footage of the other.

Watch: Official Austin race highlights

Championship-deciding reverse-grid race (October 24 local time): Watch Formula 1’s official Austin reverse-grid highlights (video posted October 25 UTC). This is the race in which Palmowski secured the championship and Larsen won.

Sunday feature race (October 25): Watch Formula 1’s official Austin feature-race highlights (posted October 25 UTC). This is the separate race won by Gademan after Palmowski and Larsen retired.

Video attribution: Formula 1 / F1 ACADEMY. These are official publisher-hosted watch links, not copied footage. No third-party iframe is inserted because embedding authorization, player behavior and regional availability have not been independently tested. Neither video autoplays on this page.

What comes next?

The drivers’ championship is settled, but the final round in Las Vegas, scheduled for November 19–21, remains a meaningful test for the rest of the field. Gademan’s win adds momentum; Palmowski’s focus can shift from protecting points to finishing her title-winning campaign strongly. Those are possibilities, not predictions of future results.

Sources and verification: F1 ACADEMY reverse-grid report; F1 ACADEMY feature-race report; official Austin results; Red Bull Racing, October 25. No licensed action photograph was independently cleared for reuse, so none has been attached; editorial integrity takes priority over an unlicensed thumbnail.

Please follow and like us: