Round 4 of the 2026 F1 Academy season in Zandvoort delivered no shortage of headlines. Hometown hero Nina Gademan set the initial pace by topping practice, Payton Westcott broke through with a dominant, lights-to-flag maiden win on Saturday, and Alisha Palmowski finished the job with a fourth Feature Race victory that firmly strengthened her title lead.
Friday belonged to Nina Gademan
Racing on home soil for the Dutch MP Motorsport team, she returned to the track where she made history in 2024 as the first F1 Academy Wild Card to score points.
Now, she stepped into the paddock with the full weight of expectation as a legitimate championship contender, sitting comfortably in P3 with 50 points and looking to defend her spot from a tight midfield.
She immediately showed she could handle the pressure, with Friday belonging entirely to her. Gademan set a massive early benchmark by going fastest in a disrupted Free Practice, giving the Dutch crowd exactly what they came to see.
While the race victories ultimately went to Payton Westcott and Alisha Palmowski, the Dutch driver still delivered a remarkably consistent weekend, securing back-to-back podiums across both race days.
Florescu’s frustrating debut as Wild Card in Zandvoort
Zoe Florescu’s F1 Academy debut at Zandvoort delivered undeniable pace paired with technical heartbreak. As the Dirt Is Good Wild Card, she immediately showed the speed to shake up the established midfield.
Following a solid Free Practice, she navigated a chaotic wet-dry qualifying session with impressive composure. She swapped to slick tyres in the final five minutes and cut through traffic to secure P7. That drive made her only the second wildcard this season to qualify inside the top eight.
However, her hard work unravelled before the lights even went out. A post-session technical check revealed her engine oil failed to meet specifications. The subsequent disqualification stripped her starting spot and relegated her to the back of the grid.
Despite the penalty, Florescu fought to salvage P11 in the Reverse Grid race and finished Sunday’s Feature Race in P18. Her weekend points tally sits at zero, but her raw qualifying pace proved she can go wheel-to-wheel with the championship contenders.
A big weight off Westcott’s shoulder with maiden F1 Academy win
After a scoreless, penalty-marred weekend at Silverstone, Payton Westcott desperately needed a reset. She caught a massive break when Zoe Florescu’s post-qualifying disqualification promoted her to P8 and handed her the reverse grid pole.
From there, the Mercedes-backed PREMA driver never looked back. She converted that stroke of luck into her maiden F1 Academy victory with a flawless lights-to-flag drive in Saturday’s Reverse Grid race.
What stood out wasn’t just the win, but the composure behind it. Despite constant pressure and two separate Safety Car restarts across the 17-lap race, the 17-year-old rookie remained clinical.
She executed her launches perfectly, kept entirely out of trouble, and crossed the line almost two seconds clear of the pack with the fastest lap of the race. It was a veteran-style performance that proves she can capitalise when the door is left open.
Palmowski extends championship lead with clinical Feature Race win
Alisha Palmowski arrived in Zandvoort with a target on her back, but the Red Bull Racing driver delivered a masterclass in composure to extend her championship advantage.
When it mattered most, she navigated a chaotic wet-to-dry qualifying session. Despite an early trip into the gravel, she snatched pole position in the final seconds with a blistering 1:40.911 lap.
On Sunday, she delivered exactly what was required from pole. Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen applied immediate pressure through the opening corners, but Palmowski defended her lines and converted her start into a flawless lights-to-flag win.
The title picture after Zandvoort
Alisha Palmowski lands in Texas with a 48-point championship advantage, built on four clinical Feature Race victories. While she dictated European events, Circuit of the Americas offers a blank slate for everyone.
Emma Felbermayr trails in second with 88 points and must break Palmowski’s momentum this weekend to sustain a realistic title challenge. Because teams lack historical data for this track, early practice sessions will expose who adapts fastest to COTA’s elevation changes and heavy braking zones.
Behind them, a fierce midfield scrap threatens to take centre stage. Nina Gademan holds third with 71 points, but Alba Larsen and recent race-winner Payton Westcott trail just behind, separated from each other by a single point.
This tight driver pack directly fuels a high-stakes fight for second in the Teams’ Standings. Rodin Motorsport, MP Motorsport, and PREMA Racing sit divided by a mere 20 points. With Campos Racing running away at the front, these three outfits enter Austin knowing a single setup miscalculation could completely rewrite their season.
**
F1 Academy will return on October 22, at Austin.
Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool