F1 Academy · Austin qualifying

Palmowski claims both Austin poles after late lap reinstated

The Red Bull Racing driver edged Payton Westcott by 0.098 seconds; Nina Gademan qualified third for both races.

Behind the scenes

Racing Racing: cars and motorcycles Behind the scenes

Alisha Palmowski took both F1 Academy pole positions in Austin qualifying on October 22, 2026, beating Payton Westcott by 0.098 seconds with a final lap of 2:07.714.

The Red Bull Racing driver’s time was initially deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 20, placing her second behind Westcott. Its reinstatement restored Palmowski to the top of the order. Nina Gademan qualified third for both races.

Late reversal decides qualifying

Westcott had moved provisionally into first with a 2:07.812 with two minutes remaining. Palmowski crossed the line at the chequered flag with the faster time, but the track-limits deletion initially left Westcott on course for pole.

Once Palmowski’s lap was reinstated, she secured pole for the Opening Race and Feature Race. The F1 Academy reported these as her fifth and sixth poles of the season.

Grid positions differ for the two races

Gademan was third in the qualifying order. For the Opening Race, Lisa Billard’s second-fastest lap moved her to fourth, ahead of Alba Larsen in fifth and Jade Jacquet in sixth. Rafaela Ferreira was seventh, followed by Rachel Robertson and Megan Bruce.

The Reverse Grid Race grid places Ferreira on pole. The qualifying report lists Larsen fifth, Billard sixth, Jacquet seventh and Ferreira eighth in the relevant order; Natalia Granada’s final lap lifted her from eighth to fourth, while Emma Felbermayr and Robertson completed the top 10.

Track limits affected early times

Several opening lap times were deleted for track limits, including those set by Robertson, Ella Lloyd, Felbermayr and Kaylee Countryman. Ava Dobson initially set a 2:12.723 benchmark before Gademan went faster with 2:09.904.

Palmowski then moved to the top of the timesheets, while Westcott mounted a late challenge. The session followed one practice session and took place without Formula 1 running in between, according to F1 Academy.