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Emma Felbermayr delivered a composed and authoritative drive at Silverstone to claim her second victory of the 2026 F1 ACADEMY season, controlling the Reverse Grid Race from pole and taking the chequered flag by two seconds.
The Audi driverâs race was effectively shaped in the opening metres. Felbermayr launched cleanly, moved left to cover Nina Gademan and immediately denied the Alpine driver any chance of dictating the first phase. That decisive start also brought Ella Lloyd into play behind Gademan, as the Rodin Motorsport driver applied pressure in the early exchanges before ultimately completing a strong 1-3 result for the team at its home event.
Felbermayrâs execution was clinical. By Lap 2 she had already built a one-second advantage, then continued to stretch the margin while keeping the race firmly under control. After defending her lead successfully into Turn 1, she was rarely threatened again.
Behind the leader, the race had plenty of sharp elbows. Alisha Palmowski made one of the strongest starts, gaining two places on the opening lap, while Lisa Billard looked for a way back past the Red Bull Racing driver. Megan Bruce also made early progress, battling side-by-side with Ava Dobson through Maggotts and Becketts to move into seventh.
Alba Larsen gained four positions to climb to ninth, while Esmee Kosterman and Jade Jacquet both stalled at the start before eventually getting underway.
Wild Card Chiara BĂ€ttig, who had already made headlines with her landmark Silverstone F1 ACADEMY pole, spent the race recovering lost ground. After closing on Larsen, she completed a switchback move with a late lunge at Turn 6 on Lap 6 and sealed the pass into Luffield.
Payton Westcott, running 11th, was investigated for a false start and received a five-second penalty for moving before the signal. Her PREMA Racing teammate was later given the same penalty for track limits.
BĂ€ttig then used clear air to close rapidly on Dobson, who was locked in a tense fight with Bruce. Dobson and Bruce brushed wheels through Maggotts and Becketts, with Dobson coming out ahead, but their duel opened the door for BĂ€ttig. The Red Bull Junior used the tow to pass Bruce for eighth down the Hangar Straight.
Up front, Felbermayr remained untroubled, winning ahead of Gademan and Lloyd. Rachel Robertson took fourth for her first points with Hitech, followed by Palmowski, Billard and Dobson. BĂ€ttig secured the final point in eighth and while some report that she received the fastest lap point, it's unclear as to whether Kosterman stole the fastest lap in the end.
BĂ€ttig will start the Feature Race from pole and will target victory when lights go out at 10:00 local time (UTC+1) on Sunday.
Ciara is a Dublin native, award-winning film producer, podcaster and writer with 20 years of storytelling experience. A lifelong Leinster and Ireland rugby fan, she turned her attention to the grid after moving to Berlin and co-founding Formula Live Pulse. Now, she applies her producerâs brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastriâs rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!