F1 Academy Austin preview: Palmowski and Campos eye titles

F1 Academy heads to Austin for Round 5 with both championships potentially decided before the final round. The four-day weekend brings three races, giving Alisha Palmowski a chance to clinch the drivers’ crown and Campos Racing an opportunity to secure its first teams’ title.

Palmowski has two chances to seal the drivers’ crown

Palmowski arrives with a 48-point advantage over Emma Felbermayr. The earliest she can be crowned is after Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race: a lead of 68 points at that stage, or a 40-point margin after the Feature Race, would guarantee the title regardless of her rivals’ results.

The opening race could shape that first opportunity. Palmowski needs to outscore Felbermayr by six points to put herself in position to take the title on Saturday. If Felbermayr finishes third or lower, the required margin rises to seven points because she would retain the tiebreaker.

Palmowski has outscored Felbermayr in four of the nine occasions they have raced this season, with those advantages ranging from nine to 25 points. Her recent form has also included a Zandvoort Feature Race victory, covered in our report on Palmowski holding off Alba Larsen. The points buffer is substantial, but the title still depends on converting it under pressure.

Campos are also within reach of silverware. The team leads Rodin by 73 points, with 231 points remaining across the final two rounds and up to 145 available in Austin. A lead of at least 87 points on Sunday would make Campos champions. The teams’ contest remains open, as our report on Campos’ championship lead outlines.

Limited practice raises the stakes at COTA

The series returns to the Circuit of the Americas for the first time since its 2023 season finale. For all but Ava Dobson, the track will be new as a race venue, giving teams and drivers a fresh challenge. Its elevation change at Turn 1 and fast direction changes through Sector 1 will put circuit knowledge to the test.

There will be only one 40-minute practice session before qualifying. Drivers’ second-fastest qualifying laps set the grid for Friday’s Opening Race; the top eight qualifiers are reversed for Saturday’s race, while the Feature Race grid uses their fastest qualifying times.

Rachel Robertson arrives with four consecutive points-scoring races after a scoreless start to her campaign. A fourth place in the Silverstone Feature Race is her best result, lifting her to 12th, five points behind Rafaela Ferreira in 10th. Unlike at Silverstone and Zandvoort, however, Robertson and Hitech have no comparable in-season testing experience at Austin. With little practice time, maintaining that run will be a significant test.