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Nina Gademan delivered a commanding performance to open the 2026 F1 ACADEMY season, leading every lap from pole position to secure victory in Race 1. The Alpine driver controlled proceedings from the front, managing her advantage with authority despite a mid-race Safety Car that briefly wiped out her margin.
Starting from reverse grid pole, Gademan made a clean getaway and immediately established control, with Natalia Granada launching alongside her to secure second. Behind them, Lisa Billard suffered a difficult start, dropping from third to eighth off the line.
At the rear of the field, early contact between Mathilda Paatz and Shi Wei forced the Aston Martin driver into the pits for a new front wing, adding early drama to the opening laps.
Out front, Gademan began to steadily edge clear, building a 1.2-second cushion over Granada, who herself pulled six tenths away from Rafaela Ferreira in third. The Alpine driver’s pace allowed her to dictate the race, keeping Granada just beyond striking distance.
Further back, Alisha Palmowski, starting from eighth, searched for a way past Alba Larsen for sixth but found no room through Turns 14 and 15. A lap later, Payton Westcott appeared to have completed a move on Ferreira at the hairpin, only to run wide and surrender the position back to the Racing Bulls driver.
The race’s pivotal moment came on Lap 7. Larsen attempted a late dive up the inside of Emma Felbermayr at Turn 3, but contact with the Audi driver’s rear left her with front wing damage. The wing detached a few corners later, costing Larsen downforce and grip and allowing Billard and Ella Lloyd to sweep past.
The incident triggered a Safety Car, erasing Gademan’s 1.5-second lead and bringing Granada back into immediate contention.
When racing resumed on Lap 9, Gademan executed a textbook restart, decisively defending from Granada and attempting to break the slipstream down the straight. Larsen’s troubles deepened soon after, as she ran wide into the gravel at the final corner and fell to 14th.
Felbermayr soon began her charge forward. Diving up the inside of Westcott at Turn 2, the Austrian held firm despite the Mercedes driver having the inside line for the following corner. Westcott ran wide in her counterattack, slipping behind Palmowski into sixth.
Felbermayr’s decisive late moves proved crucial. Having climbed into contention, she executed a switchback on Ferreira on the final lap to snatch third place, sealing Audi’s first podium at a Grand Prix weekend.
Up front, however, there was no denying Gademan. She crossed the line six tenths clear of Granada, who celebrated a remarkable maiden podium in her first single-seater race.
Ferreira secured a career-best fourth, ahead of Palmowski and Westcott. Lloyd advanced from 10th to seventh and claimed the fastest lap point, while Billard recovered to round out the points in eighth.
Attention now turns to Race 2, where Alisha Palmowski will aim to convert her maiden pole position into victory. The lights go out at 10:40 local time (UTC+8). Will you be watching?
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 producer’s brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastri’s rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!
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