Payton Westcott Claims Maiden F1 Academy Victory at Zandvoort
Westcott converts reverse-grid opportunity
A slightly drier Saturday afternoon set the stage for the opening F1 Academy race of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, and Payton Westcott made the most of an unexpected opportunity to deliver her first victory in the championship.
Following the disqualification of wildcard Zoe Florescu, Mercedes-backed Westcott was promoted to eighth and placed on reverse-grid pole. She controlled the race from the front, resisting pressure and producing a composed restart after the safety car to secure a landmark win.
Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen finished second, her best F1 Academy result to date, while Nina Gademan completed the podium in front of her home crowd. The result followed Alisha Palmowskiâs pole position in wet-to-dry qualifying, with the championship leader ultimately enduring a difficult race start after stalling when the lights went out.
Larsen fights through to second
Westcott launched cleanly from pole as Megan Bruce held second position in the early stages. Gademan applied immediate pressure before moving past Bruce through Turn 1 on Lap 2. A yellow flag followed when Natalia Granada lost the rear of her car in a snap of oversteer and hit the barrier. She was unharmed, but her race was over.
Bruce then slipped down the order to seventh, despite the strong pace she had shown at the start. Meanwhile, Emma Felbermayr moved into fourth and began chasing Rachael Robertson. Her progress was checked when Larsen closed rapidly and completed a late pass on Lap 6.
Larsen continued her charge at Zandvoort, overtaking Robertson on Lap 8 to take third. She then pressured Gademan, reducing the gap to less than half a second by Lap 9.
Safety car reshapes the podium battle
The second yellow flag of the race arrived on Lap 10 after Jade Jaquet spun into the gravel, prompting a safety-car deployment. Racing resumed before Lap 12, and Westcott immediately created breathing room at the front.
Gademan was slower to react, leaving her exposed to Larsen. As Lap 12 was completed, Larsen made the move for second. Behind them, Ella Lloyd, Bruce and Felbermayr battled three-wide for sixth, with Lloyd emerging ahead.
Felbermayr was later handed a five-second penalty for causing contact, but it did not affect the lead outcome. Westcott crossed the line to claim a dominant reverse-grid victory, with Larsen second and Gademan third.
Whatâs next
The Feature Race follows on Sunday at 10:30 a.m., with championship leader Alisha Palmowski starting from pole.
Ciara Gillan
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!