A win built at the opening corner
Nina Gademan won the Austin F1 Academy Feature Race on October 25 after moving from third to the lead at the first corner. The Alpine-backed driver found room on the outside and later controlled the restart following a Safety Car period. PREMA teammates Payton Westcott and Natalia Granada completed the podium. Gademan's second victory of the season also lifts her to second in the championship.
Austin Feature Race results
Gademan completed the 13 laps in 29:28.429. Westcott finished 1.250 seconds behind and Granada 1.963 seconds adrift. Palmowski and Larsen were listed as retirements, while Danielsson did not start.
| Pos | Driver | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nina Gademan | 29:28.429 |
| 2 | Payton Westcott | +1.250 |
| 3 | Natalia Granada | +1.963 |
| 4 | Jade Jacquet | +2.657 |
| 5 | Emma Felbermayr | +2.991 |
| 6 | Lisa Billard | +4.248 |
| 7 | Rachel Robertson | +4.389 |
| 8 | Ella Lloyd | +5.001 |
| 9 | Esmee Kosterman | +5.096 |
| 10 | Megan Bruce | +5.845 |
Larsen receives a three-place grid drop
After the race, the stewards found Alba Larsen wholly responsible for the collision with Alisha Palmowski between Turns 12 and 13. Their decision describes Larsen's left-front tyre touching her rival's right-rear tyre. Both cars retired. Larsen must serve a three-place grid drop at the next race in which she participates. The official notice specifies that she had not left the track before the contact. This penalty applies to a future appearance and does not remove her Reverse Grid Race victory.
Palmowski leaves Texas as champion
Sunday's retirement does not change Palmowski's championship status. She had already secured the title by finishing second in the Reverse Grid Race after starting eighth. That race delivered Larsen's first series victory and Billard's maiden podium. The two contests therefore produced sharply different outcomes for several of the same drivers, with Palmowski's title settled before the Feature Race began.
Why Danielsson was absent from the grid
Wild Card entrant Alexia Danielsson had been declared unfit for the Feature Race by the Chief Medical Officer after sustaining a wrist injury in her collision with Jade Jacquet during the previous race. The championship announced her withdrawal before the start. Drivers who had been due to line up behind car 45 moved forward by one grid position.
Next stop: the Las Vegas finale
The season's final round is scheduled for Las Vegas on November 19–21. Austin hosted an Opening Race, a Reverse Grid Race and a Feature Race, a three-race format also used at Montreal in 2026. A Feature Race win is worth 25 points, with 18 for second and 15 for third. Those larger scores keep the remaining championship positions in play as the field prepares for the finale.
