F1 Academy Austin: Palmowski takes double pole by 0.098s

Palmowski wins F1 Academy qualifying in Austin

Alisha Palmowski finished qualifying on Thursday 22 October with both the fastest lap and the best second-fastest lap, securing the leading grid slot for the Opening Race and Feature Race. The Campos driver recorded 2:07.714 at Circuit of the Americas, just 0.098 seconds ahead of Payton Westcott. Nina Gademan completed the top three. F1 Academy’s official report records these as the British driver’s fifth and sixth pole positions of the season, with all three Austin races still to take place. The session result is the starting point for the weekend, rather than a race victory.

The final lap changed the order

Palmowski’s final attempt was initially deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 20 and subsequently reinstated, according to the championship’s report. Restoring the time put her ahead of Westcott at the end of the 30-minute session. At the halfway point, Palmowski had lowered the benchmark to 2:08.337. Westcott responded with 2:07.812 with two minutes remaining, setting the fastest second sector on that attempt. Her rival’s final lap then decided the leading position by less than a tenth of a second.

Qualifying results: Westcott close, Felbermayr ninth

Westcott recorded 2:07.812, with Gademan on 2:08.229. Natalia Granada and Alba Larsen completed the top five, while practice leader Emma Felbermayr ended ninth. The table below shows the order by fastest lap, which sets the Feature Race grid before any penalties. The official results page labels the classification provisional. It is neither a race classification nor the complete Opening Race grid, where the second-fastest laps are the relevant measure.

Why the three grids differ

Austin uses a three-race format. Each driver’s second-fastest lap sets the Opening Race grid, while the fastest lap determines the Feature Race order. Palmowski, Westcott and Gademan occupy the first three positions on both grids, but the order behind them changes. The Reverse Grid Race inverts the top eight qualifying positions, giving Rafaela Ferreira the leading starting slot. Felbermayr’s ninth place in the table must therefore not be carried over automatically to the Opening Race grid. A single qualifying position cannot describe every start across this weekend.

Two poles do not mean four bonus points

The official format awards two points only to the driver shown on pole on the final Feature Race grid. There is no additional pole bonus for the Opening Race. Wins in the Opening Race and Feature Race each pay 25 points, while a Reverse Grid Race victory pays ten. Strong starting positions can help shape the title contest, but the race points still have to be earned on track. That distinction matters when assessing a weekend with three separate opportunities to score and different starting orders.

Race schedule and Romanian start times

The opening race takes place on Friday evening in Austin, which means after midnight in Romania. The table uses America/Chicago and Europe/Bucharest time zones for the exact dates. Romania changes to winter time on the morning of 25 October: the Reverse Grid Race start still falls in EEST, while the Feature Race takes place in EET. These are the organiser’s published start times when this article was checked and remain subject to sporting schedule changes.