A first trophy after a full weekend
Lisa Billard left Austin with her first F1 Academy podium after finishing third in the Reverse Grid Race. For the ART Grand Prix rookie, who is supported by Gatorade, the result adds a trophy to a campaign in which her speed had already been visible. Across the three races in Texas, she finished fourth, third and sixth, in that order.
The pressure of protecting a result
In the championship interview published on 25 October, Billard explained that bringing every part of a weekend together had been difficult. Racing Alisha Palmowski created a delicate choice: trying to retain second without risking her first podium. She described the situation as stressful and emphasised avoiding contact. Palmowski was pursuing the championship, while Billard was trying to secure a personal milestone.
The route to ART Grand Prix
Her official profile traces a path from karting into single-seaters. In 2022, Billard became the first female driver to win a race in the French Junior Karting Championship. She made her French F4 debut in 2024 and won that championship’s Female Trophy in 2025. Before starting her full F1 Academy season, she took part in the rookie test and made a Wild Card appearance in Singapore.
The earlier signal at Silverstone
An indication of her potential had come in July. Billard secured her first top-three qualifying result on her competitive debut at Silverstone. In the report dated 4 July, she explained that changes to the setup had made the car more stable in high-speed corners after difficulties during practice. The theme was similar to the one that emerged in Austin: confidence and pace still needed to be connected to execution over the whole race.
Why the three races need to be separated
In 2026, Austin and Montreal use a programme containing an Opening Race, a Reverse Grid Race and a Feature Race. The reverse grid changes the order of the leading eight qualifiers, while the Feature Race follows the qualifying order. Billard’s podium came in the Reverse Grid Race. Sixth in the Feature Race, which has already taken place on Sunday, is a separate result. The table follows that sequence rather than combining the races.
| Race | Position | Gap to winner |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Race | 4 | +3.222 s |
| Reverse Grid Race | 3 | +4.079 s |
| Feature Race | 6 | +4.248 s |
Las Vegas is the next reference point
The official calendar schedules the season finale in Las Vegas on 19–21 November. For Billard, a useful comparison will be between qualifying performance and race results: how much of the speed she shows can become consistent finishing positions. Austin now gives her an actual podium as a reference, alongside two further top-six finishes. That is a stronger platform from which to approach the final round of her rookie campaign.
