Alba Larsen won the United States Grand Prix reverse-grid race while Alisha Palmowski clinched her F1 Academy championship title.
Rafaela Ferreira started on Reverse-Grid pole, with Jade Jacquet alongside her on the front row. Jacquet scored her first points of the season in the first race and was eager to take more in the reverse-grid race.
However, the duo also had to contend with Alisha Palmowski, who looked to tie up her title campaign in the race.
As the field made its way around the track to line up on the grid, Natalia Granada slowed. Though it seemed she briefly had an issue, she got her Sephora-liveried PREMA running again.
Ferreira held the lead
However, as the lights went out, Ferreira made a strong start and held the lead into the first COTA turn.
The Williams-supported driver, Jacquet, lunged down the inside of Ferreira and took an early lead. The Racing Bulls driver, Ferreira, fought back, with the duo racing side by side through the closing corners of COTA.
As the two went wheel to wheel, Ferreira clipped Jacquet, sending the Williams driver spinning off the track and out of the race. A disastrous result for the Williams-supported driver who had been strong around COTA.
In the initial chaos, wildcard entry Danielsson hit Jacquet’s front wing, ending her race.
A Safety Car was brought out due to the collision, with Alba Larsen taking the lead. Ferreira settled into second but was under investigation for the collision and the damage it caused.
Larsen took the lead on Lap 5, kept it, and pushed clear of the pack. Lisa Billard closed in on Ferreira, and the Racing Bulls driver didn’t put up a fight.
Further back, Emma Felbermayr and Palmoski were running side by side, the two championship rivals jockeying for position. Palmoski led the duo in fourth, moving up to third as Granada came into the pits to serve her penalty.
Ella Stevens and Rachel Robertson made contact near the back of the field, forcing Robertson into the pits to mitigate the damage.
On Lap 10, Palmowski passed Billard and into second, pushing to the threshold to take the Championship title.
With a 2.6-second gap, Larsen remained unchallenged in the closing stages of the race. But eyes were on second place, where Palmowski was on track to claim the F1 Academy championship.
Billard took the final podium place, with Felbermayr and Gademan rounding out the top five.
READ MORE: F1 Academy 2026 US GP – Reverse Grid Race Results
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