Felbermayr Scores Audi’s First F1 Academy Podium in Shanghai Race 1
R:1 SCHEDULE
| DAY/DATE | ACTIVITY | LOCAL TIME | CET | EST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 13 Mar | F1 Academy Practice | 09:10-09:50 | 03:10-03:50 | 3/12 9:10-9:50 PM |
| Fri 13 Mar | Practice 1 | 11:30-12:30 | 05:30-06:30 | 3/12 11:30 PM – 12:30 AM |
| Fri 13 Mar | F1 Academy Qualifying | 14:00-14:35 | 08:00-08:35 | 2:00-2:35 AM |
| Fri 13 Mar | Sprint Qualifying | 15:30-16:14 | 09:30-10:14 | 3:30-4:14 AM |
| Sat 14 Mar | Sprint | 11:00-12:00 | 05:00-06:30 | 3/13 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM |
| Sat 14 Mar | F1 Academy Race 1 | 13:45-14:20 | 07:45-08:20 | 1:45 AM – 2:20 AM |
| Sat 14 Mar | Qualifying | 15:00-16:00 | 09:00-10:00 | 3:00-4:00 AM |
| Sun 14 Mar | F1 Academy Race 2 | 10:40-11:15 | 04:40-05:15 | 3/13 10:00-11:15 PM |
| Sun 14 Mar | Grand Prix | 15:00 | 09:00 | 3:00 AM |
R:1 RACE #1 RESULTS
FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME/GAP | LAPS | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | N. Gademan | Alpine (MP Motorsport) | 28.49.109 | 13 | 8 |
| 2 | 19 | N. Granada | Sephora (Prema Racing) | +0.624 | 13 | 7 |
| 3 | 5 | E. Felbermayr | Audi (Rodin Motorsport) | +2.553 | 13 | 6 |
| 4 | 18 | R. Ferreira | Mercedes (Campos Racing) | +3.067 | 13 | 5 |
| 5 | 21 | A. Palmowski | Red Bull (Campos Racing) | +3.442 | 13 | 4 |
| 6 | 9 | P. Westcott | TAG Heuer (Prema Racing) | +3.834 | 13 | 3 |
| 7 | 20 | E. Lloyd | McLaren (Rodin Motorsport) | +4.728 | 13 | 2 |
| 8 | 14 | L. Billard | Aston Martin (ART Grand Prix) | +5.174 | 13 | 1 |
| 9 | 55 | A. Dobson | American Express (Hitech) | +5.911 | 13 | 0 |
| 10 | 56 | R. Robertson | Puma (Hitech) | +6.687 | 13 | 0 |
DRIVER STANDINGS (TOP 10)
| POS. | DRIVER | NATIONALITY | TEAM | PTS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N. Gademan | 🇫🇷 FR | Alpine (MP Motorsport) | 10 |
| 2 | N. Granada | 🇪🇸 ES | Sephora (Prema Racing) | 8 |
| 3 | E. Felbermayr | 🇦🇹 AU | Audi (Rodin Motorsport) | 6 |
| 4 | R. Ferreira | 🇧🇷 BRA | Mercedes (Campos Racing) | 5 |
| 5 | A. Palmowski | 🇬🇧 GBR | Red Bull (Campos Racing) | 4 |
| 6 | P. Westcott | 🇺🇸 USA | TAG Heuer (Prema Racing) | 3 |
| 7 | E. Lloyd | 🇬🇧 GBR | McLaren (Rodin Motorsport) | 3 |
| 8 | L. Billard | 🇫🇷 FR | Aston Martin (ART Grand Prix) | 1 |
| 9 | A. Dobson | 🇺🇸 USA | American Express (Hitech) | 0 |
| 10 | R. Robertson | 🇬🇧 GBR | Puma (Hitech) | 0 |
TEAM STANDINGS
| POS. | TEAM | PTS. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prema (Mercedes + Sephora) | 11 |
| 2 | MP Motorsport (Alpine + Ferrari + Lego) | 10 |
| 3 | Rodin Motorsport (Audi + McLaren + McLaren Oxagon) | 9 |
| 4 | Campos Racing (Aston Martin + Racing Bulls + Red Bull + TAG Heur) | 9 |
| 5 | ART Grand Prix (Gatorade + Haas + Williams) | 1 |
| 6 | Hitech (Juss Sports + American Express + Puma) | 0 |
R:1 RACE #1 SUMMARY
Audi-backed Rodin Motorsport driver Emma Felbermayr delivered a strong recovery drive in Race 1 of the 2026 F1 Academy season opener in Shanghai, climbing from sixth on the grid to secure third place and Audi’s first podium of the Formula 1 weekend.
The reverse-grid race was controlled from the front by Alpine driver Nina Gademan, who converted pole position into a lights-to-flag victory. Behind her, Natalia Granada held second place throughout to secure the first podium of her single-seater career.
Felbermayr’s race, however, required patience and resilience. Early in the race she was involved in a close call with Ferrari junior Alba Larsen, who attempted a late dive to the inside at Turn 3 while battling for position. Larsen clipped the rear of Felbermayr’s Audi-liveried Rodin car, damaging her own front wing in the process and forcing a Safety Car period while debris was cleared.
Despite the contact, Felbermayr escaped without damage and continued her charge through the field. Once racing resumed, the Austrian began to find her rhythm, making decisive moves in the closing laps.
A key overtake came on Lap 10, when Felbermayr passed Payton Westcott to move into fourth place. From there she closed rapidly on Rafaela Ferreira, identifying Sector 1 as the strongest part of her lap where she could consistently reduce the gap.
The breakthrough came on the final lap, when Felbermayr executed a clean switchback maneuver on Ferreira to take third place and step onto the podium.
The result marked Audi’s first podium finish during a Grand Prix weekend in its debut Formula 1 season, a milestone moment for the brand’s expanding motorsport presence that now includes both the F1 grid and the all-female F1 Academy series.
Felbermayr’s performance also reinforced the pace she showed earlier in the weekend. The Austrian had already secured third place in qualifying, placing her firmly among the contenders for the season opener.
With the podium secured in Race 1, Felbermayr will start Race 2 from third on the grid, putting the Rodin Motorsport driver in a strong position to challenge for another top result when the lights go out again in Shanghai.
The Race 1 finishing order behind the podium saw Rafaela Ferreira finish fourth, followed by Alisha Palmowski in fifth and Payton Westcott sixth, while Ella Lloyd claimed fastest lap on her way to seventh. Lisa Billard rounded out the points in eighth.
For Felbermayr and the Audi-backed Rodin team, the podium provides early confirmation that the program enters the 2026 season with competitive pace—and with another race still to come in Shanghai, the Austrian driver will have an immediate opportunity to build on the momentum.
DRIVER QUOTES
Emma Felbermayr, Car #5
Race #1: 3rd
“I feel like we were quite strong as well in some sectors, so we could do the overtakes. Unfortunately, (there was) the hit with Alba, I thought my race was over. Maybe I could have done all the moves a bit earlier without it but anyways, lucky I came away from it.”
“I was in front of Alba and Alisha today and neither of them were faster than me. I’m quite confident with the speed. Obviously, it’s not going to be easier than today because they were faster in Qualifying than me. But from today, I think we can get the work done — the fight is on.”
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