FWS: Payton Westcott secures two top-20 finishes in Valencia

F4 rookie Payton Westcott made more steps forward on her second round in Formula Winter Series, battling in the midfield throughout the Valencia weekend and securing two more top-20 finishes amid fierce battles in the competitive field.

Photo credits: Daniel Buergin / Gedlich

After making her single-seater debut two weeks ago in the Formula Winter Series season opener at Portimão, Payton Westcott continued to make strides in the second round of the Iberian-based series, showing improved pace and fighting through the pack in the races, ultimately equaling her best finish of 17th in Race 3.

Despite some unlucky circumstances that prevented her from maximizing her potential in terms of pure results, Westcott consistently battled around the top 15 in all races and refined her racecraft in the competitive F4 field, which features some of Europe’s top junior drivers preparing for their full-time 2025 programs.

The 15-year-old American was announced by Van Amersfoort Racing for a dual campaign in the Formula Winter Series and the ultra-competitive Italian F4 Championship. Following a strong testing schedule, she has been making significant progress with each outing.

Westcott competed in the Champions of the Future Academy Program in the OK-N Senior class in 2024, with the support of the F1 Academy "Discover Your Drive" scholarship. Her step up to Formula 4 is therefore the next natural progression in her career.

On her racing debut weekend in Portimão, Westcott had a widely positive round, showcasing impressive racecraft to secure two top-20 finishes.

She aimed to carry that momentum into Valencia for the second round at Circuito Ricardo Tormo. Pre-event testing was again encouraging, as she consistently ran close to the top 20 in most sessions, ultimately finishing 17th fastest in a 30-car field in the final practice session before qualifying.

The first qualifying session on Saturday morning took place in slightly colder conditions and was disrupted by a red flag with nine minutes to go. After the session resumed, lap times continued to improve, and Westcott set a 1:35.137, placing her 23rd on the grid.

In Q2, held shortly after, drivers bolted on new tyres, and Westcott was briefly inside the top 10 in the opening minutes. She then recorded a 1:34.775, securing 21st place, marking a promising step forward for the Van Amersfoort Racing rookie.

RACE 1

A few hours later, the first race of the weekend got underway in a packed 31-car field, with Westcott starting from P23. She had a clean start into Turn 1 but dropped to 25th after the first lap. On lap 2, David Walther went off into the barriers, triggering a safety car.

Unfortunately, Westcott was involved in the incidents and had to pit for a new front wing.

At the restart with 21 minutes to go, she ran into further trouble, going off at Turn 1, but managed to rejoin at the back of the field.

Despite this setback, Westcott ran competitive lap times in the 1:35s, showing strong pace but trailing 15 seconds behind the closest rival, the Maffi Racing car of Borenstein.

On lap 12, when Alba Hurup Larsen got stuck in the gravel, another safety car was deployed. That was good news for Westcott, as it allowed her to catch up to the pack for the final minutes of the race.

The green flag waved again on lap 14, and with action throughout the field, many cars ran deep into corners, causing frequent position changes. Westcott battled with Olkucka, making a move just before another incident brought out the safety car again.

With two minutes remaining, Edward Robinson suffered damage, and Ricardo Baptista came to a halt, triggering yet another safety car. Fortunately, the stricken cars were recovered quickly, allowing for a final-lap restart.

Westcott made the most of the chaotic final lap, picking up positions after a series of collisions and securing a P19 finish—an impressive recovery drive from the back of the pack to another top-20 result.

RACE 2

On Sunday morning at Valencia, Payton Westcott lined up in P21 for the second race of the Formula Winter Series weekend, following a promising qualifying session.

At the start, polesitter Gabriel Gomez struggled off the line and was swallowed by the pack. Westcott lost a couple of positions on the opening lap, dropping to P23.

She soon came under pressure from the recovering Mathilda Paatz, who had moved up to P25. After initially losing a position to Paatz, Westcott regained P24 when Maffi Racing’s Teo Borenstein went off. A few laps later, Borenstein ended up in the gravel, bringing out the safety car on lap 5.

Following a quick cleanup, the race restarted one lap later. A tight battle developed just outside the top 20, with Ciconte leading Paatz, Westcott, and Alba Hurup Larsen. Westcott initially lost a position to Hurup Larsen but fought back a lap later to reclaim P24, while Olkucka closed in behind.

A duel between Westcott and Ciconte resulted in contact, sending the AKM Motorsport car of Ciconte into a spin. As a result, Westcott received a five-second penalty for the incident.

Despite the setback, she showed strong pace and overtook Paatz on the penultimate lap to move up and finished a hard-fought race in P23, but after the penalty was applied, she was classified in P24.

RACE 3

For the third and final race of the weekend, Westcott once again started just outside the top 20 in P21, aiming to finally capitalize on her improving pace.

At lights out, Leo Robinson took the lead from Gabriel Gomez, while Westcott moved up to P20 before being overtaken by Nina Gademan.

Despite the setback, she quickly regained momentum but then had to defend her position in a close three-car battle with Alba Hurup Larsen and Joanne Ciconte. On lap 5, Westcott was passed by Hurup Larsen but managed to retake the position two laps later.

She briefly fell outside the top 20 when the fast-recovering Edward Robinson—who had started from the pit lane—overtook her. However, Robinson was later forced to pit due to a loose engine cover, allowing Westcott to move back into P20.

A dramatic battle for the top ten resulted in a collision between Gino Trappa and Sebastian Bach, triggering a safety car on lap 14. Westcott was running in P19 when the race was neutralized.

With just over four minutes remaining, the race restarted, but shortly after, Olkucka and Dupe collided at Turn 2, bringing out another safety car. Thanks to quick work from the marshals, the race resumed with one lap to go.

In the final moments, Westcott had Alisha Palmowski in her sights while also fending off pressure from Ciconte. She managed to pass Palmowski at the end of the final lap, but Ciconte found a way through as well, leaving Westcott to cross the finish line in P17—in another strong performance in the midst of intense battles.

Always in the thick of the action, Payton Westcott used the second round of the Formula Winter Series as a valuable opportunity to gain experience and track time in a highly competitive field. With two more top-20 finishes, she continued to make steady progress in her rookie F4 campaign.

Next up is the MotorLand Aragón round on March 1-3, where the young American will aim to continue her learning process.