Payton Westcott had a breakthrough weekend at the third round of the Formula Winter Series, where she fought for a top-ten and ultimately secured her first Female Trophy win in extremely challenging mixed conditions.
Payton Westcott had a breakthrough weekend at the third round of the Formula Winter Series, impressing in only her third-ever F4 race event, where she delivered a remarkable performance in race three, fighting for a top-ten position and ultimately securing her first Female Trophy win in extremely challenging mixed conditions.
However, Westcott’s success in the third race wasn’t just down to the tyre gamble—it was a testament to her maturity as a racing driver despite her limited experience. She has in fact shown continuous progress in every session and race weekend, frequently displaying impressive racecraft in a highly competitive field. Climbing steadily towards the top-15, her performance at Aragon was clear proof of her rapid development.
The 15-year-old American was announced as part of Van Amersfoort Racing's lineup for a dual campaign in the Formula Winter Series and the ultra-competitive Italian F4 Championship for her rookie F4 season. Westcott previously competed in the Champions of the Future Academy Program in the OK-N Senior karting class in 2024, with support from the F1 Academy’s "Discover Your Drive" initiative, and is now taking the next step in her career.
Westcott made a strong F4 debut in Portimão, securing two top-20 finishes; carrying momentum into Valencia, she continued to improve her pace and fight through the pack, ultimately matching her best result of 17th.
As the series headed to Motorland Aragon for the third and penultimate round, drivers faced a technical circuit and colder conditions, with mixed weather adding an extra challenge.
During the two days of practice, Westcott focused on learning the track and was immediately competitive, consistently placing inside the top-20. On Friday, she set a 1:59.724 in the second session, finishing 11th fastest, before improving further to a 1:59.465 in the final session, placing her tenth.
However, qualifying on Saturday morning proved more challenging. In Q1, Westcott was just outside the top-20 as the session reached its final minutes, with many drivers struggling with track limits. She improved on her last attempt with a 2:03.274, placing her 27th.
In Q2 shortly after, she showed stronger pace, breaking into the top-20 on her first timed lap. Finding half a second on her final run, she posted a 2:01.337, securing 25th on the grid.
While she had some ground to recover in the races, her pace suggested she could move up.
With 29 cars on the grid, race one got underway in cold but dry conditions. The opening corners were chaotic, with Robinson and Harrison picking up front wing damage and Rehm suffering a puncture, while Gabriel Gomez and Kabir Anurag battled for the lead.
Westcott had an incredible start, charging from 27th to 20th on the first lap. She continued her strong recovery, moving into 19th while capitalizing on incidents unfolding across the track. As the race progressed, she chased down Alba Hurup Larsen, who had dropped positions on lap two.
When Weiss hit trouble, Westcott moved up to 18th and stayed within a second of Borenstein while continuing to push forward. She ultimately took the checkered flag in 18th but was later promoted to 15th after post-race penalties, securing a new personal best finish in F4.
Drivers faced a wet track on Sunday morning, with mixed conditions at the start of race two. Payton Westcott lined up in P23, aiming for another strong recovery drive.
As the lights went out, everyone struggled for traction on the slippery surface. Vinci stalled, but the field made it cleanly through turn one.
Westcott initially dropped to P25 while trying to navigate the difficult conditions but soon began fighting back. On lap three, she overtook Chambers for P24.
Continuing her charge, Westcott moved up to P22 after passing Hurup Larsen, though Ruta—recovering from an earlier spin—managed to reclaim the position. Showing strong pace with personal-best lap times in the 2:25s, she overtook Paatz on lap seven to take P21.
However, her race came to an abrupt end when she was the blameless victim of an incident with Paatz at the hairpin. The contact forced her to retire on lap eight, bringing out the safety car. It was an unfortunate end after another promising performance, but she had one more chance to fight in race three later in the day.
For the final race of the weekend, drivers faced a damp track following a rain shower. While many opted for slick tyres, hoping for a quick drying track, Van Amersfoort Racing made a last-minute call on the formation lap, switching Westcott to wet-weather tyres just before the start.
As the lights went out, chaos ensued, with several drivers struggling for grip and going off track. Westcott immediately had an advantage, as her wet tyres proved to be the right choice in the conditions.
At the front, drivers battled as they struggled for grip: Schranz, also on wets, charged from P21 to take the lead on lap two but later spun, allowing Bart Harrison—also on wets—to inherit the top spot.
Meanwhile, Westcott was flying through the field. After her pit stop on the formation lap, she quickly climbed to P12, setting some of the fastest lap times on track. She broke into the top ten, passing Nina Gademan to take the lead in the Female Trophy.
Her charge continued as she overtook Enea Frey for P8, but soon dropped to P9 as Artem Severiukhin—also on wets—gained ground.
As the track dried, the balance of power shifted. With 12 minutes to go, cars on slicks suddenly became significantly faster. Westcott lost a position to Enea Frey, as the slicks were now six seconds per lap quicker.
Despite a 16-second gap to the next car, Robinson was closing in fast, lapping seven seconds quicker. With two minutes remaining, Westcott dropped to P11, still setting personal-best lap times but unable to match the pace of the slick-tyre runners on her now worn-out wets.
She ultimately finished P13—just missing out on her first top-ten finish—but secured her first Female Trophy win. It was a superb drive for the young American, showcasing strong race management and adaptability in changing conditions, achieving her best F4 result to date.
“It was definitely an interesting race with the conditions, but I always aim to perform at the highest level no matter what", Westcott told us after the race that brought her first Felame Trophy victory.
"I enjoy the recognition of winning the female trophy but I have my sights set on winning points for myself and for my team", she continued. "My team made a great call to switch to wets, which gave me a big advantage."
"Every race is a chance to improve and push myself further. Looking forward to what’s next!”
Payton Westcott will be aiming to build on this strong performance at the season finale in Barcelona in just a few days' time.
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