{"id":269768,"date":"2026-04-15T22:57:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/269768\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T22:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:57:15","slug":"f1-academy-driver-payton-westcott-from-orange-county-is-taking-the-motorsports-world-by-storm-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/269768\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 Academy driver Payton Westcott, from Orange County, is taking the motorsports world by storm \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

Racing, for F1 Academy driver Payton Westcott<\/a>, was supposed to be a babysitter.<\/p>\n

That was the thought when her father, like many other dads, put his kids in go-karts while he drove sports cars at the Thermal Club, a country club with motorsports circuits in Riverside County.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long before people began to take note: Payton Westcott was fast. Faster, even, than older, more experienced drivers, said her dad, Kevin Westcott.<\/p>\n

Women in Motorsports<\/p>\n

Throughout the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach<\/a>, we\u2019re highlighting women in the motorsports world, from drivers to engineers to storytellers and more. This is the first installment in the Women of Motorsports series in 2026.<\/p>\n

And more than that: She was in love with the sport.<\/p>\n

Fast forward about a decade, and Westcott, a Laguna Beach native, is in the midst of her rookie season as a Mercedes driver in F1 Academy<\/a>, an all-female, Formula 4-level racing championship series. Founded by Formula One in 2023, F1 Academy is meant to advance and develop female drivers.<\/p>\n

And the 17-year-old \u2014 who dons a purple and green helmet adorned with pineapples \u2014 is already making her mark on the series.<\/p>\n

First up on the calendar this year was Shanghai, where Westcott\u2019s patience and calm driving earned her a spot on the podium in the featured race in mid-March.<\/p>\n

\"PaytonPayton Westcott, 7, competes in karting at the Thermal Club. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Westcott)<\/p>\n

It was an improvement, both Westcott and race notes described<\/a>, from the first race the day before. (In F1 Academy, drivers compete in two races over the course of a weekend: the first, a reverse grid race; the second is the featured race.)<\/p>\n

Improving is exactly what Westcott set out to do this inaugural season as part of the Prema Racing team.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, going into my first year, I\u2019m not expecting too much, but I\u2019m mostly expecting growth,\u201d Westcott said in an interview from Shanghai. \u201cI like to focus on growth, rather than results, because I think that if you focus on what you need to do, the results will come, rather than focusing on the results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Westcott was first put in a kart at 6 years old. At the advice of Kevin Westcott\u2019s own coach, who was a professional race car driver, the Westcotts headed to the old Fontana kart track and got introduced to a kart racing team.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe ran her first race, and even though she crashed out of that first race, she was hooked on racing,\u201d the elder Westcott said. \u201cWe spent every weekend possible taking her to the local kart tracks to race, and she progressively got better and better and started winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

She translated karting success into single-seater racing, including the Formula Winter Series, Italian F4 Championship, E4 Championship and F4 Saudi Arabian Championship. She was the first woman to take home a victory in the UAE Trophy series and won a Female Trophy in the Formula Winter Series.<\/p>\n

From there, she was picked to compete as a wild card entry in F1 Academy\u2019s race in Las Vegas, finishing sixth out of the 18 drivers in the first race of a rainy weekend. (Westcott was unable to finish the second race after a crash with another driver.)<\/p>\n

Westcott, who splits her time between Italy and California, is in love with racing. And all that comes with it \u2014 even the scary bits.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, driving is the brightest thing that\u2019s ever come into my life,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to be a driver. It\u2019s taught me so much as a person.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been the guide to my development in every way possible,\u201d Westcott added. \u201cIt\u2019s just such an amazing thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a bit of fear, certainly, when it comes to racing \u2014 the high speeds, the intense physical and mental demands, the inherent danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite thing about motorsports is being afraid of what\u2019s happening,\u201d Westcott said, \u201cbut then conquering and pushing through and doing it so many times to the point that you\u2019re not scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adrenaline kicks in, she said, which helps with split-second decision-making and confidence building. But she also considers herself to be a thoughtful driver, not overly emotional or reactive \u2014 a trait she credits to her mom, a business owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really empowering,\u201d Westcott said.<\/p>\n

\"Payton<\/p>\n

Payton Westcott of United States and PREMA Racing (9) on track during practice ahead of F1 Academy Round 1 at Shanghai International Circuit on March 13, 2026 in Shanghai, China. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team)\n<\/p>\n

\"Payton<\/p>\n

Payton Westcott is in the midst of her rookie season as a Mercedes driver for F1 Academy. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team) 2026 Payton Westcott \u2013 Overalls\n<\/p>\n

\"Payton<\/p>\n

Payton Westcott of the United States and PREMA Racing (9) on track during qualifying ahead of F1 Academy Round 1 at Shanghai International Circuit on March 13, 2026, in Shanghai, China. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team)\n<\/p>\n

\"Payton<\/p>\n

Payton Westcott took third place in the second race of the weekend in Shanghai in March. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 4<\/p>\n

Payton Westcott of United States and PREMA Racing (9) on track during practice ahead of F1 Academy Round 1 at Shanghai International Circuit on March 13, 2026 in Shanghai, China. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

At just 9 years old, Westcott knew she wanted to be a Formula One driver. And when asked about her goals now, she is unwavering: \u201cI want to be a Formula One world champion.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that shouldn\u2019t be an unusual goal just because of her gender, Westcott said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be recognized only for our gender, but instead for our abilities,\u201d she said, \u201cbecause it\u2019s a very common thing\u201d to be a woman in motorsports.<\/p>\n

So Westcott is steadfastly working toward her goal, spending nearly every day in the gym, testing both on track and with a simulator (which uses software to replicate real driving experiences) and completing her junior year of high school online.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also got the support of Doriane Pin, the reigning F1 Academy champion who also drove for Mercedes in the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cPayton has the motivation and the mindset to make the most of this opportunity with Mercedes in F1 Academy,\u201d Pin said back in February when Westcott was announced as the new Mercedes driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has shown so far that she is a great up-and-coming talent with lots of room to (continue) progressing,\u201d Pin added, before Westcott hoisted a trophy from the podium in Shanghai. \u201cWe\u2019re all excited to see how she will do this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Westcott and F1 Academy head to Montreal next<\/a>; an April race scheduled for Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, was called off in tandem with Formula One\u2019s cancellation there<\/a> because of the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Race weekend kicks off May 22. Fans can catch the action on F1 Academy\u2019s YouTube<\/a> and X<\/a> channels, as well as on F1 TV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Racing, for F1 Academy driver Payton Westcott, was supposed to be a babysitter. That was the thought when…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":269769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,131,28942,133,132,137,14396,100,611,136],"class_list":["post-269768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-grand-prix","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-motorsports","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}