Racing, for F1 Academy driver Payton Westcott, was supposed to be a babysitter.
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.
It wasn’t long before people began to take note: Payton Westcott was fast. Faster, even, than older, more experienced drivers, said her dad, Kevin Westcott.
And more than that: She was in love with the sport.
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, 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.
And the 17-year-old — who dons a purple and green helmet adorned with pineapples — is already making her mark on the series.
First up on the calendar this year was Shanghai, where Westcott’s patience and calm driving earned her a spot on the podium in the featured race in mid-March.
It was an improvement, both Westcott and race notes described, 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.)
Improving is exactly what Westcott set out to do this inaugural season as part of the Prema Racing team.
“Obviously, going into my first year, I’m not expecting too much, but I’m mostly expecting growth,” Westcott said in an interview from Shanghai. “I 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.”
Westcott was first put in a kart at 6 years old. At the advice of Kevin Westcott’s 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.
“She ran her first race, and even though she crashed out of that first race, she was hooked on racing,” the elder Westcott said. “We spent every weekend possible taking her to the local kart tracks to race, and she progressively got better and better and started winning.”
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.
From there, she was picked to compete as a wild card entry in F1 Academy’s 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.)
Westcott, who splits her time between Italy and California, is in love with racing. And all that comes with it — even the scary bits.
“For me, driving is the brightest thing that’s ever come into my life,” she said. “I want to be a driver. It’s taught me so much as a person.
“It’s been the guide to my development in every way possible,” Westcott added. “It’s just such an amazing thing.”
There’s a bit of fear, certainly, when it comes to racing — the high speeds, the intense physical and mental demands, the inherent danger.
“My favorite thing about motorsports is being afraid of what’s happening,” Westcott said, “but then conquering and pushing through and doing it so many times to the point that you’re not scared.”
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 — a trait she credits to her mom, a business owner.
“It’s really empowering,” Westcott said.
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: “I want to be a Formula One world champion.”
And that shouldn’t be an unusual goal just because of her gender, Westcott said.
“We shouldn’t be recognized only for our gender, but instead for our abilities,” she said, “because it’s a very common thing” to be a woman in motorsports.
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.
She’s also got the support of Doriane Pin, the reigning F1 Academy champion who also drove for Mercedes in the competition.
“Payton has the motivation and the mindset to make the most of this opportunity with Mercedes in F1 Academy,” Pin said back in February when Westcott was announced as the new Mercedes driver.
“She has shown so far that she is a great up-and-coming talent with lots of room to (continue) progressing,” Pin added, before Westcott hoisted a trophy from the podium in Shanghai. “We’re all excited to see how she will do this year.”
Westcott and F1 Academy head to Montreal next; an April race scheduled for Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, was called off in tandem with Formula One’s cancellation there because of the conflict in the Middle East.
Race weekend kicks off May 22. Fans can catch the action on F1 Academy’s YouTube and X channels, as well as on F1 TV.