ZANDVOORT, Netherlands — Mercedes' Payton Westcott etched her name into the F1 ACADEMY history books on Saturday, converting her first Reverse Grid pole position into a dominant, lights-to-flag maiden victory in a chaotic 17-lap contest at Zandvoort.

Westcott's path to pole came through dramatic circumstances. Wild Card driver Zoe Florescu was disqualified from the Qualifying session after her car was found to be in breach of the Technical Regulations, handing the Mercedes racer the top spot on the Reverse Grid for the first time in her career.

A flawless weekend under pressure

After a perfect start and despite two Safety Car restarts interrupting the flow of the race, Westcott kept herself clear of trouble throughout all 17 laps, ultimately crossing the line almost two seconds clear of the field. Her composure under the restarts proved decisive, allowing her to control the gap at the front and bank her first category victory.

The charge toward the podium came from teammates Alba Larsen and Nina Gademan, who both carved their way through the grid to round out the rostrum — a double podium finish for MP Motorsport that underscored the team's strength in depth.

Points spread across the field

Esmee Kosterman collected her first points of the season in fourth, while Ella Lloyd gained six places to round out the top five. Rachel Robertson finished sixth ahead of Megan Bruce, with Ava Dobson claiming the final points-paying spot in eighth. Westcott also sealed the fastest lap of the race to complete a near-perfect Saturday.

Attention now turns to Sunday's Seed Feature Race, where Alisha Palmowski will line up on pole at 10:30 local time with the rest of the grid chasing her down.