© Getty Images / Red Bull Content PoolF1 Academy Round 1 Report From ChinaRafa opened the season strong...
RafaelaFerreiraopenedher2026F1AcademycampaignwithaconfidentandconsistentweekendinChina,deliveringtwopointsfinishesandherstrongestQualifyingperformanceintheseriestodate.
The Brazilian secured a career-best P5 in Qualifying, placing herself on the second row for Race 1 and immediately putting herself in the fight at the front. Rafa spent the majority of the opening race running in P3 and looked set for a podium challenge before eventually crossing the line in P4, collecting five valuable points in a promising start to the season.
Flying Past In China© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Race 2 brought another strong performance from the #18 car. Rafa was running comfortably in P5 before contact with Granada dropped her back to P7. Following a Safety Car restart, she responded well under pressure, fighting her way back through the field to finish P6 and add more points to her tally.
Leaving China with points in both races, Rafa showed the consistency and pace that will form the foundation of her 2026 campaign.
Red Bull Always© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Speaking after the weekend, Rafa reflected positively on the opening round:
"I'm really happy with how the first F1 Academy weekend went. It was my best ever Qualifying result, putting the car on the second row, giving us a great position for the reverse-grid race. I was very close to the podium, but it was still a strong result and we managed to score some important points.
Today we started P5 and swapped a few places off the line, but we still came away with points in both races, which is the kind of consistency we're aiming for this year. Now we have a break before Canada, which is a track I really enjoy, so I'm looking forward to it. I want to take everything we've learned here and push for another positive weekend."
Rafa returns to action at the end of May as F1 Academy heads to Montreal for the next round of the championship.
Getting Settled In© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
