Payton Riley Westcott (born 20 March) is an American racing driver who competes in F1 Academy for Prema Racing with support from Mercedes.

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Karting

Westcott began karting at the age of 12, competing until 2024.[2][3] Mainly racing in the US in her karting career, Westcott made her international debut in 2024, racing in the Champions of the Future Academy Program as part of F1 Academy's Discover Your Drive initiative.[4][5]

Formula 4 (2025–)

Westcott driving at the Mugello Circuit during the 2025 Italian F4 Championship

Stepping up to single-seaters in 2025, Westcott began the year in Formula Winter Series with Van Amersfoort Racing,[6] scoring a best result of 13th in race three at Aragón to end the winter 27th in points.[7] For her main campaign, Westcott took part in the Italian F4 Championship, also with Van Amersfoort Racing.[8] During the first race of the season in Misano, she finished in 20th and claimed her first win in the women's' championship.[9] Westcott advanced on Emily Cotty in the women's championship throughout the season, securing double class wins at both Monza and Mugello.[10][11] At Imola, Westcott achieved a class win during race one and tied her highest finishing position of 20th during race three.[12] By the end of the season, she finished the women's championship in second.[13] Westcott also participated in the E4 Championship, once again with VAR.[14]

At the end of 2025, Westcott raced in the first and last rounds of Formula Trophy with Prema Racing,[15] winning race two at Dubai from reverse-grid pole, becoming the first female race winner in the series,[16] before returning for the season-ending round at Yas Marina and finishing tenth in race one, helping her end the year tenth in points.[17] Also in 2025, Westcott made a one-off appearance in the F4 Saudi Arabian Championship in the season-ending Jeddah round, in which she scored a best result of eighth in race two.[18] At the beginning of the following year, Westcott remained with Prema to compete in the first three rounds of the UAE4 Series,[19] in which she scored a best result of eighth in race two at Dubai.[20] During 2026, Westcott also made cameo appearances in the Formula 4 CEZ Championship for Cram Motorsport and the E4 Championship with R-ace,[21][22] qualifying ninth on her series return in the latter at Monza.[23]

F1 Academy

Westcott driving at the 2026 F1 Academy Shanghai round

During her maiden campaign in Italian F4, Westcott participated in the F1 Academy rookie test at Navarra, where she placed third in the morning session and 1st in the afternoon session.[24] She was then selected as the wildcard driver for the final round of the 2025 F1 Academy season in Las Vegas.[25][26] She scored points in her debut race by finishing sixth, before retiring in race two after a crash with Joanne Ciconte.[27][28]

Westcott made her full-season debut in the 2026 season with Prema Racing, succeeding 2025 title champion Doriane Pin as the Mercedes-backed driver.[29]