The American driver was the first to cross the finish line on Sunday, and only a five-second penalty deprived her of victory, relegating her to a still-valuable second place. British driver Palmowski finished third in the first race on Saturday. Another penalty kept Ferreira from scoring points in her debut at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit
Campos Racing continues its strong podium streak in the F1 Academy, which held its second round of the season this past weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. So far, in all four races held by the all-female championship, at least one driver from the Alzira-based team has stood on the podium. This time, American Chloe Chambers claimed pole position and was first to cross the line in Sunday’s race. However, a five-second penalty dropped her to second place—a result that remains excellent for the championship standings. Alisha Palmowski claimed her second F1 Academy podium by finishing third in Saturday’s first race, while Rafaela Ferreira was in position to score points on Sunday, but another penalty pushed her out of the top ten.
During Friday’s free practice sessions, Campos Racing drivers already showed strong pace on the Saudi track. Palmowski, driving the Tatuus in Red Bull Racing Academy Programme colors, set the second-fastest time with a lap of 2m05.387s. Chambers followed closely in fourth with a 2m05.625s lap, while Ferreira was 13th with a 2m06.833s. Later in the qualifying session, held under ambient temperatures exceeding 30ºC, Chambers emerged as the driver to beat. The Red Bull Ford Academy Programme driver set an early benchmark of 2m05.158s, which kept improving as the session progressed. Palmowski also briefly held the top spot, but Chambers reaffirmed her pace by securing pole position with a 2m04.320s lap—over two-tenths clear of Doriane Pin and earning two additional points. Palmowski ultimately qualified fourth with a 2m04.864s, while Ferreira posted the 13th-fastest lap with a personal best of 2m06.213s.
On Saturday, for the first 13-lap race, the track presented extreme conditions with asphalt temperatures nearing 60ºC. With the top eight qualifiers reversed for the starting grid, Palmowski was one of the stars right from the start—moving up to third from fifth after just one lap. Chambers held her eighth-place starting position, while Ferreira, driving the Tatuus in Visa Cash App RB Academy livery, ran 11th in the opening laps. Palmowski overtook Emma Felbermayr on lap two to move into second and soon found herself defending against Maya Weug. A safety car on lap four bunched the field, and racing resumed on lap eight. Chambers overtook Felbermayr for seventh on lap nine, and one lap before the finish, Palmowski had to yield to Weug’s pressure, falling to third. After thirteen laps, Palmowski crossed the line in third, with Chambers in seventh. Ferreira, stuck in mid-pack battles, was unable to improve from 13th.
Heading into Sunday’s race under slightly milder conditions, Chambers was the favorite for the second 13-lap contest. At lights out, the American controlled her lead and was at the front after lap one. Palmowski was fourth, and Ferreira had already moved up into ninth. However, the Brazilian collided with Felbermayr at Turn 1, causing the Austrian to spin. As a result, Ferreira received a ten-second penalty that ultimately affected her final result. Up front, the action was intense. Weug began pressuring Chambers and overtook her with a slipstream move down the straight. But the Campos Racing driver fought back, running side-by-side with Weug for several corners to reclaim the lead. Soon after, race stewards determined that Chambers had forced the Dutch driver off track and handed her a five-second penalty. From that point, Chambers’ only option was to push and build a gap. Her relentless pace—unmatched by her rivals, including Weug—allowed her to secure second place despite the penalty. She also set the fastest lap on the final circuit, earning an extra point. Palmowski finished fourth, while Ferreira, eighth across the line, dropped to 13th due to her penalty.
After two rounds and four races, Campos Racing maintains the top spot in the teams’ standings with 91 points. In the drivers’ standings, Chambers is third with 45 points, one spot ahead of Palmowski, who is fourth with 36 points. Ferreira sits ninth with 8 points.
The next round will take place at the Miami International Autodrome on the weekend of May 3–4.
Chloe Chambers (Campos Racing Driver in F1 Academy): “I had a positive Sunday in Jeddah starting from pole position. Unfortunately, I had a 5-second penalty during the race for just hard racing, honestly, between Maya Weug and I. At least, I was able to put a very good race pace at the end to pull over a five-second gap to Doriane Pin. I made up what I could. A second place brought yet valuable points for the championship. Now we are heading to Miami for my home race, which I can’t wait.”
Alisha Palmowski (Campos Racing Driver in F1 Academy): “The weekend in Jeddah has come to an end. We had a great day on Saturday in the first race of this weekend with reverse grid. I started from P5 and made my way up to second. I had a great battle with Maya Weug but unfortunately dropped down to P3 but it was a strong result for the whole team. We took our second trophy of the year, so we got a valuable haul of points for the championship. I’m looking forward to next event.”
