Alisha Palmowski clinches F1 Academy title in Austin
Alisha Palmowski seized her first opportunity to clinch the 2026 F1 Academy title, becoming the new champion of the all-female series. The British driver, who races in Red Bull Racing Academy Programme colours, did so in impressive fashion, winning the race that opened the weekend before finishing second in Saturday’s reverse-grid contest following a superb comeback. This latest title comes just a few weeks after the Alzira-based team secured both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships in FIA Formula 3.
Palmowski has now recorded no fewer than five victories and two second-place finishes this season. Her outstanding qualifying performances have also been a major feature of her campaign, with six pole positions, including both qualifying sessions at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), and five fastest laps. In short, Palmowski has been the category’s dominant force, securing the title with one round still remaining. The Teams’ Championship is yet to be decided, although Campos Racing will head into the season finale with a comfortable advantage, making it the leading contender for the crown.
Megan Bruce, driving her TAG Heuer-liveried car, scored points in both of the first two races in Austin. Rafaela Ferreira, meanwhile, enjoyed less success. The Visa Cash App RB driver started Saturday’s race from pole position but was unable to convert her opportunities into a strong result in either of the first two contests.
The free practice session, which allowed the drivers to familiarise themselves with the characteristics of the Austin circuit, saw Palmowski finish second in the timesheets. The British driver clocked a 2m09.127s, just a tenth of a second off the pace. Ferreira and Bruce finished tenth and twelfth respectively, with times of 2m09.948s and 2m10.004s.
Palmowski knew that a strong start could prove decisive and pushed hard in qualifying, which took place on Thursday evening European time. Each driver’s fastest lap would determine the grid for Sunday’s race, while their second-fastest lap would set the starting order for Saturday’s contest. From the moment the session began, Palmowski moved provisionally to the top of the standings with a 2m09.008s. She subsequently improved to 2m08.337s, maintaining the lead before returning to the pits midway through the session. At that stage, Ferreira was provisionally third with a 2m09.045s
As track temperatures began to fall, it became clear that the battle for pole position would be settled in the closing stages. Palmowski continued to improve her lap times and held provisional pole with a 2m08.250s. However, with two minutes remaining, Payton Westcott broke the 2m08s barrier with a 2m07.812s. Palmowski responded in style, producing a thrilling final lap of 2m07.714s to secure pole position by less than a tenth of a second and claim two additional points. She also secured pole position for the Opening Race, earning another two points. Ferreira ultimately finished eighth with a 2m08.601s, earning pole position for Saturday’s reverse-grid race, while Bruce qualified eleventh with a best lap of 2m08.856s.
Friday’s opening race provided Palmowski with her first major test on the way to the title. With track temperatures reaching 36°C, the 13-lap contest promised to be particularly demanding. When the lights went out, Westcott briefly snatched the lead from Palmowski, but the British driver refused to back down. The pair ran side by side through the Esses before the Campos Racing driver reclaimed the lead before the end of the opening lap.
The first lap proved far less productive for Ferreira and Bruce, who were caught up in an incident involving Rachel Robertson and dropped to the back of the field. The incident left Robertson out of the race and brought out the safety car. Racing resumed on lap four, with Palmowski leading the field ahead of Alba Larsen. Although the Danish driver tried to put her under pressure, Palmowski remained firmly in control. Another car stopped on track on lap ten, prompting a second safety-car period. The safety car returned to the pits with just one lap remaining, and Palmowski mastered the restart to cross the finish line almost two seconds ahead of Nina Gademan, who overtook Larsen in the closing stages. Bruce and Ferreira finished thirteenth and fifteenth respectively after their opening-lap difficulties.
Saturday brought the reverse-grid race, with Ferreira starting from pole position, Palmowski from eighth and Bruce from tenth. Ferreira’s race became complicated from the very start. When the lights went out, she had to defend against Jade Jacquet, with the pair battling fiercely during the opening half-lap. Contact between them sent Jacquet into a spin and left her stranded on track. The incident triggered a safety-car period and allowed Larsen to move ahead of Ferreira. The safety car returned to the pits on lap five. While Larsen began to pull away, it became apparent that Ferreira’s car had suffered steering damage. Unable to maintain the pace of the leading group, she gradually lost positions. Meanwhile, Palmowski began a spectacular charge through the field. She overtook Gademan around the outside to move into fifth place and soon passed Natalia Granada to reach the podium positions. The British driver then set the fastest lap of the race, earning an additional point, before overtaking Lisa Billard to move into second. Although she managed to close the gap to Larsen, the Danish driver had already established a substantial lead. Palmowski’s second-place finish was nevertheless enough to secure the championship mathematically. Bruce also made up several positions to finish seventh, while Ferreira ended the race seventeenth following the problems caused by the opening-lap contact.
The third and final race of the weekend, also scheduled for 13 laps, was set to be a celebration for the newly crowned champion. When the lights went out, Westcott passed Palmowski on the opening stretch of the straight, but Gademan overtook both drivers around the outside under braking. As she had done the previous day, Palmowski recovered second place by passing Westcott around the outside and set off in pursuit of Gademan. By then, Larsen had also overtaken Westcott and was closing in on Palmowski, who began putting the race leader under pressure. From lap seven onwards, however, Larsen began attempting overtakes from considerable distances. With Palmowski just half a second behind Gademan, the British driver had to balance her attempts to attack the leader with defending her position from Larsen. On the following lap, Larsen briefly moved ahead of Palmowski, but the Campos Racing driver quickly reclaimed second place. On lap ten, Larsen launched another move from far back. Palmowski initially held her ground, but the two cars made contact between Turns 12 and 13 as the Danish driver moved across despite the British driver having the favourable line. Larsen was forced out of the race and, although Palmowski managed to continue, suspension damage ultimately forced her to retire. She was classified tenth and collected the final point on offer. Ferreira, who had been fighting for the leading positions against Emma Felbermayr and Robertson, suffered contact that damaged her front wing and forced her to pit for a replacement. She eventually finished fifteenth.
Following the Austin round, Palmowski leads the Drivers’ Championship with 172 points and has already secured the title. Bruce sits seventh with 52 points, while Ferreira is twelfth with 27. In the Teams’ Championship, Campos Racing remains at the top of the standings with 251 points, 44 clear of its nearest rival.
The season finale will take place in Las Vegas from 19 to 21 November, where Campos Racing will aim to cap an outstanding campaign by securing the Teams’ Championship.
Alisha Palmowski (Campos Racing Driver in F1 Academy): “What a weekend overall! To win the Drivers’ Championship is incredible, honestly. We made so many amazing memories, particularly on Saturday. We’ve shown such strong pace throughout the weekend, and it’s been a really enjoyable experience. A huge thank you to everyone in the team for all their hard work and support. I’m now looking forward to wrapping up the Teams’ Championship in Las Vegas.”
Photos: Getty Images
