ALISHA PALMOWSKI WINS F1 ACADEMY TITLE

Alisha Palmowski won the 2026 F1 Academy title after finishing second in Saturday’s reverse-grid race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The result secured the championship before Sunday’s feature race and the season finale in Las Vegas in November. Denmark’s Alba Larsen claimed her first F1 Academy victory, finishing 2.3 seconds ahead of Palmowski. France’s Lisa Billard took third for her first podium, while Emma Felbermayr, the only driver who could still catch Palmowski before the race, finished fourth. Palmowski called winning the title “a dream come true”.

Palmowski started eighth, one place ahead of Felbermayr. Contact between pole-sitter Rafaela Ferreira and Jade Jacquet brought out the safety car on the opening lap and helped Larsen take the lead. Palmowski had reached sixth by the restart, then passed Nina Gademan as she and Felbermayr moved through the field. A penalty for Natalia Granada promoted Palmowski to third, and she passed Billard for second. Larsen held the lead to the finish.

Palmowski becomes F1 Academy’s fourth champion, its youngest and the first to win the title with Campos Racing. She is the second British champion after Abbi Pulling; Marta Garcia and Doriane Pin also won previous titles. Born in Glossop, Palmowski belongs to the Red Bull driver academy. Her season record includes five wins from 11 races, including victories in Montreal and at Silverstone, and one finish outside the points at Zandvoort. She dedicated the championship to her ill grandmother and will start Sunday’s feature race from pole position.