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TESTING DEBRIEF: What we learnt from two days of running in Zandvoort
After two days and 2,364 laps, there is plenty for the F1 ACADEMY field to digest off the back of in-season testing at the Circuit Zandvoort.
The six F1 ACADEMY teams now get to enjoy over a month off before the season resumes for Round 4 in August. While they head off on summer break, there’s no shortage of data for them and us to analyse and plenty of questions ahead of their return to the Dutch circuit…
CAN ANYONE BEAT PALMOWSKI?
Alisha Palmowski was undeniably the driver who was most at home around Zandvoort, completing a clean sweep by topping the timesheets across all four sessions. Crucially, she was the only driver to break into the 1:36s, setting the overall benchmark with a 1:36.740 in the second morning session.
Her advantage out front ranged from 0.526s during Day 1’s afternoon running down to 0.106s in the final session of the test. While the gap ebbed and flowed, one thing that was abundantly clear was the Red Bull Racing driver’s strength across both her Qualifying simulations and long runs.
Speaking at the end of testing, Palmowski said the circuit gave her a similar feeling to Silverstone and the other British circuits that helped shape her driving style. Yet while the two seemed well-suited, the Briton was quick to acknowledge that delivering those kinds of performances doesn’t happen by chance.
“We found a great balance in the car,” she said. “We have been fast in all conditions, on all tyres, in long runs, in Qualifying sims. We have done a lot of work behind the scenes, these results don’t happen by accident. We are working incredibly hard on the sim, incredibly hard going through data with the team, so I’m glad that all the hard work is paying off.”
The level of effort put in is understandable. Despite scoring a podium in Race 2 at Zandvoort last year, it was far from Palmowski’s strongest circuit. That said, she has come on leaps and bounds over the past 12 months and looks a markedly more complete driver now.
Holding a 30-point lead in the Standings, the 19-year-old knows that she does not necessarily need to be the outright quickest from here on out— she just has to stay ahead of her nearest rival Emma Felbermayr, who was unable to match Palmowski’s pace in testing.
HAS LARSEN REDISCOVERED HER FORM?
Alba Larsen’s season so far has been one of unfulfilled promise, but the Ferrari driver’s performance in testing should assure her that all is not lost.
In terms of one-lap pace, Larsen came closest to rivalling Palmowski, finishing two tenths behind in each of the morning sessions. However, her long runs appear to still need attention, with the Dane finishing P9 and P8 in across both afternoons.
Languishing down in ninth in the Standings, Larsen will hope that this test is a sign of better things to come. While there are many factors at play behind her upturn in performance, the 17-year-old admitted that her British F4 podium at Zandvoort ahead of the test went a long way to restoring her belief in what she can achieve.
“It has definitely boosted my confidence, especially after a weekend like in Silverstone which was not the result we wanted,” said Larsen. “Getting a good result in British F4, which is a super hard championship as well, has boosted my confidence a lot.
“It was super fun. We had quite a few Safety Cars, but without that I felt like I had the pace to win. I'm very happy about the podium, but I was in P2 for most of the race and felt like I had the pace for more. It just gave me a lot of confidence in terms of the pace we have.”
WILL BILLARD BE ONE TO WATCH IN ZANDVOORT?
Lisa Billard appeared to take another step forward during her first outing at Zandvoort. A productive test saw her record three top-four results and the Gatorade driver seemed to be more comfortable than most of her fellow rookies, both in terms of outright speed and long-run pace.
It has been a bumpy start to life in F1 ACADEMY for the 16-year-old, but Billard has steadily adjusted to the machinery underneath her. Silverstone was a prime example of this progression. After setting three top-seven times during in-season testing, she went on to claim her best-ever Qualifying result to date in third.
If that’s anything to go by, the signs are promising for Billard. Although the results haven’t always reflected her potential — with the French racer unfortunately stalling off the line in the Feature Race last time out — Billard has shown enough pace to suggest she can contend with her high-flying fellow rookies Megan Bruce and Payton Westcott.
WHO STILL HAS WORK TO DO?
Testing times only reveal part of the picture and are not a guarantee of how the race weekend will unfold, but several rookies will be staring at the timesheets apprehensively.
Mathilda Paatz, Ella Stevens, Jade Jacquet, Kaylee Countryman and Ava Dobson all spent the majority of time outside the top 10 runners, with the McLaren OXAGON, Williams, Haas and American Express driver quartet over a second down on Palmowski’s overall fastest time. While part of that could be attributed to their unfamiliarity with the circuit, Billard’s performance proved that drivers can quickly find their groove around Zandvoort’s notoriously tricky banking.
Zoe Florescu will also have some homework ahead of her debut as Round 4’s Wild Card driver. After missing the first morning’s running due to an issue, her 132 laps should at least give the Romanian racer a clearer understanding of where she can claw back the deficit as she’ll look to break into the top 10 on the race weekend.