Interview
Larsen delighted with double podium in Zandvoort but rues missed Feature Race victory
Alba Larsen was conflicted after contending with Alisha Palmowski for the Feature Race victory in Zandvoort and ultimately having to settle for her second P2 finish of the weekend.
After just missing out on her maiden pole position during Friday’s Qualifying, Larsen had something to prove. The Ferrari driver chased through the field during Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race, starting in seventh and making up five places to finish second and take her first F1 ACADEMY podium.
Lining up on the front row for the Feature Race, Larsen got a better launch than polesitter Alisha Palmowski and slotted in right behind her. The Dane kept the pressure on the race leader, following close behind for the first half of the race until Larsen's tyres began to struggle due to the demands of the Zandvoort circuit.
Despite her best efforts, Larsen had to settle for another second-place finish. Having endured a 22-race wait to take her first podium, the 17-year-old was left with mixed feelings after coming close to her maiden victory.
“I think the win was definitely possible”, she began. “Palmowski had a good start, so that definitely made it difficult because it is a hard track to overtake on, so my chance was in the beginning.
"I did everything I could. I really put pressure on her, especially in the beginning, trying to go around the outside at Turn 1. But backed out, as it was such a risky move, I thought.”
“I really did my best in the beginning, but because it’s a track with high-speed corners, it makes it difficult to follow. I always came close into Sector 2, but then it was super hard to follow there.”
“The last five laps I had no tyres left, as they were struggling to keep up behind Alisha. But for sure the win was possible, but that doesn’t mean I’m not happy with P2. I’m very happy. It’s a great result for me and the team. Just getting it home was so important.”
Larsen hasn’t had the start to the season she had hoped for. She finished P18 and P8 in Shanghai, P5, P11 and P6 in Montreal and 10th in both races in Silverstone, leaving her ninth in the Standings.
However, after the summer break she returned with increased confidence and drive, helped by racing around a track she has already delivered a podium at in British F4.
“The summer break has really helped me," said Larsen. "I have been in the sim a lot, in the gym and working and all that work paid off.
“I have driven on this track. I can do it in my sleep, so I really know the track and that has definitely helped me. I have been fast all weekend and that just helps with the confidence going into the next rounds.”
Larsen's thoughts now turn to Round 5, as F1 ACADEMY heads to Austin for the first time since 2023. Although the series has raced around the track before, it will be a new challenge for all drivers as they take on the Circuit of the Americas for the first time.
Demonstrating her adaptability throughout the Zandvoort weekend, the Ferrari driver hopes it will serve her well for what's to come in Texas as she looks to capitalise on her fourth-place spot in the Standings.
"It’s going to be difficult," she admitted. "No one has been there before. The sim is going to be so important.
“I think I have shown this weekend also that I have been the strongest at adapting to the conditions. In the wet, in the drying, in the fully dry. I have been straight on the pace from the beginning, meaning I can adapt, so going into Austin I feel confident that with the prep we do we can achieve something.”
“I don't want to say anything until we get there, because again nobody has been there before. We don't know how the track is going to suit us.”