‘That’s been a speciality of mine’ - Palmowski ‘relieved’ by double pole position in Montreal

Alisha Palmowski was untouchable in Montreal Qualifying, but the Red Bull Racing driver admitted she had to breathe a sigh of relief as she converted her Free Practice pace into back-to-back pole positions.

After going fastest in the opeing session by two tenths, Palmowski delivered an outstanding performance in Qualifying. Leading from the outset, the Briton steadily improved throughout, setting both the fastest and second-fastest laps to secure pole position for both the Opening Race and Feature Race.

Reflecting on her commanding display around the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, the 19-year-old was pleased with how she managed the ever-changing track conditions.

“I’m feeling really relieved to be honest,” she said. “We had really strong pace here last year and then strong pace in Free Practice. It’s been a very long day, there’s been many hours between Free Practice and Qualifying, but I was quietly confident that we could get the job done.

“It was more myself fighting myself to keep my head and not make any mistakes. Be consistent as well in a Qualifying session, knowing that we needed the two laps, not just the one. We had to be very considered throughout that whole session, but I think I judged that risk versus reward really well. I was consistent, I think my second-fastest lap was within a tenth nearly, so a really good result overall.”

Palmowski was one of the few drivers to make inroads in lap time as the session progressed, and the Red Bull Racing driver stated that making the most of the track’s late evolution played to one of her biggest strengths.

“That’s been a speciality of mine throughout my whole career,” she said. “My fastest laps are always towards the end. The track changed so much in terms of evolution from Free Practice where it was really dusty.

READ MORE: QUALIFYING: Palmowski dominates from the outset to seal Montreal pole

“It was just about adapting and learning. Every lap I did I was learning, gaining more and more time, gaining more confidence.”

Last year, Palmowski lined up on the front row for two of the three races in Montreal but contact on both opening laps ended her chances of a podium. Starting from pole this time around, the Briton is adopting a more measured approach.

“It’s a great opportunity to score some great points,” she noted. “I’d love to take the win home tomorrow, but we’ve got to be considered as well. We’ve got to get off the line cleanly and then see how the race pans out from there.”