Palmowski predicting tense ‘last lap shootout’ as she searches for maiden pole in Las Vegas

Alisha Palmowski’s first taste of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit has left the Red Bull Racing driver wanting more as she looks to end her rookie season with a maiden pole position.

The Briton finished fifth fastest in the one and only Free Practice session, setting a 2:08.906. However, Palmowski believes her pace is a lot more promising than the 0.939s deficit to pacesetter Doriane Pin shows.

“I really like the circuit,” she began. “It's a very different challenge to everything else that we've had this whole season. The grip levels are a lot, lot lower with the lower temperatures, so it was very slippery out there on track.

“Just building up lap by lap. We've got a lot more time to unlock, so I'm actually really confident heading into Qualifying. I think we're a lot closer than what the timesheets actually showed at the end of Practice, so I'm quietly confident.”

As with any new circuit, it takes time for the drivers to put together the perfect lap. Yet Palmowski reckons that task is only going to become more difficult in Qualifying, with track temperatures dropping down to 17˚C across the 6.2km circuit.

“The biggest challenge for me that I found in Practice, which is only going to get harder, is the braking,” explained Palmowski. “Judging the braking point itself, how hard you actually hit the initial peak brake pressure.

“It's so easy to lock up and we lose that much tyre temperature down the straights with them being so long, so that's going to be tricky. That's something I'm going to be focusing on, trying to improve but we're all in the same boat.”

READ MORE: PRACTICE: Doriane Pin hits the ground running on Las Vegas debut

One-lap pace has been a strong suit for Palmowski throughout her rookie season, with three P2 results across the previous six sessions. With one final shot at a pole position, the Red Bull Racing driver says she’s going to have to be relentless in pushing throughout the 30 minutes of running.

“I hope I'm in the fight!” Palmowski remarked. “I think it will be very challenging and I think the best laps are definitely going to be towards the end of the session. Naturally, everybody will be learning throughout the whole run.

“I think it will literally be a last lap shootout pretty much. We're going to be on our toes the whole session. It'll be a stressful half an hour, but I'm quietly confident.”