‘The precision has got to be perfect’ – Palmowski looking to improve adaptability after going fastest on Day 1 in Zandvoort

Alisha Palmowski’s first visit to the Circuit Zandvoort got off to the perfect start after the Red Bull Racing driver topped the timesheets on the first day of in-season testing in the Netherlands.

Behind the scenes, Palmowski initially struggled to find the right balance in the car on a track known to push the drivers to the limit. Despite a moment at Turn 9 in the latter stages of running, the Briton immediately bounced back and delivered a 1:38.074 to beat Maya Weug to the fastest time by 0.087s.

After stepping out of the car, Palmowski was delighted at how she and her Campos Racing team overcame their initial setbacks and believes that she hasn’t reached the peak of her pace yet.

“It's been a great day overall,” she began. “First time here at Zandvoort, so it's an extremely technical circuit. It's one of the most physically demanding circuits on the calendar as well too.

“I've done hundreds of laps already on the simulator in preparation, both at Red Bull and Campos to try and give us the best opportunity here on these two test days to maximise the chance that we've got.

“We had a difficult day this morning. We struggled a lot with the balance in the car, had a lot of snap oversteer and we didn't really know what was wrong. But as soon as we bolted the new tyres on, it was just perfect. The balance was amazing, I gained loads of confidence in the car and managed to put a relatively good lap towards the end. There’s still a lot more time for me, which is positive because we know tomorrow then there's more for us to gain.”

Despite being the shortest circuit on the 2025 calendar, Palmowski is under no illusions about the challenge Zandvoort poses, as a test of both physical and mental agility.

“The circuit is difficult to be honest,” remarked Palmowski. “There's only one long back straight, which is the start-finish straight. It's very mentally challenging as well because there's so much going on. It's one corner into the next, there's not much time to think.

“It's very much momentum-based as well. Sector 2 from Turn 7 through to Turn 10, if you ruin one corner, the next three are ruined as well. The precision has got to be perfect and on point, so it's stressful. But equally when you get it right, it's a really nice feeling, so it's a rewarding track when you get it right.”

READ MORE: Palmowski tops the timesheets on Day 1 of Zandvoort testing

Fourth in the Standings and with four rounds of her rookie season under her belt, Palmowski admits that managing changing conditions both in and outside of the car has been a work in progress. Keeping that in mind, the Red Bull Racing driver is hoping she’ll get the chance to test out some wet track conditions on Day 2.

“Throughout this year, there's been lots of things to get used to,” she noted. “New tracks, new team, new environment and a new car as well. It’s been a process for me learning the car and how to manipulate and adapt your driving in order to whatever balance you have in the car.

“That could change from session to session. You might have understeer one session, oversteer next session, track temperature change and then you have to be able to adapt your driving to suit that condition. That's been something that I might have been a little bit slow at in the past, whereas now it's coming a lot quicker.

“It’s the adaptability that I’m still working on and I’d like some wet weather actually! I do want it to rain tomorrow because we've not had any wet running at all this year apart from Miami. I’d like to have some wet weather driving in this car because it’s something that I haven’t really done. “It rains every year in Zandvoort, doesn't it at some point. I'm obviously a fan of the rain. I come from England, so it rains all the time, so I miss the rain. It’s time we get on track with some wet weather driving.”