‘I love a challenge’ - Palmowski surprised by ‘better than I expected’ start to Miami weekend

Alisha Palmowski kicked off Round 3 with a top-two worthy time in Free Practice 1, but the Red Bull Racing driver admits she was surprised to find herself so high up the order on her first visit to Miami.

One of 11 drivers discovering the Miami International Autodrome for the first time, Palmowski pushed herself into P2 in the final minutes. Her 1:59.492 left her three tenths off Practice pace-setter Doriane Pin.

Reflecting on the positive performance, Palmowski was astonished by how quickly she’d gotten up to speed.

“A good start, to be honest, better than I expected,” she said. “I was a little bit surprised with the grip in that session. It was quite a lot lower than what I expected we’d have, so I had quite a lot of oversteer that I think a lot of people potentially experienced.

“A little bit inconsistent, naturally, these are my first few laps around the circuit as is the same for all the rookies. A solid start, though we're closer than I thought we would be. It's clear to me the areas that I need to improve on as well, clear the areas on the car that I think need improving a little bit.”

Unlike the previous rounds in Shanghai and Jeddah, Palmowski has had no prior testing in Miami beforehand. Nevertheless, the 5.41km track has left a favourable impression on the Briton, despite its demands.

“It’s a very difficult circuit because Sector 1 is so high-speed,” she explained. “The section from Turn 4 to Turn 8, you’ve got to have a lot of trust and faith in your car and the rear end that it will stick and follow along with you.

PRACTICE 1: Pin tops the timesheets in first Miami Practice session

“Also, there’s a very slow tight section from Turn 14 to Turn 16, so with that Turn 16 exit (being) crucial on to the back straight. Different parts of the circuit require very different skills, very different things that the car needed. It’s difficult but it’s a great challenge and I love a challenge, so really enjoying the circuit so far.”

Although she has had to start from scratch, Palmowski says she’s comfortable with the set-up she and Campos Racing have found heading into Free Practice 2 in a few hours time.

“It’s a great baseline set-up for the car,” she noted. “Having had no prior testing, it’s always a little bit (into) the unknown going into FP1, you don't know what you're going to have. The team have done a great job, super happy with where the car is.

“There are some minor tweaks that we need to make naturally for FP2. Then once the F1 rubber has been out as well, I'm expecting that grip level to increase. It'll be like a different circuit anyway but driving-wise there are a few points that I need to work on. Just generally more consistent, which I know I can be now that I know where I'm going, I've got my references sorted.”