Paatz, Palmowski and Bättig shine with Formula Winter Series podiums in Estoril

Mathilda Paatz, Alisha Palmowski and Chiara Bättig battled the elements to taste success and make history in the opening round of the 2026 Formula Winter Series campaign.

The Circuito do Estoril in Portugal saw five female drivers in action, including 2026 F1 ACADEMY drivers Paatz, Palmowski and Rafaela Ferreira alongside F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE karting alumni Bättig.

Both Qualifying sessions were heavily disrupted by rain, leaving the field struggling to get into a rhythm. Palmowski however was straight on the pace, qualifying in P3, P1 and P11 — one of only three drivers to set a second-fastest lap on her way to pole for Race 2.

Conditions didn’t ease up for the opening race which began behind a lengthy Safety Car. Left with a five-minute sprint to the line, Palmowski misjudged the braking point at Turn 1 and lost third by Turn 4.

Driving with Campos Racing, the Briton managed to bring home P4 and the Female Trophy for the highest-placed female driver. Meanwhile, her teammate Bättig enjoyed a strong recovery drive, charging her way up from P28 to P16.

Race 2 began with high hopes for Palmowski as she led the grid at lights out from pole. Committing to the outside line down into Turn 1, the 19-year-old found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Struggling for pace around the slippery Circuito do Estoril, the Briton lost the lead by Turn 2.

After a fierce five-car battle for the podium, Palmowski eventually slipped outside the top 10 but still managed to claim the Female Trophy.

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“Just a difficult race,” she said afterwards. “We’re struggling to unleash pace on that opening first lap really, and the first lap after a Safety Car as well. That leaves me quite vulnerable, so we’ll see what we can do going forwards. Equally, we’ll review my race and see what better decisions I could have made.

“The track is constantly evolving, so every lap you do it starts to dry in different places. Braking points change, lines can even change a lot. It’s just about being adaptable, so I’m learning a lot this weekend absolutely. So are the team, we’re all learning a lot. We’re not finished fighting yet.”

As the field formed up for Race 3, the rain began to fall once again. While the rest of the grid stayed out on slicks, Bättig and Campos took a gamble, starting from the pit lane on wet tyres. The Red Bull Junior judged the ever-changing conditions perfectly. With her rivals electing to pit during a mid-race Safety Car, the Swiss racer pounced and snatched third.

Closing up on the leading duo, Bättig swept through to second and claimed her first single-seater podium — becoming the first female driver to score a podium in the Formula Winter Series since its debut weekend back in 2023.

“I’m very happy to do my first podium here,” remarked Bättig. “I started literally from last place. I saw some drops and I said we can take risks. I went in and we went for the wet tyres, it certainly went well.”

Behind her, Paatz was flourishing in the wet. Starting P27, the German driver cut through the field up to third, capping off a historic moment with the series’ first double female podium.