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Six defining moments on Palmowski's journey to becoming the 2026 F1 ACADEMY Champion
Alisha Palmowski has been crowned the 2026 F1 ACADEMY Drivers' Champion, becoming the series’ fourth Champion and the first Campos Racing driver to secure the title.
Five victories and six pole positions have made the Red Bull Racing driver a formidable presence throughout her second season, although the road to the title has not been without its complications. Having finished fifth in 2025, Palmowski returned with a year's experience and a better understanding of the mistakes that had cost her valuable results.
From rewriting the record books in Montreal to an unlikely title coronation in Austin, here are six moments that helped shape Palmowski's campaign.
1. Montreal Qualifying
There was a rather curious omission from Palmowski's rookie record. Despite winning on her full-time debut in Shanghai — following her Wild Card appearance in Lusail in 2024 — and collecting five podiums throughout 2025, she had never secured a pole position in F1 ACADEMY.
She put that right immediately in Shanghai this year, qualifying more than four-tenths clear of Alba Larsen. Unfortunately, a difficult start to the Feature Race meant she left China six points adrift from eventual title rival Emma Felbermayr.
The early Standings deficit did little to suggest what was coming in Montreal. Palmowski topped Free Practice before producing the two fastest laps in Qualifying, securing pole position for both the Opening Race and Feature Race. Her quickest effort of 1:38.466 was almost four-tenths clear of Payton Westcott.
With two grid positions determined by each driver's fastest and second-fastest laps, there was little room for error. Palmowski had found the pace to beat her rivals not once, but twice, and would start both races with the advantage.
READ MORE: STANDOUT STARS: Who earned their spurs at Round 5 in Austin?
It was the beginning of an extraordinary Qualifying record that would see the Briton collect six pole positions across the opening five rounds, with only pole at Silverstone eluding her.
2. Montreal Feature Race
Breaking an F1 ACADEMY record is impressive enough. Breaking your own record just two days later is even more remarkable.
Palmowski had already won Friday's Opening Race by an extraordinary 10.119s, the largest winning margin in the series’ history. With Felbermayr stalling at the start and finishing 10th, the Briton also overturned her six-point deficit to establish a 19-point lead.
Saturday's Reverse Grid Race was less rewarding, with contact and front-wing damage leaving Palmowski outside the points, but Sunday's Feature Race offered another opportunity to capitalise on her Qualifying advantage.
Early morning showers had left the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve cold and slippery, with a developing dry line presenting changing levels of grip throughout the race.
Palmowski retained the lead into Turn 1 and steadily extended her advantage over the chasing field. Nothing could prevent her from crossing the line 10.955s ahead of Felbermayr. The record she had established on Friday had lasted all of two days as she produced an even larger winning margin.
Across the weekend, Palmowski collected 53 of the 65 available points, extending her advantage to 25 after just two rounds. Felbermayr had recovered to finish second in the Feature Race, but the damage to her early title lead had already been done.
3. Silverstone Feature Race
Few drivers would admit to dreaming about Turn 1 at Silverstone, although Palmowski had rather good reason to be preoccupied with the opening corner ahead of her home Feature Race.
The Briton had struggled with the balance of her car throughout the weekend and considered herself fortunate to have qualified on the front row. Wild Card entrant Chiara Bättig had meanwhile produced a remarkable lap to claim pole position by 0.177s, becoming the first Wild Card driver to achieve the feat.
With overtaking difficult around Silverstone, Palmowski had spent much of her preparation thinking about how she might get ahead of Bättig at the start. So much so, she later revealed, that the manoeuvre had begun appearing in her dreams.
When the lights went out, Palmowski made the move she had been imagining, beating Bättig into Turn 1 and taking the lead. The Swiss driver remained close throughout, however, with the pair separated by just six-tenths at the chequered flag.
It was Palmowski's third victory of the season, and a particularly satisfying result given the difficulties she had experienced with the car and securing the win at track she’d been a spectator at only a few years before. Felbermayr had won the Reverse Grid Race and recovered from eighth to third in the Feature Race, but Palmowski still left Silverstone with her Standings advantage extended to 30 points.
4. Zandvoort Qualifying
There are few circuits where a Qualifying mistake is particularly forgiving, and Zandvoort is certainly not one of them. With its narrow layout and limited overtaking opportunities, a strong grid position is especially valuable.
The tumultuous weather made Palmowski's task considerably more difficult. Heavy rain had left the circuit thoroughly soaked, with the drivers initially running on wet-weather tyres and several struggling to keep their cars on the track. Palmowski herself briefly ran through the gravel at Turn 11, while two Red Flags interrupted proceedings.
As the circuit began to dry, the field switched to slick tyres with just five minutes remaining, leaving little opportunity to find a competitive lap. Larsen initially appeared to have secured pole position with a 1:41.775, but Palmowski was still formidable as she completed her final flying lap.
The Red Bull Racing driver crossed the line with a 1:40.911, beating Larsen by an extraordinary 0.864 seconds and becoming the only driver to break into the 1:40s. It was her fourth pole position of the season and the largest qualifying margin she had established all year.
For a driver who had spent much of 2025 frustrated by small mistakes in otherwise promising sessions, the ability to recover from an excursion through the gravel and still finish almost nine-tenths clear was an encouraging sign.
5. Zandvoort Feature Race
Palmowski had been almost nine-tenths faster than her nearest rival in Qualifying, although her advantage was of little use when she stalled on the grid at the start of Saturday's Reverse Grid Race.
The Briton eventually recovered to 12th, leaving Felbermayr with an opportunity to reduce the championship deficit. Unfortunately for the Audi driver, her own race proved equally unrewarding, with a five-second penalty dropping her outside the points. For the first time all season, neither of the leading title contenders had scored.
Palmowski's difficulties off the line were not quite finished, either. Starting from pole in Sunday's Feature Race, she suffered excessive wheelspin as Larsen challenged for the lead. Palmowski defended the inside line into Turn 1, retaining the advantage despite another uncomfortable getaway.
Larsen remained close throughout the opening stages, with the pair pulling clear of the chasing field. The Dane was unable to find a way past, however, and Palmowski gradually began to establish some breathing room.
By the chequered flag, the Briton had extended her advantage to almost three seconds, securing her fourth victory of the season. Having taken pole position, led every lap and recorded the fastest lap, Palmowski also completed her first F1 ACADEMY Grand Slam.
Felbermayr finished fifth, allowing Palmowski to leave Zandvoort with a 48-point advantage and two rounds remaining. It had been an unusual weekend for the Red Bull Racing driver, whose difficulties getting away from the grid contrasted sharply with the pace she had shown once the racing was underway.
6. Austin Reverse Grid Race
There was a certain irony to Palmowski securing the Drivers' title in a Reverse Grid Race. Despite winning five races and establishing herself as the season’s strongest qualifier, the Briton had collected just eight points from the alternative format across the opening four rounds.
Contact and damage in Montreal, a fifth-place finish at Silverstone and a stall at Zandvoort had all contributed to her difficulties. Palmowski had largely treated the Reverse Grid Races as an exercise in damage limitation, knowing that unnecessary risks could prove costly to her wider title ambitions.
Yet after winning Friday's Opening Race in Austin, she found herself with a 63-point advantage over Felbermayr and the opportunity to be crowned champion the following afternoon. Starting eighth, immediately ahead of her closest rival, Palmowski faced the prospect of clawing her way through the closely contested midfield rather than controlling proceedings from pole position.
An eventful opening lap allowed her to climb to sixth before the Safety Car was deployed. When racing resumed, Palmowski continued her progress, keeping Felbermayr behind as both drivers advanced towards the podium.
A penalty for Natalia Granada originally running in third promoted Palmowski into the podium positions while Felbermayr moved into fourth. Ahead was Gatorade driver Lisa Billard, who was pursuing her maiden F1 ACADEMY podium. Palmowski gradually closed the gap before completing the overtake for second, leaving her title rival with no opportunity to prevent the title from being decided.
The Briton crossed the line behind maiden race winner Larsen to secure the 2026 F1 ACADEMY Drivers' title with three races remaining. Palmowski's second-place finish put her 70 points clear of Felbermayr, an unassailable lead with only 67 points remaining across the final three races.
Palmowski had entered her second season hoping to make better use of the pace she had demonstrated throughout 2025. Five victories and six pole positions later, she had done considerably more than that.
And while her success had largely been built upon commanding performances from the front of the grid, it was a recovery from eighth in the format that had so often frustrated her that finally delivered the title — a fitting way to demonstrate the all-around talent that was worthy of becoming the series’ newest Champion.