‘It’s all to play for’ – Palmowski convinced Qualifying momentum can propel her to pole in Montreal

Alisha Palmowski is brimming with confidence after topping Free Practice in Montreal, but the Red Bull Racing driver isn’t expecting to have an easy time on her hands as she hunts down her first F1 ACADEMY pole position this afternoon.

With only one session to learn the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve before Qualifying, it was vital that the drivers’ preparations paid off. Fortunately for Palmowski, her simulator work translated onto the track as she and Campos Racing teammate Chloe Chambers exchanged fastest laps for the majority of the session.

It was the Briton who ended up on top, setting a 1:38.898 to go 0.074s faster than Chambers at the chequered flag. Speaking after the session, Palmowski was assured that Campos have put together the right package for Round 4.

“It was a really strong session,” she began. “We've done hundreds and hundreds of laps on the simulator, both at the Red Bull Racing Technology Campus in Milton Keynes and also at the Campos factory in Valencia. Lots of preparation work has gone into it and that's obviously really helped me out on track.

“The sims are so realistic, so all my braking references, my turning references and all the kerb usage, everything was just as I expected. The car felt really good as well, great baseline set-up. There’s still some time to find, nevertheless though, I know some areas where I can find some more time, but a great baseline and a good confidence booster.”

As the Teams’ Standings leaders, Campos have already demonstrated that they can perform across a variety of circuits and their underlying pace shows little sign of abating in Montreal. With Racing Bulls’ Rafaela Ferreira finishing inside the top-seven, Palmowski is confident her team can continue to deliver the goods.

READ MORE: PRACTICE: Palmowski pips Chambers in Campos 1-2 on Montreal debut

“In Campos Racing this year, we do have a very strong outfit in general, but especially in FP, myself and Chloe up in the top two," she added. "Quite a margin as well we’ve got to third place, which is always nice to have. It’s great to see Rafa in the top-seven as well, so fingers crossed we can replicate that in Qualifying.

“I know it's going to be difficult once F1 have been out. The grip levels will rise and the temperatures are rising as well now. There'll be a different dynamic and how the car will feel on the circuit later on today for Qualifying and but I'm super excited and I think it’s all to play for.”

Qualifying inside the top-five in each of the first three rounds, Palmowski has gone from strength to strength in terms of her one lap pace. Whilst her first pole position has eluded her so far, the Red Bull Racing driver believes Montreal could be the place to do it but is wary of how the track will have evolved.

“My Qualifying this year has been an upwards trajectory,” said Palmowski. “P5 in Round 1, P4 in Round 2 and P2 in Miami, so now we’ve got to go P1. We’ll try, we’re definitely in the fight for pole.

“I feel confident, but equally, I know Chloe is very strong. I know there are other cars that are going to be very strong as well, I’m expecting Doriane to be up there as well naturally. So, it’ll be tough and we still don’t really know what to expect because I'm expecting the conditions will change a lot, but absolutely we're aiming for pole, that would be amazing.”