Alisha Palmowski clinches F1 Academy title with second place in Austin

Alisha Palmowski secured the F1 Academy title with second place in Saturday's reverse-grid race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, BBC Sport reported. The 20-year-old British driver clinched the championship before Sunday's feature race, with the season's final meeting in Las Vegas still to come in November. Her runner-up finish was enough to put the title beyond her remaining rival's reach.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La65OLxHEk0

Austria's Emma Felbermayr had entered the race as the only driver still mathematically capable of catching Palmowski. She finished fourth, a result that ended her championship challenge. Denmark's Alba Larsen won the race to claim her first F1 Academy victory, while France's Lisa Billard, 17, completed the podium behind Palmowski. The race therefore produced both a first-time winner and a confirmed series champion.

Palmowski, who was born in Glossop, races for Campos Racing and belongs to the Red Bull driver academy. BBC Sport reported that she becomes the youngest champion of the all-female development series. She is also the second British driver to take the championship, following Abbi Pulling's title success in 2024.

Her championship campaign has combined victories with consistent points finishes. Palmowski has won five of the 11 races held so far this season and has finished outside the points only once, in the reverse-grid race at Zandvoort. In Austin, she did not need to add another victory to that record: second place, coupled with Felbermayr's fourth, settled the title with races still remaining.

In her post-race interview, Palmowski dedicated the championship to her ill grandmother and thanked her family for supporting her career. She recalled starting racing at around eight or nine years old with her parents, and described the sacrifices they had made to help her pursue the sport. She said they had put their own lives on hold to give her that opportunity.

Palmowski described winning the title as a dream realised. She can now approach Sunday's feature race in Austin as champion, rather than with the standings still unresolved. The Las Vegas finale in November also remains on the schedule, but the championship has already been decided.