With two more podiums in a dramatic season finale at Brands Hatch, Alisha Palmowski concluded her impressive rookie season in single-seater racing as the GB4 vice-champion, securing three victories, two pole positions, and a remarkable total of eleven podiums - also claiming the € 30,000 career contribution from MSV for the highest finishing female driver.
Alisha Palmowski completed her first season of single-seater racing with an outstanding second place in the standings, as the 18-year-old added two more podiums to her tally during the Brands Hatch season finale and was crowned GB4 vice-champion.
Palmowski, who graduated from the highly-competitive Ginetta Junior Championship at the start of 2024 after a remarkable season where she claimed 10 podium finishes in 2023, demonstrated immediate speed right from pre-season tests and went on to make headlines with a spectacular debut at Oulton Park, securing victory in her first-ever formula race.
She returned to the podium at Silverstone with a second-place finish, followed by another top-three at Donington, before enjoying an outstanding weekend at Snetterton where the Elite Motorsport driver secured two wins and a second-place finish. Palmowski continued her unbroken record of podium finishes, standing on the podium again at Silverstone and Donington. This impressive run kept her mathematically in contention for the GB4 Championship title going into the season finale at Brands Hatch—in one of the most remarkable rookie seasons in recent memory.
Despite her rival Linus Granfors, with six race victories to his name, being the favorite for the title, Palmowski's consistency and speed made her a formidable competitor throughout the season, turning heads with her pace right from the practice sessions at each round.
At the challenging and demanding Brands Hatch GP circuit, a track used on limited occasions and with limited testing opportunities, it was no exception for Palmowski, who was soon up to pace and set the fourth fastest time in both combined results of the testing days leading up to the weekend, which saw the three title contenders separated by a handful of tenths in mixed weather conditions.
Unfortunately, a mechanical issue in qualifying threw a wrench in Palmowski's plans. She could only manage to post a lap time toward the end of the session, which placed her sixth on the grid for Race 1 and seventh in the second-best lap classification. Meanwhile, Granfors secured double pole positions. However, Palmowski had shown remarkable overtaking skills throughout the season, and she was determined to make a strong recovery in the final three races.
When the lights went out on Saturday for Race 1, Granfors made a clean start, but Palmowski was even faster, leaping up to P4 by the first lap. As Blakely and Burgoyne battled for second, Palmowski was right behind them.
When Granfors made a mistake under pressure from Burgoyne, both KMR Sport cars passed him, and Palmowski also capitalized, overtaking Granfors into Paddock Hill Bend. This moved her from P6 to P3 in a single lap—crucially placing her ahead of her championship rival.
Palmowski maintained excellent pace, with her lap times faster than Granfors’ by lap 3. Up ahead, Blakeley set the fastest lap of the race and managed to pull away slightly from Palmowski, who was holding her own in third while fending off pressure from Granfors in fourth.
Despite her best efforts, a small mistake on lap 9 allowed Granfors to pass her, dropping Palmowski to fourth after a great save. While she continued to push, Palmowski ultimately finished fourth, setting her personal best time on the final lap in 1:25.3, half a second quicker than Granfors.
Alisha’s championship hopes remained alive as she lined up for Race 2. After an overnight adjustment to her car's setup by her team, she felt more confident with the car’s balance. Starting from seventh, Palmowski made another excellent start, climbing to sixth by the end of lap 1. After Templeton ran wide and Harrison made a similar mistake, Palmowski was up to P4 by the end of the opening lap.
Palmowski quickly set her sights on Burgoyne and made a decisive pass for third on lap 2. With Granfors running cautiously, Palmowski was soon on his tail, aiming to put pressure on her title rival.
Granfors, however, managed to pick up the pace and began to open a small gap. Palmowski set her personal best time by lap 10 with a 1:25.4 and remained safely ahead of Burgoyne in fourth, which was crucial for the championship standings.
Lucas Blakely dominated the race, winning by a large margin of 7.7 seconds, while Granfors crossed the line in second to secure the 2024 GB4 Championship title. Alisha Palmowski completed another strong recovery drive, finishing in third after starting seventh, securing another podium.
“Great result overall, we’ve had such a tricky weekend so far and we’ve been on the back foot since qualifying really with a little mechanical failure and then we’ve just not had the confidence in the car the balance just hasn’t really been underneath me", Alisha said after returning to the podium. "Brands Hatch GP is just a massive confidence track really so Elite Motorsport did a brilliant job last night, working incredibly hard to get me a better setup overnight which was a step in the right direction."
"I'm still lacking a little bit of pace to Linus [Granfors] and congratulations to him, he’s a brilliant champion and I’m really pleased for him and the team", she continued, congratulating the worthy champion.
“It’s been such a tough weekend and it’s been quite a confidence knock for me to be honest so to come away with a podium is a really good improvement and we had a great few opening laps and race start so there’s positives to take away. Obviously I’m not going to say I’m happy to have lost the championship but I’m happy with second and I’m ahead of Harry [Burgoyne] in the reverse grid so I’m pretty happy right now.”
The final race of the season was all about the battle for second place in the championship between Palmowski and Burgoyne, who were separated by only nine points. With a reverse grid format, Palmowski started from P5. Drama unfolded as Blakely spun on the formation lap, resulting in a delayed start.
When the race eventually began, the drivers struggled for traction due to cold conditions (12°C). Palmowski made another excellent start, avoiding the chaos around her as Baxter dropped a wheel off, and Jack Taylor spun, triggering a safety car on lap 2. Palmowski made an incredible save to avoid spinning herself after being squeezed onto the grass and moved up to P4 by the time the race was neutralized.
The race restarted on lap 4 with just 8 minutes to go. Palmowski immediately passed Baxter for third and began to chase down Hickey, who soon spun out under pressure, promoting Palmowski to second. Harrison, who had a 2-second gap, tried to pull away, but Palmowski set the fastest lap of the race and began to close the gap. However, her Elite Motorsport responded with another fastest lap, maintaining his lead.
Meanwhile, Palmowski came under pressure from Granfors, while Burgoyne was recovering positions and setting purple sectors. On the final lap, Wilson ran wide, allowing Burgoyne to secure seventh. In a dramatic finish, Harrison took the victory, and Palmowski crossed the line in second, securing her place as GB4 vice-champion by just one point over Burgoyne, after a dramatic season finale at Brands Hatch.
Palmowski’s 2024 season thus ended with three victories, two pole positions, 11 podiums, and 16 top-five finishes in 20 races. She earned the title of GB4 vice-champion and was the highest-finishing female driver in the series, earning a €30,000 prize fund from MSV toward a potential F1 Academy seat in 2025.
As we await her next plans for 2025, Palmowski’s GB4 rookie season will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most promising and remarkable of the year.
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