Alisha Palmowski dominates Montreal Opening Race for first win of the season, as Bruce and Paatz secure maiden F1 Academy podiums

Alisha Palmowski converted her dominant qualifying pace into a commanding first victory of the F1 Academy season in Race 1 with a flawless performance in Montreal to take the championship lead after securing the largest winning margin in F1 Academy history. Megan Bruce and Mathilda Paatz both claimed their first podium finishes in the series.

Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool

Alisha Palmowski converted her dominant qualifying pace into a commanding first victory of the 2026 F1 Academy season in Race 1 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with a flawless performance in Montreal to take the championship lead after a dramatic opening contest.

The Red Bull-backed British driver controlled the race from lights to flag, securing the largest winning margin in F1 Academy history, while rookies Megan Bruce and Mathilda Paatz both claimed their first podium finishes after impressive drives.

After topping free practice as well as qualifying on Friday, Palmowski lined up from pole position searching for the race result to match her outright pace; entering the weekend just four points behind championship leader Emma Felbermayr, the Campos Racing driver needed a clean and decisive race to capitalize.

At lights out, Palmowski delivered the perfect launch and immediately retained the lead into Turn 1. Behind her however, disaster struck for championship leader Felbermayr, who stalled on the grid and dropped all the way to the back of the field before eventually getting underway. Megan Bruce therefore moved into second ahead of Payton Westcott and Mathilda Paatz as the field streamed through the opening corners.

Further behind, Ava Dobson was tagged by Kosterman, locked up and ran through the runoff area after suffering a puncture and was forced to pit at the end of the opening lap.

The midfield immediately produced intense action, with three- and four-wide battles involving Lisa Billard, Rafaela Ferreira and Alba Larsen. Despite starting only 16th after suspension issues in qualifying, Ella Lloyd made an exceptional opening lap charge, climbing to eleventh by the end of lap one. Fellow Rodin Motorsport McLaren driver Ella Stevens also made strong progress, moving from twelfth to tenth, while Nina Gademan advanced into eighth place.

Billard soon encountered problems after contact with the rear of Larsen’s car damaged her front wing. Although the French driver initially continued, she began struggling to defend from both Gademan and Stevens with the damaged aero package before eventually pitting at the end of lap four.

At the front, Palmowski immediately began to escape, building a gap of nearly two seconds to Bruce, who continued to defend strongly from Westcott. Behind the leading trio however, Mathilda Paatz emerged as a serious podium contender: the German rookie set the fastest lap of the race to that stage with a 1:40.476 as she attempted to close back onto the leaders.

Further down the order, Natalia Granada spun at Turn 1 following contact with Rachel Robertson, dropping down the order before rejoining.

After her disastrous start, Felbermayr immediately began a determined recovery drive. The Austrian passed Jade Jacquet, Autumn Fisher and Kosterman in quick succession to climb to twelfth by lap four, while simultaneously setting a new fastest lap of 1:39.749. The Audi-backed driver then cleared Rachel Robertson as well to move into eleventh place.

The two Rodin McLaren teammates meanwhile engaged in a close but clean battle, with Lloyd eventually passing Stevens for ninth position after a strong recovery through the field.

Kosterman’s difficult race worsened further when the Dutch driver picked up a left-rear puncture alongside front wing damage. She pitted on lap five and rejoined at the back of the field before later receiving a penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

Out front, Palmowski remained completely unchallenged. Her advantage grew beyond four seconds over teammate Bruce, who continued to defend heavily from Westcott. However, the Mercedes-backed American was then handed a five-second penalty for failing to rejoin correctly after using the runoff area at the final chicane on the opening lap.

Westcott attempted to increase the pressure on Bruce but ran wide around the outside and ran through the grass, losing momentum and positions to both Paatz and Ferreira.

Paatz now looked increasingly threatening in the fight for second place and was quicker than Bruce, gaining half a second on lap nine alone. Their battle however played directly into Palmowski’s hands, as the race leader continued to deliver fastest laps consistently while extending her advantage.

Further behind, Westcott’s pace dropped significantly after her off-track moment. She first lost out to Gademan and then came under pressure from compatriot Kaylee Countryman. Their battle opened the door for Lloyd to snatch seventh place, while Ella Stevens also overtook Westcott for ninth as the Mercedes driver continued to struggle. Felbermayr was next through, promoting the recovering Austrian into the top ten. Westcott would eventually pit to assess damage.

Gademan herself then came under investigation after similarly using the runoff at the final chicane incorrectly. The Alpine-backed Dutch driver also received a five-second penalty.

The closest fight on track remained the battle for second between Bruce and Paatz, with Ferreira and Larsen also joining the queue behind. Despite her earlier pit stop, Lisa Billard showcased remarkable pace in clean air, setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:39.155.

On the final lap, the fight for second intensified once more, but Bruce defended superbly and refused to leave any opening for Paatz.

At the chequered flag, Palmowski completed a dominant victory, winning the opening race of the Montreal triple-header by an extraordinary 10.1-second margin - the largest winning gap in F1 Academy history. Behind her, Megan Bruce secured a stellar second place to claim the first podium of her F1 Academy career, while Mathilda Paatz finished third for her own maiden podium finish in an outstanding result for the two rookies.

Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool

Campos Racing completed a dominant morning with Rafaela Ferreira in fourth, ahead of Alba Larsen in fifth - the Danish driver securing her best finish of the season so far after an unlucky round in Shanghai.

Ella Lloyd produced one of the best drives of the race by climbing from sixteenth on the grid to sixth place, scoring valuable points. Kaylee Countryman secured seventh and her first career F1 Academy points, while Ella Stevens also claimed her maiden points finish in ninth.

Felbermayr’s recovery eventually gained her tenth place and a single championship point, but it was not enough to retain the championship lead as Palmowski moved into clear control of the standings.

Rachel Robertson finished eleventh ahead of Canadian wildcard Autumn Fisher, who completed a very solid debut race in twelfth. Jade Jacquet took thirteenth ahead of Natalia Granada, while Lisa Billard, Payton Westcott, Ava Dobson and Esmee Kosterman all reached the finish despite pit stops and setbacks.

With the victory, Palmowski moved onto 50 championship points and opened up a 19-point advantage over Felbermayr, while Rafaela Ferreira climbed to third in the standings after the first of three Montreal races.

Attention would quickly turn to the second race of the weekend later in the evening, featuring the reverse-grid format. TGR Haas F1 Team driver Kaylee Countryman will be starting from pole position for the first time in her F1 Academy career alongside Rafaela Ferreira when Race 2 gets underway at 18:05 local time.