Alisha Palmowski wins home race at Silverstone as Chiara Bättig makes history with first-ever wildcard podium
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Alisha Palmowski extended again her F1 Academy championship lead with a commanding victory in Sunday's feature race at Silverstone, defeating sensational wildcard Chiara Bättig in a thrilling opening-lap battle that restores her championship advantage to 30 points over Felbermayr after three rounds of the 2026 season.
Alisha Palmowski extended again her F1 Academy championship lead with a commanding victory in Sunday's feature race at Silverstone, defeating sensational wildcard Chiara Bättig in a thrilling opening-lap battle, the Swiss teenager nevertheless becoming the first wildcard driver in the championship's history to secure a podium finish. Emma Felbermayr completed another strong recovery drive to finish third after charging through the field from eighth on the grid.
The feature race concluded F1 Academy's first visit to Silverstone following an action-packed weekend that had already produced several headlines. On Friday, 16-year-old Red Bull Junior Chiara Bättig stunned the field by becoming the youngest pole sitter in F1 Academy history and the first wildcard driver ever to secure pole position, before recovering from eighth on the reverse grid to score her maiden championship point in Saturday's opening race.
Saturday's reverse-grid contest had seen Emma Felbermayr return to winning ways, reducing Palmowski's championship advantage to 19 points heading into the weekend's main event.
With the grid set by Friday's qualifying session, all eyes were on the front row, where Bättig prepared to make history once again by becoming the first wildcard driver ever to start an F1 Academy race from pole position. Alongside her sat championship leader Palmowski, determined to reclaim momentum on home soil after seeing her points advantage trimmed the previous day.
Behind the leading pair, Ella Lloyd and Ava Dobson occupied the second row, while Rachel Robertson and Lisa Billard lined up behind them. Felbermayr, despite entering the race second in the championship, faced another recovery challenge from eighth on the grid.
When the lights went out, Palmowski produced a superb launch - the British driver immediately pulled alongside Bättig as the pair raced wheel-to-wheel towards Silverstone's opening right-hander. Despite the Swiss rookie defending bravely around the outside, Palmowski emerged ahead to snatch the lead before the first corner, denying Bättig the opportunity to lead on her F1 Academy debut.
Behind them, Lloyd retained third, while Robertson launched an early attack on the McLaren-backed Welsh driver at the end of the Wellington Straight. However, Robertson suddenly found herself under pressure from the rapidly advancing Felbermayr. The Austrian in fact wasted no time carving through the field, making multiple overtakes on the opening lap to climb into fifth place.
Her charge also opened the door for Nina Gademan, who followed through to pass Robertson, relegating the Scottish driver to seventh by the end of the first lap.
At the final corner leading onto the pit straight, Rafaela Ferreira and Ella Stevens came together while running side-by-side. The pair locked wheels on the main straight in an incident that fortunately avoided collecting any of the approaching pack. The collision however left Stevens with front suspension damage, ending the British driver's home feature race before it had properly begun. Ferreira managed to continue briefly despite right-rear damage before limping back to the pit lane to retire.
With debris scattered across the start-finish straight, the Safety Car was deployed. To avoid the section of track, race control directed the field through the pit lane while marshals cleared the incident.
Racing resumed at the end of lap three.
Palmowski timed the restart perfectly, accelerating cleanly to retain control of the race. Bättig however responded equally well and remained attached to the championship leader's rear wing as the battle for victory resumed.
Behind them, Felbermayr immediately resumed her attack and Lloyd became her next target: the Audi-supported driver launched an ambitious move into Brooklands, and the pair raced side-by-side through several corners in one of the race's most exciting battles, before Felbermayr completed a superb overtake around the outside into the high-speed Copse corner.
Gademan immediately capitalised on this duel, also sweeping past the Lloyd through the Maggotts and Becketts sequence to claim fourth place. Ava Dobson and Robertson remained close behind, while Alba Larsen and Natalia Granada also became involved in the tightly contested midfield battle.
Exiting The Loop with superior traction, Granada carried her momentum into Brooklands to pass Ferrari Academy driver Larsen for eighth position.
Further back, Payton Westcott overtook Esmee Kosterman into Stowe to move into eleventh. However, both drivers soon came under investigation for alleged Safety Car infringements.
Westcott nevertheless continued her forward progress, quickly targeting Megan Bruce for ninth place. Bruce's TAG Heuer-backed car had sustained slight nose damage following minor contact with Larsen while running behind the Safety Car, but the British driver defended resolutely, refusing to surrender the position, after having passed Larsen when the Danish briefly dipped onto the grass and lost momentum.
At the front, however, Palmowski and Bättig emerged as in a class of their own; the pair steadily extended their advantage over the chasing group, pulling more than six seconds clear while continuing their battle for victory. Bättig consistently matched Palmowski's pace, repeatedly setting impressive sector times, but never quite managed to close sufficiently to launch a genuine overtaking attempt.
Palmowski responded every time the Swiss rookie threatened to reduce the gap. The championship leader eventually produced the fastest lap of the race, a 2:02.463, to re-establish a few tenths' margin.
Behind them, another contest developed as Gademan gradually closed on Felbermayr in the battle for the final podium position. The Alpine Academy driver repeatedly entered the Austrian's slipstream but could not find a way past. As the race entered its final lap, both podium battles remained alive.
Palmowski, however, kept her cool under pressure to claim a superb victory on home soil - her third triumph of the 2026 season - and extend her championship lead once again.
Bättig crossed the line in an outstanding second place, becoming the first wildcard driver in F1 Academy history to finish on the podium. The remarkable debut wrapped up a sensational weekend for the 16-year-old Red Bull Junior. The leading duo finished more than eight seconds clear of the rest of the field.
Felbermayr completed another exceptional recovery drive to secure third place after gaining five positions from her eighth-place starting slot, limiting the championship damage with another valuable podium finish.
Gademan narrowly missed out on the podium in fourth after keeping Felbermayr under pressure throughout the closing stages.
Lloyd completed another consistent weekend in fifth, while Robertson secured sixth to end by far her most productive F1 Academy weekend, collecting 13 championship points across the two Silverstone races.
Natalia Granada produced an excellent recovery drive to finish seventh after climbing through the midfield with several decisive overtakes. Dobson continued her strong weekend by claiming eighth place, scoring points in both races. Megan Bruce secured ninth after another combative race filled with close wheel-to-wheel battles, while Larsen recovered to claim the final championship point in tenth.
Payton Westcott finished eleventh and left Silverstone empty-handed despite showing encouraging pace throughout the race. Montreal race winner Mathilda Paatz could only manage P12.
Jade Jacquet enjoyed a much improved race compared to Saturday to finish P13, ahead of Lisa Billard in 14th. Kosterman crossed the line 15th after receiving a post-race penalty for a Safety Car infringement, while Kaylee Countryman completed the classified finishers.
Palmowski's home victory restores her championship advantage to 30 points over Felbermayr after three rounds of the 2026 season. Gademan's consistent Silverstone weekend also lifts the Alpine Academy driver into third place in the standings.
F1 Academy now heads to the Netherlands for the second and final European event of the season, with the championship resuming at Zandvoort on 22-23 August.
