ALISHA PALMOWSKI Dominates Shanghai Practice as F1 Academy Returns

March 13, 2026

• ALISHA PALMOWSKI made a commanding statement in the 2026 F1 Academy season opener, topping Shanghai practice with a 2:04.550—a comfortable half-second clear of ALBA LARSEN and PAYTON WESTCOTT. The Red Bull-backed driver, who won on debut last season, waited patiently before unleashing her pace in the final fifteen minutes, becoming the first to break the 2:05 barrier and immediately asserting herself as the one to beat among a grid mixing returning contenders and impressive rookies.
• ALBA LARSEN and PAYTON WESTCOTT engaged in a fascinating mid-session battle for supremacy before PALMOWSKI’s late intervention. LARSEN, now Ferrari-supported at MP Motorsport, led for much of the forty-minute session and continuously lowered benchmarks on the green Shanghai surface, eventually claiming second. WESTCOTT responded brilliantly whenever challenged, securing third just three hundredths behind the Dane, while RAFAELA FERREIRA’s late surge to fourth showcased the competitive depth across the refreshed 2026 field.
• The supporting cast delivered intriguing performances as EMMA FELBERMAYR briefly topped the charts mid-session, while LISA BILLARD—impressive during her Singapore wildcard last year—hustled to fifth with a late improvement. Karting graduate ELLA STEVENS impressed in her single-seater debut running sixth at one stage, and wildcard SHI WEI provided home crowd entertainment despite a Turn 1 spin. ELLA LLOYD battled rear tyre issues to seventh while NINA GADEMAN rounded out the top ten, setting up a qualifying session that promises genuine unpredictability.

all-female f1 academy, brazilian formula 4, shanghai international circuit