CHIARA BATTIG, 16, Stuns F1 Academy Field With Historic Silverstone Pole
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July 3, 2026
GRRL! SUMMARY:
- CHIARA BATTIG, 16, delivered sensational pace for Hitech, dipping into 2m01s to claim pole by 0.177s over championship leader ALISHA PALMOWSKI—becoming F1 Academy’s youngest polesitter and first wildcard to top qualifying.
- PALMOWSKI pushed hard in her Red Bull-liveried Campos entry, improving late to 2m01.952s but couldn’t match BATTIG’s blistering 2m01.775s benchmark despite leading early running and mounting sustained pressure throughout.
- LISA BILLARD snatched third for ART with purple sector pace, logging 2m02.180s while AVA DOBSON grabbed fourth from RACHEL ROBERTSON in dying moments as yellow flags prevented late improvements.
- NINA GADEMAN controlled early proceedings before fading to seventh, while ELLA LLOYD found late speed for McLaren-backed Rodin to claim sixth, just 0.025s behind Robertson’s final Hitech effort.
UPCOMING:
- F1 Academy Race 1 at Silverstone – July 7, 2026
- F1 Academy Race 2 at Silverstone – July 7, 2026
LINKS TO RACER'S PROFILE PAGES:
GRRL! summary based upon reporting by Jacob Awcock originally appearing on formulascout.com
