Palmowski wins in Zandvoort from Larsen to extend F1 Academy championship lead

Credit: F1 Academy

Alisha Palmowski kept a charging Alba Larsen at bay to take her fourth win of the season and extend her championship lead, with home favourite Nina Gademan completing the podium on F1 Academy’s final visit to Zandvoort.

Here's how F1 Academy's Feature Race in Zandvoort played out.

Race Report

As the five lights blinked out, Palmowski held on to the lead from Larsen as Natalia Granada, starting from third, slipped back to give way to Nina Gademan who had bolted up from fifth. 

Larsen continued to heap the pressure upon championship leader Palmowski, going side-by-side with the Red Bull car but still unable to make the move. Further back, McLaren’s Ella Lloyd had made plenty of moves across the opening lap, progressing to eighth after starting down in 11th.

Meanwhile, Granada was now at risk of dropping further from fourth as Emma Felbermayr began to chase down the Spaniard, brushing wheels as they jostled for position. The key battles on track as Lap 4 began were between Palmowski and Larsen for the lead, and Granada and Felbermayr for fourth.

With seven of 17 laps completed, the top 10 was occupied by Palmowski, Larsen, Gademan, Granada, Felbermayr, Megan Bruce, Rachel Robertson, Lloyd, Payton Westcott and Esmee Kosterman; with a train forming behind Bruce down to Jade Jaquet in 11th.

At the head of the field, Palmowski continued to keep Ferrari driver Larsen at bay, with just a tenth separating the two, Larsen holding the fastest lap. Larsen was then told over radio that Palmowski was starting to struggle, giving the MP Motorsport driver more encouragement to continue attacking Palmowski.

With seven laps to go, the gap between Palmowski and Larsen remained steadily within a second, but Palmowski seemed to unleash more pace as the seconds ticked down after taking the fastest lap from Larsen. 

Further back, Robertson began lining up an attack on Brice in sixth, forcing Bruce to take defensive measures. Lloyd quickly joined this tussle to make it a three-car battle for sixth, with Robertson now having to check her mirrors while also chasing Bruce ahead. 

With two laps to go, Bruce was under pressure from a number of drivers all lining up in the train behind her, ready to break out of it and pounce for the overtake at any given moment. 

Lisa Billard in 12th was also looking to join this multi-car chase, making great progress after starting down in 17th. 

Up front, Palmowski had managed to pull away from Larsen, the gap between the two now a comfortable 2.3 seconds. As the chequered flag fell, Palmowski sailed to victory from Larsen and Gademan, the Alpine driver clinching a podium on home soil.

The rest of the points-scorers were Granada in fourth followed by Felbermayr, Bruce, Robertson, Lloyd, Westcott and Kosterman.

Looking Ahead

This round marked F1 Academy's final trip to Zandvoort, with the circuit's contract with Formula One expiring this year, a place that has been on the F1 Academy calendar ever since its inaugural season. Following this bittersweet weekend, the series heads to the United States for its final two rounds, with Austin playing host first.

F1 Academy will return on 22nd October, where Palmowski will be eager to place one hand upon the championship trophy following her dominant run so far.