Alisha Palmowski secured her maiden pole position of the 2026 F1 Academy season following a dramatic qualifying session at the Chinese Grand Prix. She will start Sunday’s feature race from the front, with Alba Larsen lining up in second and Emma Felbermayr in third. Nina Gademan, despite qualifying eighth, will start from pole for Race 1 on Saturday due to the reverse grid format. The 30-minute session was intensely competitive, with a mere one second separating the top 12 drivers.
Palmowski Dominates Practice Session
Alisha Palmowski demonstrated impressive pace right from the start of her 2026 season campaign. The Red Bull-supported driver topped the timesheets in the weekend’s only practice session, finishing a commanding four and a half tenths clear of the second-placed competitor. The 19-year-old was clearly aiming to maintain this strong performance into qualifying. Experience proved vital for Alba Larsen, who secured second, while rookie Payton Westcott made a promising debut, ending the session in third.
Qualifying Gets Underway
Mathilda Paatz led the field out onto the track for the qualifying session at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. After the initial flying laps, Emma Felbermayr set the early benchmark with a time of 2:05.362. However, Alisha Palmowski quickly surpassed the Austrian driver by 0.487 seconds, showcasing her speed with two purple sectors. Rookie drivers were also making their mark in their first F1 Academy weekend; Lisa Billard and Ella Stevens both impressively placed themselves within the top five after just ten minutes. As the session progressed, Alba Larsen and Ella Lloyd, along with Palmowski, proved why they are considered season favorites, consistently battling for pole position before their first pit stops. The returning drivers, who had all raced in Shanghai the previous year, highlighted the significance of their experience, collectively occupying six of the top seven spots after the initial runs.
Disrupted Pole Bid
With ten minutes remaining on the clock, Kaylee Countryman brought out the session’s only red flag. The Haas-supported driver’s car came to a halt on track due to mechanical issues. Fortunately, after a brief minute, the ART driver managed to restart her car. Following a short delay in the pits, the F1 Academy session resumed. Larsen initially held onto the top spot, but lap times began to tumble rapidly. Palmowski then delivered a purple sector, snatching provisional pole by an incredibly tight 0.014-second margin over Larsen, setting up a thrilling finale with just five minutes left. Westcott then surged to third on the standings, just over a tenth behind the leaders. Palmowski further extended her lead to nearly half a second ahead of Larsen. Rafaela Ferreira also made a strong recovery from earlier mistakes, climbing into third position.
Palmowski Secures Pole in Shanghai
In the final minute, lap times continued to drop as drivers pushed to the absolute limit. Felbermayr jumped up to third, just two tenths behind Larsen. However, Larsen was unable to improve on her final run, allowing Palmowski to firmly hold onto her pole position. Despite a small lock-up, Westcott recovered to secure an impressive fourth place. She was the last driver to significantly alter her position, as Lloyd was unable to improve on her tenth spot. For Sunday’s Race 2, Palmowski will start from pole, followed by Larsen and Felbermayr. Westcott will be the highest-placed rookie in fourth, with Billard in sixth behind Ferreira. Nina Gademan, having qualified eighth, will lead the reverse grid Race 1 from pole on Saturday, joined on the front row by Spehora’s Natalia Granada, who qualified seventh.
