Alisha Palmowski crowned 2026 F1 Academy champion in Austin with three races to spare

Britain’s Alisha Palmowski became the 2026 F1 Academy champion on Saturday, sealing the title at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin with three races of the season still to run (Gold Radio, RacingNews365).

Palmowski finished second in Saturday’s reverse-grid race behind Alba Larsen, who took her first win in the series, after charging from eighth on the grid. The result gave the Red Bull-backed Campos Racing driver a 70-point lead over her closest challenger, Emma Felbermayr, with a maximum of 67 points still available.

She had laid the foundations on Friday by winning the opening race in Austin ahead of Nina Gademan and Larsen, extending a dominant season in which she has won five of the 11 races so far with six pole positions. Palmowski is the second Briton to win the all-female championship after Abbi Pulling in 2024.

As champion, she is set to receive F1 Academy’s funded progression package, which typically includes a seat and testing allocation in a higher single-seater category such as FRECA or GB3, according to RacingNews365. Sunday’s feature race in Austin and the season-closing round in Las Vegas remain, but neither can change the destination of the title.