Alisha Palmowski secures F1 Academy crown at Circuit of the Americas

Britain's Alisha Palmowski clinched the F1 Academy title by finishing second in Saturday's reverse-grid race at the Circuit of the Americas. That result secured the championship before the remaining races on the weekend.

The 20-year-old becomes the youngest champion in the all-female development series and the second British driver to take the title after Abbi Pulling in 2024. Glossop-born Palmowski races for Campos Racing and is part of the Red Bull driver academy.

Denmark's Alba Larsen won the reverse-grid race to claim her first F1 Academy victory, with 17-year-old Lisa Billard of France finishing third. Austrian Emma Felbermayr was the only driver with a mathematical chance of overhauling Palmowski before Saturday's race, but her fourth-place finish left her short of the points needed to catch the leader.

Palmowski has won five out of the 11 races held so far this season. Her sole finish outside the points came in the reverse-grid race at Zandvoort.

Palmowski dedicated the championship to a family member and acknowledged her parents' support in a post-race interview, saying the victory was "a dream come true". In the same interview she added: "It's been a really special journey. I started racing when I was eight or nine years old, it was just me and my parents," she said. "The sacrifices that they've made behind the scenes, they've really put their lives on pause to allow me to live my dream."

The title was confirmed ahead of Sunday's feature race at the Circuit of the Americas and the season finale in Las Vegas in November.