Alisha Palmowski entered F1 Academy Qualifying at the 2026 Canadian GP as the early favourite after topping Free Practice. The Red Bull Racing-backed driver had edged out Audi-backed Emma Felbermayr and TAG Heuer-backed Megan Bruce, while Gatorade-backed Lisa Billard, Mercedes-backed Payton Westcott, Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen, and Racing Bulls-backed Rafaela Ferreira had also shown strong pace. That fierce competition set up a closely fought Qualifying session, which ultimately saw Palmowski top the timesheets ahead of the three races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Palmowski sets the early benchmark
After a disrupted day across all three categories at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, F1 Academy Qualifying began at 18:18 local time, slightly later than scheduled. Nevertheless, once the lights went green, all 18 drivers headed out, aiming to maximise the 30-minute session.
After a few exploratory laps, the drivers worked to bring their tyres and brakes up to temperature before posting their first representative times. Alisha Palmowski set the early benchmark with a 1:43.963, then improved to a 1:40.490.
However, McLaren-backed Ella Lloyd soon beat that effort, going fastest with a 1:40.316. Lisa Billard moved into P3 with a 1:40.589, ahead of TAG Heuer-backed Megan Bruce in P4 with a 1:40.635 and Aston Martin-backed Mathilda Paatz in P5 with a 1:40.781.
Larsen and Ferreira join the fight
Palmowski quickly responded. The Red Bull Racing-backed driver reclaimed top spot with a 1:39.395, while Racing Bulls-backed Rafaela Ferreira moved into P2 with a 1:39.850. Meanwhile, Billard continued to show strong pace, taking P3 with a 1:40.061.
However, Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen soon disrupted the order. She went second-fastest with a 1:39.765, missing Palmowski’s benchmark by just three-hundredths. As a result, Ferreira and Billard each dropped a place. Further back, Haas-backed Kaylee Countryman climbed to P5, ahead of PUMA-backed Rachel Robertson in P6.
After the early flurry of fast laps, the drivers returned to the pit lane. Their teams then allowed tyre pressures to drop and made the necessary changes ahead of the second half of the session.
Palmowski survives a scare
As the second half began, Palmowski remained in the fight at the front. However, a lock-up almost jeopardised her session. She kept the car out of the wall, while the rest of the field completed their out-laps behind her.
Bruce delivered the first major improvement of the second half, jumping to P2 and moving within 0.227s of provisional pole-sitter Palmowski. Then, as Palmowski set the fastest times in Sectors 1 and 2, she looked set to extend her advantage. Bruce, however, stayed close, while Audi-backed Emma Felbermayr improved to P4 ahead of Ferreira.
Palmowski then lowered the benchmark to a 1:38.806. Soon after, Ferreira improved and moved into P2 ahead of Bruce. Meanwhile, Paatz also found more time before Mercedes-backed Payton Westcott delivered a statement lap with just over 10 minutes remaining, moving up to second.
Westcott and Bruce keep the pressure on
Further back, Alpine-backed Nina Gademan improved to P13 after moving ahead of McLaren Oxagon-backed Joanne Ciconte Stevens and Wild Card entry Autumn Fisher. Lloyd, meanwhile, finally returned to the track after a lengthy spell in the pit lane, although she remained down in P13 as the clock continued to tick.
Improvements continued into the final eight minutes. Westcott strengthened her hold on second with another strong lap, while Larsen, who had dropped down the order as her rivals improved, climbed back to P5 ahead of Paatz.
Meanwhile, Palmowski reinforced her grip on provisional pole by improving to a 1:38.526. Bruce then moved back into P2, passing Westcott. Elsewhere, Lloyd struggled around the circuit, narrowly keeping the car out of the barriers but staying down in P16. Gademan then broke into the top 10, moving to P9, before Billard improved to P6 and pushed her back one place.
Late drama in the final minutes
With five minutes remaining, yellow flags briefly appeared after LEGO-backed Esmee Kosterman had a moment. At the same time, Lloyd retired from the session, while Palmowski improved again to a 1:38.466.
Westcott then reclaimed P2, ending up just 0.390s off Palmowski. Meanwhile, American Express-backed Ava Dobson moved into P10, although she remained more than 1.1s off the pace.
In the final two minutes, Felbermayr improved to P6, while Fisher overtook Kosterman in the battle for P17. With one minute left, Larsen improved again and returned to P5. However, Westcott locked up, costing herself the chance to complete another flying lap.
Palmowski secures top spot
In the dying moments, the improvements continued. Felbermayr climbed to P4, while Paatz took the chequered flag in P5.
Ultimately, Alisha Palmowski finished Qualifying at the top of the timesheets, ahead of Westcott in P2 and Bruce in P3. With Qualifying complete, the stage was set for the weekend’s three races. The drivers’ second-fastest times would decide the starting order for Saturday’s Opening Race, scheduled to begin at 09:45 local time.
