Alba Larsen left the 2026 F1 Academy Zandvoort round with back-to-back podium finishes and a significant jump up the standings. The Ferrari-backed MP Motorsport driver finished second in both the Dutch GP Reverse Grid Race and the Feature Race. It was her maiden F1 Academy podium at a circuit she knows well. The double result moved her from ninth to fourth in the Drivers’ Standings. She left Zandvoort, however, with a sense of what might have been after coming close to a maiden victory in the Feature Race.
Larsen on her Feature Race battle with Palmowski at the F1 Academy Dutch GP
Larsen got a strong launch from the front row of the Feature Race grid. She slotted right behind championship leader Alisha Palmowski into Turn 1. She kept the pressure on throughout the opening laps, staying within DRS range. The high-speed nature of Zandvoort, however, made it difficult to get close enough to commit to a move.
“I think the win was definitely possible. Palmowski had a good start, so that definitely made it difficult because it is a hard track to overtake on, so my chance was in the beginning,” Larsen stated.
“I did everything I could. I really put pressure on her, especially in the beginning, trying to go around the outside at Turn 1. But backed out, as it was such a risky move, I thought.”
As the F1 Academy Feature Race at Zandvoort progressed, Larsen found the high-speed corners were taking their toll on her tyres. The gap that had been just fractions in the first half grew as the laps wound down.
“I really did my best in the beginning, but because it’s a track with high-speed corners, it makes it difficult to follow. I always came close into Sector 2, but then it was super hard to follow there. The last five laps I had no tyres left, as they were struggling to keep up behind Alisha. But for sure the win was possible, but that doesn’t mean I’m not happy with P2. I’m very happy. It’s a great result for me and the team. Just getting it home was so important,” Larsen stated.
Larsen on how the summer break shaped her performance at Zandvoort
Larsen arrived at Zandvoort having endured a difficult run of results across the first three F1 Academy rounds. The summer break gave her time to reset and prepare.
She had raced at Zandvoort earlier that summer in British F4, giving her valuable familiarity with the circuit. Larsen used that experience to qualify on the front row in the chaotic wet-to-dry session and maintain strong, consistent pace across both races.
“The summer break has really helped me. I have been in the sim a lot, in the gym and working and all that work paid off. I have driven on this track. I can do it in my sleep, so I really know the track and that has definitely helped me. I have been fast all weekend and that just helps with the confidence going into the next rounds,” she stated.
Larsen on what comes next as F1 Academy heads to Austin
Round 5 takes the F1 Academy series to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin for the first time since 2023. None of the drivers have experience of the track in an F1 Academy car. Larsen acknowledged the challenge but was confident her adaptability would serve her well.
“It’s going to be difficult. No one has been there before. The sim is going to be so important.”
“I think I have shown this weekend also that I have been the strongest at adapting to the conditions. In the wet, in the drying, in the fully dry. I have been straight on the pace from the beginning, meaning I can adapt, so going into Austin I feel confident that with the prep we do we can achieve something.”
“I don’t want to say anything until we get there, because again nobody has been there before. We don’t know how the track is going to suit us,” Larsen concluded.
Larsen leaves the F1 Academy Zandvoort round fourth in the Drivers’ Standings, her best position of the season. The back-to-back Dutch GP podiums represent the kind of momentum she will want to carry into Austin.
