The 2026 F1 Academy season began at the Shanghai International Circuit during the Chinese GP, with Red Bull-supported Alisha Palmowski setting the fastest time in a damp and dusty 40-minute Free Practice session.
With 18 drivers on the grid, the opening session offered the first indication of the competitive order for the weekend. Palmowski’s 2:04.550 proved enough to secure the top spot, but the session remained tightly contested, with Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen, Mercedes-supported Payton Westcott, and McLaren-backed Ella Lloyd among those challenging at the front.
Cold temperatures of nine degrees Celsius, combined with a damp surface and dusty conditions, made the early stages cautious as drivers focused on tyre preparation and initial data gathering. The session also featured the return of wild card entrant Shi Wei, alongside several debutants including McLaren Oxagon-backed Ella Stevens, Williams-supported Jade Jaquet, and Sephora-backed Natalia Granada, who was only announced hours before the session began.
Despite the tricky conditions, all drivers set representative times by the midpoint of the session, with just 2.2 seconds ultimately separating first from 18th, highlighting the closely matched field ahead of qualifying and the races to come.
A slow start to the F1 Academy Free Practice at the 2026 Chinese GP
The session began at 09:10 local time, with drivers cautiously venturing onto the track for exploratory laps before quickly returning to the pits for final setup adjustments.
A few minutes later, the field gradually returned to the circuit, led initially by McLaren’s Ella Lloyd with Haas-backed Kaylee Countryman close behind.
The first representative lap came from American Express-supported Ava Dobson, though with tyres still coming up to temperature, the early order quickly changed. Improvements followed from Juss Sport-supported Shi Wei, PUMA-supported Rachel Robertson, and Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen.
Larsen initially set the benchmark with a 2:11.223, before further improvements from Dobson and Shi briefly pushed her down the order. However, Larsen responded quickly, lowering the pace to 2:07.132, with Robertson following in P2 with a 2:08.289.
With 15 minutes elapsed, several drivers had yet to record times, choosing instead to remain in the pit lane and allow rivals to sweep dust from the racing line.
Times fall as more drivers join the session
As the session progressed beyond the halfway mark, more drivers ventured onto the circuit.
Among those joining the action were Ella Stevens, Alpine-backed Nina Gademan, Audi-supported Emma Felbermayr, Aston Martin-backed Mathilda Paatz, Mercedes-backed Payton Westcott, and Natalia Granada.
While they worked to build temperature into tyres and brakes, Larsen continued improving at the front, lowering the benchmark to 2:06.598 and then 2:06.149, maintaining a narrow advantage over Robertson.
With just over 30 minutes remaining, Robertson surged to the top of the timesheets with a 2:05.558, opening a gap of more than half a second to Larsen.
Behind them, Gademan climbed to P3 with a 2:06.707, while Stevens slotted into P4 with a 2:06.736.
Moments later, Westcott improved to P2 with a 2:06.036, while Felbermayr moved into P4 with a 2:06.226. Stevens then improved again, posting 2:06.369 to round out the top five.
Battle for the top spot in F1 Academy Free Practice at the 2026 Chinese GP intensifies
With 17 minutes remaining, Westcott briefly claimed the top position with a 2:05.319, ahead of Felbermayr’s 2:05.494.
However, Larsen soon reclaimed the lead, setting a 2:05.248.
By this stage, all 18 drivers had recorded lap times, though more than 10 seconds initially separated Larsen from Racing Bulls-supported Rafaela Ferreira at the bottom of the order. Ferreira later improved to 2:08.574, reducing the gap to 3.3 seconds, but remained last.
Meanwhile, Lloyd moved up to second with a 2:05.298, before Red Bull-supported Alisha Palmowski displaced her moments later with a 2:05.284.
Palmowski continued to push, setting the fastest first and second sectors on her next lap while several others, including TAG Heuer-supported Megan Bruce, Gatorade-backed Lisa Billard, and Ferreira, also found improvements.
Palmowski sets the benchmark; Larsen and Westcott challenge
With 10 minutes remaining, Palmowski capitalised on tyres that were four laps fresher than Larsen’s, delivering a 2:04.699 to become the first driver to break into the 2:04 bracket.
This lap established the early competitive benchmark for the weekend.
At that point, just 2.3 seconds separated Palmowski at the top from Jaquet at the bottom, underlining the competitiveness of the field.
Palmowski improved further in the closing stages, lowering the pace to 2:04.550 with just under five minutes remaining.
Campos Racing teammate Rafaela Ferreira briefly climbed to P2 with a 2:05.248, despite a short yellow flag period triggered by a spin from Shi Wei. Shi recovered without damage, allowing the session to quickly resume under green flag conditions.
As the final minutes ticked down, Alba Larsen improved again to reclaim P2, while Payton Westcott moved into third with a 2:05.041.
Lisa Billard also delivered a late improvement, climbing to P5 with a 2:05.183 just as the chequered flag fell.
Although several drivers experienced lock-ups and minor excursions off track, the session concluded without major incidents, despite the windy and dusty conditions.
Palmowski ultimately ended the session fastest, but Larsen’s consistent pace marked her as a key challenger, with the tightly packed field suggesting that qualifying and the races ahead could be decided by extremely fine margins.
