Alisha Palmowski secured victory during the Feature Race at the 2026 F1 Academy Dutch GP, view the full race report here.
Round 4 of the 2026 season began with a chaotic Reverse Grid Race, which saw Payton Westcott claim her maiden F1 Academy win ahead of Alba Larsen and Nina Gademan. Esmee Kosterman impressed with a P4 finish, while championship contenders Alisha Palmowski and Emma Felbermayr could only manage P12 and P13, respectively. The race also saw two retirements and two Safety Cars, as Natalia Granada crashed and Jade Jacquet ran wide.
Now, after a wet Qualifying, Palmowski lined up on pole for the Feature Race alongside Larsen in P2 and Granada in P3. Further back, Felbermayr started fourth, with Gademan completing the top five. Notably, Wild Card Zoe Florescu was disqualified following a failed post-qualifying scrutineering check, dropping her to the back of the grid.
Lights out for the F1 Academy Dutch GP Feature Race
As the five lights went out, Palmowski got off to a strong start before Larsen quickly caught up and applied pressure through Turn 1. Behind, Gademan managed to jump up to P3 as she overtook Granada and Felbermayr by the end of the opening lap.
Felbermayr quickly closed in on Granada by Lap 4, attempting a move down the inside at Turn 1. However, Granada was quick to close the door, defending her position well while making small contact with Felbermayr. Meanwhile, Palmowski remained in the lead with Larsen chasing behind in DRS range.
Palmowski responds to Larsen’s pressure
Larsen set the fastest lap on Lap 9, closing down the gap to Palmowski to 0.4 seconds. However, despite the pressure, Palmowski remained in control, taking the fastest lap away from Larsen on Lap 13. The unexpected pace allowed Palmowski to storm away from Larsen, who fell back to a 1.3s gap.
Race Control noted a collision between Lisa Billard and Ava Dobson at Turn 1, as the two drivers touched wheels in their battle for P12. In the meantime, a DRS train began to form from Rachel Robertson in P7 to Lisa Billard in P12.
Palmowski extends her championship lead
By the final lap, Palmowski managed to extend her lead to 2.8s, crossing the chequered flag first to take her fourth win of the season. Larsen and Gademan completed the podium, claiming their second podium finishes of the weekend after also finishing second and third in the Reverse Grid Race. Larsen’s P2 podiums have also allowed the Danish racing driver to move up from P8 to P4 in the Drivers’ Standings.
