Campos Racing’s Alisha Palmowski led the opening day of testing at Zandvoort as she emphasised her ongoing focus on improving adaptability. After making an impressive wild-card debut last year in Qatar, the Briton returned this season for a full-time campaign sporting Red Bull colours.
The 2025 F1 Academy grid took to Zandvoort for testing, ahead of the upcoming Dutch GP. The Briton edged out MP Motorsport’s Maya Weug by 0.087s to the top of the timesheets on Day 1. Pleased to end her day on top, the Briton spoke to F1 Academy as she reflected on her performance on Day 1.
Difficult start to day that ended with many positives
“It’s been a great day overall”, Palmowski said. The Briton described the circuit as one that poses many challenges for drivers. Despite being her first laps at the circuit, Palmowski showed great pace. Palmowski explained that thorough preparation with both Red Bull and Campos has geared her to maximise their time on-track.
“First time here at Zandvoort, so it’s an extremely technical circuit. It’s one of the most physically demanding circuits on the calendar as well too.”
“I’ve done hundreds of laps already on the simulator in preparation, both at Red Bull and Campos to try and give us the best opportunity here on these two test days to maximise the chance that we’ve got.”
Despite topping the timings on Day 1, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Palmowski. The Briton admitted she struggled with balance issues in the morning. However, after switching to a new set of tyres, she felt comfortable with a new found confidence in the car. Ending the day on a positive, the 18-year-old believes there’s still more performance to unlock as testing continues.
“We had a difficult day this morning. We struggled a lot with the balance in the car, had a lot of snap oversteer and we didn’t really know what was wrong.
“But as soon as we bolted the new tyres on, it was just perfect. The balance was amazing, I gained loads of confidence in the car and managed to put a relatively good lap towards the end.
“There’s still a lot more time for me, which is positive because we know tomorrow then there’s more for us to gain.”
The challenges of Zandvoort
In roughly a months time, F1 Academy will return to Zandvoort for their fifth round of racing in 2025. Ahead of this, testing will serve as a valuable opportunity for Palmowski to familiarise herself with the track.
In her first full-season of F1 Academy, the 18-year-old has tackled new tracks, although admitting Zandvoort was mentally and physically demanding. She noted that while the precision it demands can be stressful, nailing a lap feels incredibly rewarding.
Palmowski said: “The circuit is difficult to be honest,”
“There’s only one long back straight, which is the start-finish straight. It’s very mentally challenging as well because there’s so much going on, It’s one corner into the next, there’s not much time to think.”
“It’s very much momentum-based as well. Sector 2 from Turn 7 through to Turn 10, if you ruin one corner, the next three are ruined as well. The precision has got to be perfect and on point, so it’s stressful. But equally when you get it right, it’s a really nice feeling, so it’s a rewarding track when you get it right.”
Adaptability key in 2025
2025 marks Palmowski’s first year racing single-seaters outside of England. The Briton explained how adaptability remains a key focus in her continued development throughout the season. Palmowski candidly agreed that she’s had changes that needed settling into. As she continues to tackle the learning curve of adapting to new surroundings, the Briton believes that acclimatising has come more naturally.
“Throughout this year, there’s been lots of things to get used to,”
“New tracks, new team, new environment and a new car as well. It’s been a process for me learning the car and how to manipulate and adapt your driving in order to whatever balance you have in the car.”
“That could change from session to session. You might have understeer one session, oversteer next session, track temperature change and then you have to be able to adapt your driving to suit that condition. That’s been something that I might have been a little bit slow at in the past, whereas now it’s coming a lot quicker.”
Wet-weather running
The Briton is hoping to gain more experience in wet-weathered conditions, and wet weather is something Zandvoort is no stranger to. Aside from Miami—where F1 Academy’s race was cancelled due to torrential rain, the grid has not has much opportunity for wet weather running.
Palmowski expressed her enthusiasm for driving in wet conditions and shared her eagerness to gain more experience in the rain.
“It’s the adaptability that I’m still working on and I’d like some wet weather actually! I do want it to rain tomorrow because we’ve not had any wet running at all this year apart from Miami. I’d like to have some wet weather driving in this car because it’s something that I haven’t really done.”
“It rains every year in Zandvoort, doesn’t it at some point. I’m obviously a fan of the rain. I come from England, so it rains all the time, so I miss the rain. It’s time we get on track with some wet weather driving.”
