The second and final day of the 2026 F1 Academy Zandvoort in-season test was yet another dominant showing from Alisha Palmowski, topping both the morning and afternoon sessions once again. Setting a 1:36.740 in the morning and a 1:37.620 in the afternoon to beat Alba Larsen and Ella Lloyd to the top in their respective sessions, the Briton proved unbeatable throughout the final day of running.
Here is what happened on the second day of the 2026 F1 Academy in-season test at Zandvoort.
Morning session
As the session got underway, six drivers wasted no time heading out on track for their reconnaissance laps. However, Ava Dobson was the first driver to set a representative lap time, posting a 1:41.777 before it was beaten by Lisa Billard and Larsen.
LEGO’s Esmee Kosterman was the next driver to move to the top of the timings, setting a 1:38.479 several laps later. Palmowski soon asserted herself as the benchmark and became the first and only driver to dip into the 1:36s, trading fastest laps with Larsen at the top of the timings. The Ferrari Junior ultimately struggled to match Palmowski’s speed, finishing the battle at the top 0.273s adrift.
The second hour of running saw activity on track quieten down, although some drivers opted to continue logging laps. But as the morning session came to an end, Palmowski’s benchmark remained unbeaten, with Larsen, Emma Felbermayr, Billard, Lloyd and Natalia Granada rounding up the top six.
Afternoon session
Rachel Robertson and Dobson were the first drivers to head out on track in the afternoon session, with Robertson setting the initial benchmark at 1:43.713. However, Lloyd quickly lowered the benchmark further, logging a 1:38.678 before improving by another two tenths on her following lap. Behind the McLaren-backed driver, Felbermayr found herself in search of more pace.
Joining the battle at the front, Palmowski continued where she left off in the morning session, breaking into the 1:37s with a 1:37.747 on her fourth lap. Meanwhile, Lloyd, Felbermayr and Robertson continued their fight for second place, as the McLaren-backed driver managed to post the closest time to Palmowski’s—just 0.060s behind.
The first red flag of the day was triggered by Robertson, who found the barriers at Turns 8 and 9. Once the session resumed, most drivers opted to remain in the pits, while Jade Jacquet, Billard, Larsen, Gademan and Palmowski briefly returned to the track during the second hour. Extending her advantage over Lloyd to 0.109s, the Red Bull-backed driver improved further with a 1:37.620 on her next lap.
The day ended with another red flag interruption after Gademan went off into the gravel in the third hour of running. Billard managed to improve during the final hour, moving up to P3, but Palmowski’s benchmark remained unbeaten once again, with Lloyd, Billard, Felbermayr and Gademan rounding out the top five.
F1 Academy returns to Zandvoort in August for Round 4
While the two days at Zandvoort proved eventful, providing drivers with valuable learning opportunities and significant mileage ahead of the fourth round, the 2026 F1 Academy grid will return to the venue from August 21st to 23rd, where Wild Card entrant Zoe Florescu will also join the field for the round.
