British racing driver Alisha Palmowski approaches the 2026 F1 Academy season with a calm confidence shaped by experience. After a demanding rookie year, the 19-year-old returns to the grid with Campos Racing under the banner of the Red Bull Junior Team determined to transform the lessons of 2025 into a full championship challenge.
A new season, a new mindset
Palmowski’s first season in the series proved both promising and intense. She secured a breakthrough victory, collected multiple podium finishes and established herself as one of the fastest newcomers in the field. However, the year also exposed the mental and technical demands of racing in a highly competitive junior category.
Now, with that experience behind her, Palmowski believes she arrives at the start of her second season better prepared for everything the championship might throw at her.
“I’m so excited to be getting the second season underway. It seems like there’s been a lot of off-time since Vegas. But equally, it seems to have come around super quickly. I’m really, really excited to try and showcase everything that I learned last year and translate that into results.
Palmowski emphasised that the biggest difference between her rookie season and the upcoming campaign lies in her mindset. Having already experienced the pressures of the series, she now feels more composed heading into race weekends.
“I feel a lot calmer this year. I know what’s coming. I’m aware of the challenge that’s ahead, but I just feel like I’m better prepared. I’m ready now.”
Palmowski reflects on early F1 Academy breakthrough in Shanghai
Palmowski’s rookie season delivered a defining moment early in the campaign. Just three races into the year, she secured her maiden F1 Academy victory at the Shanghai International Circuit.
While the win proved a major milestone in her career, it arrived at a venue she did not consider one of her strengths. In fact, Palmowski still regards Shanghai as one of the circuits that challenges her driving style the most.
“It was quite a strange emotion. Out of all the circuits on the calendar, I actually do believe that Shanghai is my weakest circuit still to this day. We’ve been testing and it’s much better for me now. But it isn’t a circuit that naturally suits my driving style.
The British driver explained that the layout never felt intuitive to her. Even during that race weekend, she remained in the process of adapting to the F1 Academy car and learning how to extract performance from it.
“It doesn’t come as naturally to me as some other circuits do, so to have got that result and have won last year was a shock (…) It was a bit of a bogey track for me in a way. I was still quite new to the F1 ACADEMY car, so I was still adapting, still learning with every lap that I was doing.”
Circumstances during the race added further drama. When leader Nina Gademan retired late in the race with a technical problem, Palmowski inherited the lead and successfully held off pressure from behind to take victory.
Yet the most unusual part of the moment came after the chequered flag.
A whirlwind victory amidst technical difficulties
Midway through the race, Palmowski’s radio failed, leaving her unable to hear her engineer’s messages. Instead, she experienced a loud beeping in her ear for the remainder of the race. That technical issue meant she never heard the team confirm that she had actually won the race.
“The moment that stands out is not what you think. After the race, I know now having watched the race back, my engineer came on the radio to tell me I’d won the race and congratulated me. I didn’t respond because I never heard the message!”
As a result, Palmowski drove into parc fermé without knowing whether she had taken victory or finished in another position.
“When I pulled up to the P1 spot and all the crowd was there, I hadn’t heard anything over the radio at all, so I didn’t know if I had actually won. It was all a bit strange, it seemed like a bit of a whirlwind. I don’t remember much of it, that’s why I need to do it again to refresh my memory.”
The surreal moment quickly became one of the most memorable stories of the season and marked a turning point in Palmowski’s confidence.
Palmowski highlights technical growth and personal development ahead of 2026 F1 Academy return
Palmowski entered F1 Academy following a strong rise through the junior ranks. She finished runner-up in the 2024 GB4 Championship after previously competing in the Ginetta Junior Championship.
However, transitioning to a new car and a more intense competitive environment required rapid adaptation. Over the course of the season, Palmowski worked closely with her engineers to improve her technical understanding of driving techniques and tyre management.
“As a driver, I could talk to you for hours about what I’ve technically learned in terms of driving technique, tyre management. Now that we’re returning to Shanghai, I can actually compare my data from this year to last year, so we can get a direct comparison of the progress that I’ve made.”
Data analysis has become one of the most useful tools in measuring her development. According to Palmowski, the improvement is clear when comparing her telemetry across seasons.
“You wouldn’t know that it’s the same driver, I don’t think, comparing just the data because it’s so improved this year. I actually think that I learnt a lot more about myself as a person last year. I’ve matured so much over the last 12 months.”
Beyond the technical improvements, the emotional demands of a long racing season also forced the young driver to grow quickly.
“It wasn’t an easy year last year. I had a lot of highs, but equally I had a lot of lows. I struggled with that at the time. Having the winter, it’s given me time to relax, reflect on the season and think about what different mental approach I want to have heading into this year.”
Lessons from the fine margins that define the 2025 championship fight
Palmowski finished fifth in the 2025 championship standings with one win and several podiums. While the result represented a strong rookie performance, she believes the final position did not fully reflect her pace throughout the season.
“Yes, definitely! My rookie season, it was a positive one. We had multiple podiums and I had a win, but there were equally a few moments.”
Small mistakes, particularly during qualifying sessions, ultimately cost her valuable points in the standings.
“Singapore was one of them in Qualifying. Without that one very minor mistake, the title could have been a different story. I could have been top three in the Standings. It’s only a very minor change that I need to carry into this year because the pace has always been there.”
Those moments now serve as learning opportunities rather than frustrations.
Palmowski ready for 2026 F1 Academy campaign after a focused winter of preparation
Determined to build on her rookie season, Palmowski spent the winter analysing her strengths and weaknesses in detail. Instead of entering the year with uncertainty about where she might excel, she now approaches the championship with a clear development plan.
“Last year highlighted to me where my weaknesses were. Going into 2025, I was a bit blind. I didn’t know what I was going to be strong at. I didn’t know what I was weak at. I didn’t know what areas in my development needed more attention than others.”
The process of identifying those areas has allowed her to work methodically through them during the off-season.
“Whereas now, I can go down a list, tick certain boxes and go I’m strong there, and equally, these are the areas that need addressing. Over the winter, I’ve tailored a programme of what points I need to look at and slowly but surely I’m ticking every box.”
As a result, Palmowski enters the new season with a much clearer sense of direction.
“We’re in a much better position this year, but also I’m calmer because I know what’s going to come. I know how the series runs now, I know what to expect a little bit more — expect the unexpected. Obviously, it’s motorsport, you never really know what’s going to happen. I think I just know a lot more about myself and how I want to mentally approach the year, which is the biggest change for me.”
Palmowski on managing pressure and expectations ahead of 2026 F1 Academy campaign
Palmowski has already attracted attention as one of the potential favourites for the 2026 title. However, she insists external expectations will not influence her approach to racing.
“It doesn’t change anything for me because nobody wants me to win more than me. There’s nobody that can put more pressure on my shoulders than is already there because I want to win for me and I know what I’m capable of.”
Instead of focusing on championship speculation, Palmowski prioritises controlling the elements within her reach.
“I’ll just drive as quickly as I can and focus on myself. I’ll either win or I won’t and that’s really just my mentality going into this year. There’s no point stressing about it. It’s motorsport, there’s a lot of things outside of your control as well.”
Her philosophy centres on making strong decisions in the moment and reacting quickly when things go wrong.
“I’m just focusing about what things can I control, what can I influence and making sure that I make good decisions, right decisions. If anything goes wrong, make sure that I quickly bounce back from it.”
Palmowski racing with everything on the line as she aims for F1 Academy title glory in 2026
Despite her calm approach, Palmowski openly acknowledges the importance of this season for her future in motorsport.
“It would mean everything. Everything that I think about from the first thing in the morning to last thing at night is how to improve, how can I win this title, how can I get the next pole position and win the next race.”
The ambition to succeed drives her daily preparation and long-term goals.
“It’s all that I’m focused on, it’s all that I’m interested in. It would change the course of my career because without winning the title, I don’t know if I will be racing next year. It is high stakes, I know there’s a lot of pressure.”
However, Palmowski has learned from previous seasons that championship battles can shift dramatically over time.
“But equally, I want to take it race by race instead of looking at the bigger picture. From last season, watching Maya and Doriane and their points gap with how it closed, then it widened and it closed again. That’s something I learnt that at no point is it over. It’s not over until the last race in Vegas.”
With that lesson in mind, she plans to approach each round strategically rather than chasing immediate results.
“Of course I want to be on pole and I want to win. But equally, if I don’t, then it doesn’t mean I’ve lost anything. It’s a long season, there’s 14 races and literally anything can happen in motorsport. I just need to play a wise, clever game, do what I need to do, focus on myself and then see what happens.”
