Palmowski breaks her own record in the wet: the most dominant weekend in F1 Academy history

Some weekends define seasons. Some define careers. What Alisha Palmowski did in Montreal between Friday and Sunday falls into the second category.

Palmowski converted pole position into a second lights to flag victory in Montreal, dominating in drizzly conditions to take the win by 10.9 seconds breaking the record she herself had set in the Opening Race as the largest winning margin in F1 Academy history. First 10.1 seconds. Then 10.9. Two races, two all-time records, 48 hours.

To put it in context: winning an F1 Academy race by more than 10 seconds shouldn’t be possible. The field is competitive, the cars are equal, and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a street circuit where margin for error is minimal. Palmowski did it twice in the same weekend.

The context: why this race carried extra weight

F1 Academy arrived in Montreal after a prolonged break, with their last race in March during the Chinese GP weekend. Following the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian round, the series announced a third race would be added to the Canadian weekend schedule, making qualifying even more critical for championship points. More races, more points at stake, more pressure. Palmowski treated it as one more opportunity to make a statement.

The drivers faced a track unknown to several rookies who had never raced here before, giving the more experienced drivers an appreciated advantage from the very first session. Palmowski was among the first to set a representative lap time in Friday’s practice. She never came down from there.

The Feature Race: wet track, midfield chaos and Palmowski unchallenged

With rain falling at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve ahead of the start, the grid opted for wet-weather tyres and the early laps were cautious. Palmowski lined up from pole alongside rookie Payton Westcott on the front row, who arrived in this race fresh from her podium in Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race.

Off the start, Palmowski secured the lead immediately while Westcott settled in behind. Further back, Ella Stevens struggled to find grip off the line and lost positions immediately.

By Lap 2, Megan Bruce applied steady pressure on Westcott and moved up to second. Meanwhile, Ella Lloyd charged six places in an impressive opening, though contact with Lisa Billard on Lap 1 put her under investigation later cleared with no further action.

In the midfield, the wet conditions created their own stories. A fierce battle between Alba Larsen and Nina Gademan played out over several laps. A late braking move from Gademan cost Larsen positions, dropping her behind Lloyd and Ferreira. The three-way battle extended to Lap 7, with Lloyd cutting the grass and allowing Natalia Granada to join the fight into Lap 8.

Out front, Palmowski held a steady 5.5-second lead over Westcott while the field fought behind. There was no moment in the entire race where anyone posed a genuine threat to the Campos driver. That level of control on a wet track, under championship pressure, in front of an F1 crowd, says everything about where her head is right now.

The final five laps: where the podium positions were decided

With five laps remaining, Felbermayr began putting real pressure on Westcott, attacking and defending over multiple corners. A small mistake from the American was enough for the Audi-backed driver to move through to third.

On Lap 15, Kosterman received a five-second time penalty for an incident with Jade Jacquet, while Palmowski extended her gap heading toward another historic margin.

The final lap had its own drama. Bruce hit the wall exiting Turn 4, giving Felbermayr the gap she needed to dive down the inside and snatch second place. Bruce dropped to third. And out front, Palmowski reported an engine problem on the final lap but held on to cross the line first. Engine failing, wet track, 10.9 seconds in hand. Not even mechanical trouble could stop her.

Felbermayr finished second and Bruce third, completing a 1-3 for Campos Racing in the weekend’s Feature Race. Westcott was fourth and Paatz fifth, the top five only properly sorting itself in the final three laps of a race that never had Palmowski under any real threat.

The championship: Palmowski takes control with a 25-point lead

Palmowski leaves Montreal with a 25-point lead in the drivers’ standings as F1 Academy prepares to visit Silverstone for the first time, from July 3-5. Felbermayr arrived in Canada as championship leader. She leaves second, with the uncomfortable feeling that this weekend wasn’t a coincidence. It was a pattern.

In the Teams’ Championship, Campos Racing extended their advantage to 96 points, well clear of Rodin Motorsport on 57. Prema Racing sits third with 41, narrowly ahead of MP Motorsport on 38.

What’s hardest to explain rationally is the consistency. Palmowski didn’t just win. She won twice from lights to flag, with the largest margins in series history, in completely different conditions — dusty and dry on Saturday, wet and slippery on Sunday on the same circuit in the same weekend. If that’s not a message to the rest of the championship, nothing is.

Key quotes from the weekend:

“Palmowski masters the wet to take record-breaking victory.” — F1Academy.com

“The largest winning margin in F1 Academy history — twice in the same weekend.” — Motorsport Week

“A dominant performance that extended her championship lead to 25 points heading into Silverstone.” — Pit Debrief

F1 ACADEMY FEATURE RACE CANADIAN GP 2026

Can anyone stop Palmowski before F1 Academy arrives at Silverstone in July? Or has Montreal just shown us who the 2026 champion is going to be? Let us know in the comments.

Sources: F1Academy.com, Formula1.com, Motorsport Week, Dive-Bomb, Pit Debrief, F1ingenerale.com