Britain's Alisha Palmowski wins the F1 Academy title at 20
Second place in Austin was enough to make the Red Bull-backed driver the youngest champion of the all-female series, with races still to run.
Alisha Palmowski has been crowned F1 Academy champion, becoming the second British driver to win the all-female racing series and, at 20, its youngest title winner.
She clinched the championship on Saturday at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where F1 Academy is racing on the same weekend as the United States Grand Prix. Second place in the reverse grid race was enough to put her out of reach of Austria's Emma Felbermayr, the only driver who still had a mathematical chance of catching her.
Denmark's Alba Larsen won the race, her first victory in the series.
Champion with races to spare
Palmowski drives for the Campos Racing team and is backed by Red Bull. She has won five of the 11 races held so far this season, and secured the title before the final rounds, which include Sunday's race in Austin and the season finale in Las Vegas next month.
The only other British driver to have won F1 Academy is Abbi Pulling, who took the title in 2024.
Speaking after the race, Palmowski said winning the championship was a dream come true. She thanked her family, who were at the track in Austin, and said there had been a huge amount of hard work behind the scenes, from her and from the people around her, to get to this point.
A stepping stone
F1 Academy is a development series for young women drivers. Palmowski said there were conversations going on in the background about her next step, which she was leaving to her management team, and that she wanted to go as far up the single-seater ladder as possible.
She has raced with Red Bull's backing since the start of last year, and this was her second full season in the championship.
Big day ahead in Austin
The United States Grand Prix takes place later on Sunday. Kimi Antonelli starts from pole position and can become Formula 1 world champion this weekend if results go his way.
For Palmowski, the pressure is off. With the title already settled, she goes into Sunday's race and the last round in Las Vegas simply trying to add to her tally of wins.
