Alisha Palmowski is F1 Academy champion after second place in Austin

Alisha Palmowski is the 2026 F1 Academy champion. The British Red Bull Racing driver clinched the title on Saturday in Austin with second place in the reverse grid race, behind first-time winner Alba Larsen, and now leads Emma Felbermayr by 67 points with three races left.

She is the fourth champion in the history of the series and the first for Campos Racing. Session times for the rest of the weekend: United States GP 2026 schedule. What she needed going into Austin: how Palmowski could settle the title.

From eighth on the grid to second, with Felbermayr right behind her

The reverse grid put Palmowski eighth, with Felbermayr, her closest rival, starting directly behind. An opening-lap clash between pole-sitter Rafaela Ferreira and Jade Jacquet brought out the safety car, and Larsen took the lead in the chaos and never gave it back.

Behind her, Palmowski worked her way forward. She passed Nina Gademan, came out ahead in a side-by-side fight with Felbermayr, moved up to third when Natalia Granada was given a stop-and-go penalty for a starting procedure infringement, and then passed Lisa Billard for second. That was enough. Larsen won by 2.3 seconds, Billard took her first podium in third, and Felbermayr finished fourth ahead of Gademan.

The reverse grid was the format she had called damage limitation

The title came in the format that had suited her least all year. Of the 161 points she had before Saturday, only eight came from reverse grid races, and after winning Friday’s Opening Race she made no secret of her plan. “It is damage-limitation for me, the reverse grid,” she told F1 Academy. “If we do it tomorrow, brilliant, if we don’t, we’ll give it another go on Sunday.”

That Opening Race win was her fifth of the season, from pole after she swept both qualifying sessions in Austin. Our report on that race: Palmowski wins the F1 Academy Opening Race in Austin.

Felbermayr and Gademan now race for second

The official standings after the reverse grid race have Palmowski on 170 points, Felbermayr on 103, Gademan on 93 and Larsen on 76. With the title gone, the fight for runner-up is open between Felbermayr and Gademan, with the Austin Feature Race and the two Las Vegas races (19 to 21 November) still to come.

Our view: a title won in her weakest format

Palmowski did not need the Feature Race and she did not need Las Vegas. Wrapping up the title with three races to go, in the one format that worked against her, says more about her season than any single win. The question now is where Red Bull takes her in 2027.

The Austin Feature Race starts at 12:00 local, 18:00 CET and 13:00 ET

Palmowski starts the Feature Race on Sunday from pole, chasing her sixth win of the season. The United States Grand Prix follows at 15:00 local, 21:00 CET and 16:00 ET.

Sources: F1 Academy official classification and driver standings; F1 Academy reverse grid race report and Palmowski interview (24 October 2026); formula1.com.

Where should Alisha Palmowski race in 2027, and can anyone stop her winning the Feature Race from pole on Sunday? Tell us in the comments.