Palmowski beats Battig to Silverstone F1 Academy win

Photo: Red Bull

Red Bull F1 Academy racer Alisha Palmowski claimed her third win of the season in Sunday’s race at Silverstone, triumphing over wildcard driver Chiara Battig.

Palmowski’s closest championship rival Emma Felbermayr came home third, losing more ground in the title battle.

Starting second on the grid, Palmowski got the jump on polesitter Battig as the lights went out to lead into turn 1 while the field were sent scattering to avoid Lisa Billard who stalled from fourth.

McLaren junior Ella Lloyd shot up the order from sixth to third by the end of the opening lap but, towards the rear of the pack, her fellow McLaren junior Ella Stevens found herself eliminated after contact with Rafaela Ferreira.

The pair made contact while jockeying for position down the Hamilton Straight, Stevens the innocent party as Ferreira moved over to cover.

The safety car bunched the field up and by the end of lap 4 racing resumed with Palmowski leading Battig and Lloyd over the line.

Felbermayr looked to pass Lloyd at the restart, sending it down the inside of Copse and sending the Welsh driver wide over the kerbs, Nina Gademan following the Audi driver through into fourth.

Having started 12th, Natalia Granada began challenging Alba Larsen for eighth, moving down the inside of Brooklands. Up at the sharp end, Palmoski and Battig had made themselves a four-second gap over Felbermayr in third.

Larsen found herself slipping down the order, running wide at the Loop allowing Megan Bruce and Payton Westcott through, the Ferrari junior dropping out of the top 10.

By the final lap, Palmowski found herself eight tenths clear of Battig and clinched victory to extend her championship lead. Felbermayr completed the podium positions but ended nearly eight seconds adrift of the leading pair.

Battig came home in second after a spectacular debut weekend for the 16 year-old Red Bull junior, claiming records as the most successful wildcard driver in F1 Academy.

Gademan comfortably led Lloyd who rounded out the top five with Ava Dobson dropping down the order late on, handing sixth to Rachel Robertson with Granada also capitalising on Dobson’s error.

Race results (13 laps)