Alisha Palmowski has bounced back from a difficult practice session to dominate F1 Academy qualifying at Zandvoort, taking pole position and extending her championship lead to 32 points in the process. The Red Bull driver finished P10 in Friday’s rain-affected practice, but produced a dominant final lap when it mattered most to put herself at the front of the grid for the main race.
Palmowski’s final effort featured two purple sectors and a green sector three, putting her almost nine tenths ahead of Ferrari driver Alba Larsen. Pole earned Palmowski two additional championship points, extending her advantage from 30 points to 32 heading into the racing later today.
Natalia Granada completed the top three after an impressive session, while Nina Gademan finished fifth despite showing the pace that saw her top Friday’s practice. Wild Card driver Zoe Florescu also impressed, securing seventh and a front-row start for the reverse-grid race later today.
A wet start creates another tricky session
The drivers arrived to a wet track following overnight rainfall, creating another challenging start to the weekend after practice had already been heavily disrupted by changing conditions. Hans Ernst Bocht, Turn 11, once again proved particularly difficult, with several drivers struggling with lock-ups as they searched for grip around the corner.
Lisa Billard was among the early runners to encounter problems, running off the track before recovering to show consistent pace. Emma Felbermayr was also caught out at Turn 11, while Palmowski had her own moment when she ran over the gravel rather than taking the cut-through, although she quickly recovered and continued pushing despite a yellow sector three.
With only two sets of wet tyres available for the weekend, tyre management was always going to be important as the circuit began to dry. Megan Bruce was the first driver to make the switch to slicks, taking the gamble as the track conditions started to improve.
Red flags shake up the order
Just as the drivers began to find their rhythm, a yellow flag developed into the first red flag of the session, bringing another interruption to an already unpredictable qualifying session. Granada had been putting together a particularly strong lap, producing purple sectors one and two before the stoppage halted her progress.
The drama continued when Billard found the wall after previously setting the fastest lap of the session, leaving the field with just 10 minutes remaining once qualifying resumed. The short final window gave the drivers little time to waste as more of the field switched to slick tyres and the track continued to improve.
Ella Lloyd opted to remain on the wet tyres, taking a gamble that briefly paid off as she set the fastest sector two before Palmowski quickly bettered her time. The switch to slicks was beginning to pay off, with lap times tumbling, while Lloyd and Jacquet came close to contact as the Williams driver attempted to make her way through before Jacquet ended up on the gravel.
Palmowski saves her best for last
As the track continued to dry, those who remained on wet tyres began to lose pace as the conditions moved further away from what the tyres were designed for. Once the drivers began switching to slicks, however, the pace immediately improved, with Larsen putting together a strong lap to move to the top of the leaderboard.
Palmowski was still pushing, however, and the championship leader saved her best performance for the final stages of the session. Her final flying lap featured two purple sectors before she completed sector three in green, giving her a time that was almost nine tenths faster than Larsen.
After finishing P10 in practice, it was exactly the response Palmowski needed, earning her pole position as well as two valuable championship points and extending her advantage at the top of the standings to 32 points.
Gademan could not quite replicate her practice-topping performance but still finished fifth after showing strong and consistent pace throughout the session, keeping her firmly in contention for the races ahead.
Florescu shines as Wild Card driver
One of the standout performances came from Wild Card driver Zoe Florescu, who steadily climbed the order as the track improved and briefly moved as high as second with five minutes remaining. She ultimately finished seventh, but her pace was enough to put her on the front row for the reverse-grid race later today.
Florescu will line up alongside Megan Bruce on the front row, setting up an intriguing battle for the opening race of the day. With both drivers having shown strong pace in difficult conditions, the reverse grid could provide an opportunity to challenge some of the championship contenders further down the order.
Palmowski, meanwhile, will start from pole for the main race with another two points already secured. After a weekend shaped by rain, red flags and changing grip, the championship leader has put herself in the strongest possible position to build on her 32-point advantage when the racing gets underway.
