Alisha Palmowski claims maiden pole position in Shanghai Qualifying

Alisha Palmowski conquered Qualifying in Shanghai to secure her long-awaited maiden pole position, launching her second year in the series in dominant fashion. After coming close to pole on multiple occasions last season, the Red Bull driver was untouchable, लगातार improving on her own benchmark to finish with a blistering 2:04.182.

Ferrari’s Alba Larsen claimed second place, earning her first front row start in F1 ACADEMY, while fellow sophomore Emma Felbermayr lined up in third.

Early pace setters amid changing conditions

Following a brief delay to the start, drivers were eager to hit the track and build tyre temperature while adapting to evolving grip levels. With an F1 Free Practice session held prior to Qualifying, the circuit surface had changed significantly compared to the earlier F1 ACADEMY outing.

Aston Martin’s Mathilda Paatz initially topped the timesheets, with teammate Payton Westcott — who had impressed with a top-three result in Practice — close behind. However, the rookies’ early benchmarks were soon eclipsed by Palmowski and Felbermayr, as the Audi driver set the pace with a 2:05.362.

Palmowski responded immediately, briefly taking P1 before Larsen surged from fifth to first, opening a margin of more than two tenths over the Briton.

Red flag disruption raises the stakes

At the halfway point, Larsen held provisional pole as the field returned to the pits for fresh tyres ahead of final runs. Before significant improvements could materialize, red flags were deployed when Haas driver Kaylee Countryman slowed to a halt on track.

Although she quickly resumed and returned to the pit lane, the interruption forced all drivers to complete another out lap with less than 10 minutes remaining — intensifying the pressure during the decisive phase of the session.

Palmowski delivers under pressure

Palmowski was first to mount a serious challenge for pole. Despite a minor mistake, she posted the fastest lap of the session at that stage, edging Larsen by less than a tenth.

Westcott demonstrated that her Practice performance was no fluke, briefly threatening the top positions. However, the Mercedes driver could not improve in the final two sectors and remained third at that point.

Palmowski, meanwhile, found further pace, extending her advantage to four tenths over Larsen. Her final effort proved unbeatable in the closing moments, securing pole position ahead of Larsen and Felbermayr, who improved late to push Westcott and Rafaela Ferreira down to fourth and fifth respectively.

Top 10 and reverse grid set for Race 1

Gatorade rookie Lisa Billard claimed sixth, ahead of Natalia Granada. Alpine’s Nina Gademan secured eighth, earning her fourth reverse pole position for Race 1 under the top-eight inversion rule. Ava Dobson and McLaren’s Ella Lloyd completed the top 10.

What’s Next?

Before the Qualifying order returns to battle in Race 2, Nina Gademan will start from reverse pole for Saturday’s Race 1. With the top eight qualifiers flipped, lights go out at 13:45 local time (UTC +8).