Palmowski credits Campos turnaround after ‘miracle’ Silverstone victory

Palmowski turns uncertainty into home triumph

Alisha Palmowski hailed Campos Racing after converting what she described as a difficult and confidence-sapping Silverstone weekend into a dream home Feature Race victory.

Starting second, the 19-year-old made the decisive move immediately. She launched cleanly, beat Chiara Bättig into Turn 1 and then absorbed pressure for the full 13-lap distance. Palmowski and Bättig pulled 8.5s clear of Emma Felbermayr in third, underlining the strength of their pace at the front.

Confidence rebuilt lap by lap

Palmowski admitted the result came as a surprise after struggling to feel at one with the car.

“It’s incredible,” she said. “This weekend has been a big challenge for us as a team and me personally as well. I just had no confidence in the car to be honest, especially in the beginning of the weekend.”

She credited Campos for the improvement, saying the car became stronger with every lap and that the team had made a major step over the past 12 months. With overtaking proving difficult at Silverstone, Palmowski knew the start would be critical and said she had practised the launch repeatedly before executing it when it mattered.

“Chiara kept the pressure on the whole way. She didn’t let me breathe, so congratulations to her as well,” Palmowski added.

Clean air proves decisive

After several drivers struggled with handling and pace in Saturday’s Reverse Grid Race, cooler conditions and clear track helped Palmowski find a better rhythm in the Feature Race. She said the car felt more settled without the aerowash of traffic ahead, although Bättig remained close enough to apply constant pressure.

Palmowski identified the high-speed Sector 2 as the area where she could build enough margin to prevent Bättig from mounting a proper passing attempt.

A Silverstone memory to surpass them all

The victory became Palmowski’s favourite Silverstone memory, even eclipsing her first British Grand Prix visit in 2015. Staying in a caravan at BRDC Farm, she said seeing fans already lined up early in the morning made the win even more emotional.

The result was also significant in the standings. Palmowski became the only driver so far this season to pass 100 points and extended her lead over Felbermayr to 30 points.

“The main objective was always to maintain or, even better, to extend the Standings lead, which we’ve managed to do,” she said. “We’ve done both actually, so that’s just a nice cherry on the cake.”