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F1 ACADEMY’s long-awaited first visit to Silverstone produced a home winner, a breakout Wild Card performance and a significant shift in momentum before the summer break. Alisha Palmowski gave the British crowd the result they wanted, but Round 3 was about more than one victory. It was a weekend that sharpened the title picture and underlined just how quickly form can change in this championship.
Chiara Bättig was arguably the revelation of Silverstone. The 16-year-old topped Practice by two tenths, then became the first Wild Card driver to take pole position, beating Palmowski by 0.177s. For a driver making her first F1 ACADEMY appearance, the composure was striking.
Bättig scored points with eighth in the Reverse Grid Race and, in the Feature Race, never allowed Palmowski to disappear after losing the lead off the line. Her podium was the first achieved by a Wild Card driver and also delivered Hitech’s first silverware in the series. Rising to P11 in the standings in one weekend, she made a compelling case for why she is regarded as one of the brightest female talents to watch.
Hitech arrived at its home round with just one point from the opening part of the season. It left Silverstone with its strongest F1 ACADEMY weekend to date. All three cars qualified inside the top five, and all three scored in both races.
Rachel Robertson secured her first points of the year with fourth and sixth, while Ava Dobson improved her best series result with seventh in the Reverse Grid Race before adding eighth in the Feature Race. With 41 points across the weekend, Hitech matched Rodin Motorsport as the top scorer and moved ahead of ART Grand Prix in the Teams’ Standings.
Palmowski’s Sunday victory looked controlled from the outside, but her weekend began with uncertainty. She admitted her second place in Qualifying was a “miracle” after lacking confidence in the car, before work with Campos Racing helped turn the weekend around.
For more on that turnaround, read our report on how Palmowski credited Campos after her Silverstone home win.
Her launch in the Feature Race was decisive, taking the lead immediately and managing constant pressure from Bättig across 13 laps. It was Palmowski’s third win of the campaign, all in higher-scoring races, and it stretched her championship advantage to 30 points.
Emma Felbermayr recovered from a difficult Qualifying to take two podiums, winning the Reverse Grid Race from pole and climbing from eighth to third in the Feature Race. She remains the only driver to score in all seven races, with just two podium misses so far.
The concern is that Palmowski’s lead still grew. Felbermayr’s consistency is elite, but Zandvoort now carries greater importance if she is to keep the title fight alive.
Ciara is a Dublin native, award-winning film producer, podcaster and writer with 20 years of storytelling experience. A lifelong Leinster and Ireland rugby fan, she turned her attention to the grid after moving to Berlin and co-founding Formula Live Pulse. Now, she applies her producer’s brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastri’s rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!