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Alisha Palmowski delivered another statement performance at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, claiming a commanding pole position in F1 Academy qualifying ahead of Round 2 of the 2026 season. The Red Bull-backed Campos Racing driver produced a blistering lap to secure front-row honours for both the opening and feature races, ending the session nearly four tenths of a second clear of her closest rival.
The field arrived in Montreal carrying considerable anticipation. The series had been on hiatus since the Chinese Grand Prix weekend back in March, with the Saudi Arabian round having been cancelled in the intervening period. That scheduling shift carried real consequence: with a third race now added to the weekend slate, every point scored in qualifying would carry additional weight in the championship battle.
As explored in our F1 Academy Montreal preview, the landmark three-race format and a title fight hotting up made this weekend one of the most significant of the season so far — and qualifying underlined exactly why.
Drivers rolled out for their initial exploration laps around the unforgiving street circuit, where the barriers leave no margin for error. For the large cohort of rookies who had never raced here before, these early laps were genuinely unfamiliar territory. The more experienced drivers were quick to capitalise.
Palmowski was among the first to set a representative lap time, placing herself near the top of the order from the outset. But it was McLaren-backed Ella Lloyd who briefly took charge, moving to the head of the timing sheets by 0.174 seconds. Behind her, ART Grand Prix's Lisa Billard settled into third, ahead of Campos teammate Megan Bruce in fourth and Aston Martin's Mathilda Paatz completing the early top five.
Further down the order, Canadian Grand Prix Wild Card Autumn Fisher was making her first representative laps in the series. Her inexperience showed on this demanding circuit, and she was unable to break into the competitive top eight.
With twenty minutes remaining, the bulk of the field retreated to the pit lane for fresh rubber and adjustments ahead of their critical second runs. When action resumed, the complexion of the session changed quickly.
Lloyd made an error on her next flying lap, placing her on the back foot for the remainder of the session. Ferrari's Alba Larsen also struggled, failing to find the pace her position in the championship might have demanded. With her two main challengers stumbling, Palmowski produced a clean, measured run to reclaim top spot on the timing sheets.
Teammate and Racing Bulls-supported Rafaella Ferreira climbed to second ahead of Billard, with Bruce fourth and Lloyd slipping to fifth.
With ten minutes left on the clock, most of the field returned to the pits for a final push on fresh tyres. Larsen recovered composure from her earlier mistake, surviving a brief excursion through the final chicane to move into second. Behind Palmowski and Larsen sat Ferreira, Billard, Kaylee Countryman, and Rachel Robertson — though the Scottish driver's lap was compromised after she clipped the wall heavily at the exit of Turn 9, effectively ending her chances of further improvement.
The closing stages brought a fresh burst of drama at the front. Megan Bruce surged to second place behind Palmowski, briefly recreating a familiar sight from last season's qualifying session at this very circuit and giving Campos Racing a 1-2-3 lockout at the top of the order. Ferreira slotted into second during part of this sequence, though she remained more than half a second adrift of Palmowski's benchmark.
The Campos clean sweep was soon disrupted by PREMA Racing's Payton Westcott, who jumped into second with a strong lap. Palmowski's response was immediate — she went back out and found yet more pace, extending her advantage at the head of the timing sheet.
Further down the order, Gademan briefly claimed reverse-grid pole position in the battle for eighth before Countryman snatched the spot away in the closing moments.
At the chequered flag, the result was emphatic. Palmowski secured pole position for both the opening and feature race of the weekend, ending the session nearly four tenths clear of Westcott in second. Bruce completed a strong afternoon for Campos Racing in third, with Felbermayr and Paatz rounding out the top five after Felbermayr recovered from a quiet opening half of the session to climb into contention.
For Campos Racing, the result was a statement of intent as the season resumes after its lengthy break. Palmowski, in particular, looks in formidable form at a circuit that punishes even the smallest mistake — and she made very few of them.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.