Loading
Alisha Palmowski delivered a masterclass on a treacherous Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, taking a dominant victory in the F1 Academy Feature Race in Montreal with a margin of over ten seconds — a record-breaking gap that underlined her authority at the front of the championship.
With rain having fallen earlier in the day, the circuit was still damp as the field assembled for the Feature Race. Every driver on the grid opted for wet-weather tyres, and caution was the order of the day around the tight, wall-lined streets of Montreal.
Palmowski, starting from pole, made a clean getaway and held the lead immediately. Payton Westcott lined up alongside her in second, but was quickly placed under pressure from Megan Bruce running third. Into Turns 13 and 14, the two ran side by side before Bruce forced her way through to take second as they crossed the start-finish line.
Elsewhere in the opening moments, Ella Lloyd was on the move through the field, picking off positions down the inside of the opening corners. Her progress, however, came at a cost — her front tyre clipped that of Lisa Billard, sending the ART driver spinning. The McLaren-backed driver was placed under investigation for the incident. Further down the order, Lloyd was later seen racing with Kaylee Countryman, eventually passing her to take tenth.
On Lap 4, Nina Gademan applied pressure to Alba Larsen, running alongside the Ferrari-liveried car into the final corners. Gademan attempted to be late on the brakes but was forced to bail wide, leaving Larsen to hold sixth place. A lap later, Gademan returned to the attack on the inside line — this time successfully — as Larsen was the one forced to run wide, dropping back to ninth in the process.
The conditions remained unforgiving throughout, with the intermittent rain keeping every driver on edge at a venue known for its punishing barriers.
On Lap 7, Larsen, Lloyd, and Rafaela Ferreira went three-wide into the final corners. Larsen was once again forced to seek refuge through the advertising boards, with Lloyd emerging from the chaos in the stronger position.
Meanwhile, championship context was shaping decisions further up the order. Emma Felbermayr — second in the standings — was closing rapidly on Westcott in fourth, the gap trimmed to just 0.6 seconds. With Palmowski, the championship leader, already gone at the front, every additional point was critical for Felbermayr.
By Lap 12, Felbermayr was right on the gearbox of Westcott, the Audi-backed driver probing for any gap in the Mercedes-backed machinery. Two laps later, Felbermayr clipped the kerb, losing momentary pace but staying close enough to remain in contention. The breakthrough came shortly after when Westcott ran wide through the grass, handing the Audi-backed driver the position and a clear route towards second place.
With Bruce just 0.4 seconds ahead, Felbermayr now faced a different challenge entirely. Catching is one thing; overtaking — especially without the aid of DRS, which F1 Academy does not feature — is another matter. The answer came from circumstance: Bruce suffered a rear slip and made brief contact with the wall, slowing her TAG Heuer car and giving Felbermayr the opening she needed to move through.
Up front, Palmowski had experienced a minor wobble in the wet conditions, running briefly wide at one stage — but she recovered swiftly and never looked genuinely threatened. Her record-breaking winning margin of over ten seconds was a statement of control rather than fortune.
It was a continuation of her imperious form at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Earlier in the weekend, Palmowski had already converted pole position into a commanding victory in the F1 Academy Opening Race, finishing ten seconds clear of the field on that occasion too.
Felbermayr and Bruce completed the podium in second and third respectively. Westcott settled for fourth after a fierce race-long battle, while Matilda Paatz crossed the line in fifth. Larsen recovered to sixth after her mid-race difficulties, with Gademan and Natalia Granada finishing seventh and eighth. After her intense battles through the pack, Lloyd came home ninth, and Ferreira rounded out the points in tenth.
For Palmowski, the Feature Race victory extended her championship advantage at the top. For Felbermayr, the podium finish in second was a timely response in her pursuit. The title fight, sharpened by every passing lap at Montreal, is firmly alive.
For more from the Montreal F1 Academy weekend, read about Matilda Paatz's surprise reverse grid victory earlier in the event.
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.