Susie Wolff identifies early F1 Academy title contenders as Palmowski leads
Wolff sees early shape in the 2026 F1 Academy fight
Susie Wolff says the 2026 F1 Academy grid is already beginning to reveal its leading championship contenders, with Alisha Palmowski, Emma Felbermayr and Megan Bruce occupying the top three positions after the opening two rounds.
The all-female championship, now in its fourth season, has reached an early but significant point in the campaign. Palmowski currently heads the standings on 78 points, with Felbermayr second and Bruce third, giving the title picture an initial structure before the series moves to Silverstone.
Speaking during a three-day test at the British venue, Wolff made clear that the strength of the field remains the central measure of progress for F1 Academy. The managing director stressed that the series is not only about identifying a champion, but about giving a carefully selected group of young drivers the platform to demonstrate their level in a serious competitive environment.
âWith F1 Academy, we are always trying to pick the most outstanding 18 young talents globally to give them the chance to really not just progress working with some of the best junior teams, but also to show us what they're capable of on track,â Wolff said in an interview shared on the F1 Academy YouTube channel.
Palmowski, Larsen and Lloyd highlighted
Wolff acknowledged that the 18-driver field is not uniform in experience, which makes progression one of the seriesâ most important markers. Some drivers arrive with less background behind them, but the expectation is that the platform accelerates their development.
âAnd not all are at the same level. Some have less experience who come in and we really see huge amounts of progression,â she said. âWe obviously know who our title favourites coming into this year. We expect to see Alisha [Palmowski] up front. We know that Alba [Larsen] is super quick in the Ferrari. You've got Ella [Lloyd] in the McLaren.â
Her comments place Palmowski firmly among the early benchmarks, while also underlining that Alba Larsen and Ella Lloyd are expected to feature strongly. Yet Wolff stopped short of narrowing the contest too aggressively, noting that individual weekends may allow other emerging names to make their case.
That broader momentum around the category is also visible off-track, with F1 Academy preparing for its British Grand Prix appearance and a related fan push in London, as covered in this report on the F1 Academy London pop-up before Silverstone.
Silverstone next for the championship
For Wolff, the wider objective remains clear: the talent pool must keep rising. The drivers are being asked to seize the opportunity decisively and prove they can progress further in the sport.
The third round of the 2026 F1 Academy season will take place at Silverstone during the Formula 1 British Grand Prix weekend on 3-5 July.
Ciara Gillan
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 producerâs brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastriâs rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!