Alisha Palmowski led a Campos Racing 1-2 in a dramatic first race of the F1 Academy season, fending off Chloe Chambers and Maya Weug to claim victory in just her second-ever start in the series, after a technical issue for Nina Gademan took the Dutchwoman out of contention.
Alisha Palmowski led a Campos Racing 1-2 in a dramatic first race of the F1 Academy season, fending off Chloe Chambers and Maya Weug to claim victory in just her second-ever start in the series.
The first reverse-grid race since 2023 kicked off the 2025 season, with Alpine’s Nina Gademan starting from pole position after setting the eighth-fastest time in Friday’s qualifying. The Dutch rookie shared the front row with Emma Felbermayr, in her debut season in race cars. Behind them, the youngest driver on the grid, Joanne Ciconte, impressed in qualifying and would start third, ahead of Alisha Palmowski and Chloe Chambers.
Meanwhile, Ella Lloyd, originally set to start from 12th, was forced to start from the pit lane due to a minimum tyre pressure violation.
At the first lights out of the season, Nina Gademan made a clean getaway, retaining the lead. However, the two Red Bull-liveried Campos cars of Chambers and Palmowski had stellar launches, swiftly clearing Ciconte and challenging Felbermayr, who attempted to defend into Turn 1 and 2. Palmowski sneaked past into second place, while Maya Weug made a brilliant start from eighth, climbing up to fifth.
The opening lap provided plenty of action but was soon halted by a spin from Chinese Wild Card entry Shi Wei, who got stranded on track, bringing out the first safety car.
At the neutralization, the top six order remained Gademan, Palmowski, Felbermayr, Chambers, Weug, and Pin—with the two most experienced drivers already making up significant ground. Nicole Havrda also made a strong start, breaking into the top ten.
However, an investigation was launched into Anagnostiadis, Crone, Block, and Shi Wei for incorrect positioning at the safety car line.
Racing resumed on lap 4, with Gademan attempting to break the tow but maintaining her lead. Chambers attacked aggressively, making a clean pass on Felbermayr at Turn 1, with Weug and Pin following through, dropping the Austrian rookie to sixth.
Soon after, an incident between ART Grand Prix teammates Aurelia Nobels and Lia Block saw Block dive too deep into Turn 6, hitting Nobels’ Puma-sponsored Tatuus. Nobels suffered rear suspension damage, triggering another safety car.
Having already endured a tough weekend, Block, who missed Friday’s qualifying after a crash in practice, received a 10-second penalty for causing the collision.
The second restart on lap 7 saw Gademan once again accelerate away, but this time with both Red Bull-backed Campos cars—Palmowski and Chambers—close behind. Unfortunately, the action was again short-lived as a collision between Chloe Chong and Nicole Havrda at Turn 1 took Havrda out of the race, bringing out the third safety car.
Meanwhile, Ciconte was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for her team adjusting tyre pressures too late on the grid. However, she incorrectly served the penalty under safety car conditions, meaning she would have to serve it again.
The race restarted on lap 11, and this time, Gademan got a better launch, while Weug closed in on Chambers. But just as the lead battle was shaping up, disaster struck: Gademan suffered a technical issue, slowing dramatically on lap 11, ending her hopes of fighting for victory.
With Gademan out of the picture, Chambers set the fastest lap of the race in 2:04.580 and piled pressure on Palmowski for the lead.
Behind them, Alba Hurup Larsen and Emma Felbermayr made contact at the hairpin, creating a gap that allowed Doriane Pin to seize the opportunity and move into fourth place.
After 13 chaotic laps, Alisha Palmowski survived intense last-lap pressure from Chloe Chambers, securing victory in only her second-ever F1 Academy race. Already a race winner in GB4 on her first ever start, the British driver added another prestigious victory to her name.
Maya Weug completed the podium in third after a measured drive from eighth on the grid, securing valuable points in a hectic race.
Further back, Pin locked up at the hairpin on the final lap, allowing Hurup Larsen to dive through into fourth. However, Larsen was later penalized for her earlier collision with Felbermayr, dropping her to seventh despite an otherwise impressive rookie performance.
Felbermayr was then hit by Tina Hausmann at the hairpin, spinning both drivers around, which opened the door for Rafaela Ferreira to climb from 16th to finish fifth—a stunning recovery after serving a grid penalty. Ella Lloyd also impressed, finishing sixth, having started from the pit lane.
Rookie Aiva Anagnostiadis kept out of trouble, working her way through the field to secure eighth place and her first F1 Academy points on debut. After penalties were applied, Lia Block and Chloe Chong were classified ninth and tenth.
Having fought at the front throughout her first-ever F1 Academy race, Emma Felbermayr ultimately finished 11th, ahead of Courtney Crone, Tina Hausmann, and Joanne Ciconte.
After leading much of the race, Nina Gademan was forced to retire due to technical issues, joining Nicole Havrda, Aurelia Nobels, and Shi Wei on the list of non-finishers.
Palmowski continues to build on her strong momentum from a stellar GB4 rookie season, where she finished Vice-Champion and earned a €30,000 scholarship toward her F1 Academy seat in 2025. She had previously made a Wild Card appearance in Qatar, securing a top-five finish in her only race that weekend.
She now looks to carry this form into Race 2 on Sunday, where Maya Weug will start on pole alongside Doriane Pin. The race is scheduled for 10:45 local time.
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