Alisha Palmowski has been crowned 2026 F1 Academy champion after clinching the title at the Circuit of the Americas, wrapping up the all-female championship with the season finale in Las Vegas still to come.
The Campos Racing driver, racing under the Red Bull Academy Programme, sealed the crown in Saturday's reverse grid race, charging from eighth on the grid to finish second behind Ferrari's Alba Larsen.
Palmowski had already laid the foundations for the title earlier in the Austin weekend by winning Friday's opening race, building an advantage that proved unassailable before Sunday's feature race had even been run.
Emma Felbermayr, Larsen and Nina Gademan had kept the fight alive for much of the campaign, but none could close the gap in Texas to Palmowski.
As champion, Palmowski is set to receive F1 Academy's funded progression package, which typically includes a seat and testing allocation in a higher single-seater category such as FRECA or GB3.
The exact points margin over her rivals will only be confirmed once the feature race in Austin and the season-closing round in Las Vegas have been completed.
Her Formula 1 future remains a longer-term prospect, with her affiliation to the Red Bull Academy Programme likely to shape whatever comes next in her junior single-seater career.
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