Alisha Palmowski has successfully secured a double pole position for Round 5 of the F1 Academy season at the Circuit of the Americas following a crucial post-session reinstatement of her fastest lap time by race officials.
The Red Bull-backed championship leader will lead the grid for both Friday's Opening Race and Sunday's Feature Race in Austin after navigating a dramatic qualifying session defined by intense track limit enforcement.
Earlier in the weekend, Emma Felbermayr had set the benchmark during the sole free practice session in her Audi-liveried machine, clocking a 2:08.949 to edge out Palmowski and Nina Gademan.
However, the competitive landscape shifted dramatically during qualifying as drivers pushed to the absolute limit around the challenging Austin layout, with track limit violations at Turn 1 catching out several title contenders.
Home favourite Payton Westcott mounted a fierce challenge midway through the session, temporarily usurping the provisional pole position with a stunning 2:07.812 before official reviews of lap times reshuffled the final starting order.
With her session-topping lap officially reinstated, Palmowski now holds a commanding psychological and strategic advantage heading into the weekend's main events at the Texas circuit.
Gademan rounded out the top three behind Palmowski and Westcott, with Natalia Granada claiming fourth ahead of Lisa Billard and a frustrated Felbermayr down in ninth place on the grid.
Read Also
Lando Norris akui minum obat sakit kepala demi atasi guncangan ekstrem di COTA dan dukung kritik Max Verstappen. Baca analisis lengkap di sini!
Simak analisis lengkap hasil kualifikasi F1 Academy GP AS 2026 di sini. Cek perjuangan Alisha Palmowski merebut pole position!
Simak klarifikasi lengkap George Russell soal klaim bayar simulator Red Bull di masa lalu. Baca analisis mendalam dan berita F1 terbaru di sini.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!