Palmowski Extends Championship Lead as Bättig Makes History at F1 Academy Silverstone 2026 Feature Race

Alisha Palmowski won the F1 Academy Silverstone 2026 Feature Race from second on the grid, beating Chiara Bättig by six tenths to take her third victory of the season and stretch her championship lead over Emma Felbermayr to 30 points. Bättig held second for Hitech’s first F1 Academy podium and the series’ first Wild Card podium, two days after becoming the first Wild Card pole-sitter on Friday. Felbermayr climbed from eighth on the grid to third, her second consecutive podium at Silverstone. Lisa Billard stalled at the lights from third on the grid. A Lap 2 Safety Car followed contact between Rafaela Ferreira and Ella Stevens over the start-finish line, both retiring with damage. Esmee Kosterman picked up a five-second penalty for a Safety Car infringement. Once Palmowski had the lead, nobody got close enough to make her answer for it. She took the win and the fastest lap bonus point before the field breaks for the summer ahead of Zandvoort in August.

Key Points: F1 Academy Silverstone 2026 Feature Race

• Palmowski wins from P2, her third victory of 2026, and extends her championship lead over Felbermayr to 30 points
• Bättig holds second for Hitech’s first F1 Academy podium and the series’ first Wild Card podium, two days after the first Wild Card pole in the category’s history on Friday
• Felbermayr climbs from eighth to third, her second consecutive podium at Silverstone
• Billard stalls at the lights from third on the grid
• Safety Car on Lap 2 after Ferreira and Stevens make contact over the start-finish line, both retiring with damage
• Kosterman handed a five-second penalty for a Safety Car infringement, ending her fight for points

Race Recap: F1 Academy Silverstone 2026 Feature Race

The Grid and the Conditions

Bättig started from pole, the first Wild Card driver in F1 Academy history to do so after topping qualifying on Friday, with Palmowski alongside her on the front row and Billard third. Cooler morning conditions greeted the field for the Feature Race, a shift from the previous day’s Reverse Grid Race.

The Start: Palmowski Covers Bättig, Billard Stalls

Palmowski got the better launch and took the lead by the apex of Turn 1, moving clear of Bättig with the pair immediately breaking away from the rest of the field. Billard’s race was over almost before it began. She stalled at the lights from third on the grid, dropping to the back of the field before a lap had been completed. Behind the front two, Lloyd made early progress from sixth, passing Robertson on the opening lap, while Felbermayr found her way past the same car at Turn 9 to gain four places from her eighth-place start.

Safety Car: Ferreira and Stevens Out

The Safety Car was deployed heading into Lap 2 after Ferreira and Stevens made contact over the start-finish line. Both cars sustained damage that ended their races there and then, a blow for Rodin Motorsport and Campos Racing inside the opening laps.

The Restart: Lloyd and Felbermayr Go Side by Side

Palmowski timed the restart on Lap 5 well, committing hard through the final corners at Club to keep Bättig behind. Bättig, in turn, kept enough of a gap to Lloyd to protect second. Further back, Felbermayr used the tow into Copse to draw level with Lloyd, the two Rodin Motorsport team-mates running side by side as Lloyd was pushed wide over the run-off. With both cars occupied by their own fight, Gademan slipped through to take fourth from Lloyd.

Midfield Scrap: Dobson, Robertson and Granada

The battle for the tail end of the points was close throughout, with Dobson, Robertson, Granada and Larsen running almost four-wide at points through the middle of the race. Dobson found a way past Robertson for eighth, only for Granada to reclaim the position a lap later at Turn 6. Larsen’s run from 13th on the grid came undone when she ran across the grass and slipped back behind Kosterman, who was then handed a five-second penalty for a Safety Car infringement that ended her own push for points. Westcott, meanwhile, went wide attempting a move around the outside of Bruce on Lap 9 and lost the position back, having already picked up front wing damage after contact with Larsen at the restart.

Closing Laps: Palmowski Untouched

Palmowski’s advantage at the front never came under threat once the restart had settled. She crossed the line 0.619 seconds ahead of Bättig, with Felbermayr a further 8.5 seconds back in third. Gademan held off a late charge from Lloyd to secure fourth, with Robertson sixth on her home weekend ahead of Granada, Dobson, Bruce and Larsen rounding out the top ten. Ferreira and Stevens were the only retirements.

Classification: F1 Academy Silverstone 2026 Feature Race

Results shown are provisional.

Coffee Corner Take

Palmowski did what a championship leader is supposed to do at her home race. She took the lead at Turn 1 and never gave it back. No panic at the restart, no mistakes under pressure from a driver who started the weekend on pole. Thirty points clear now. That is not a lead you claw back by accident.

Bättig’s weekend will still follow the season, even if she does not. First Wild Card pole in the category’s history on Friday. First Wild Card podium in the category’s history on Sunday. Two records in one weekend, and she did it by matching pace with the championship leader for the full race distance, not by inheriting the result. Hitech’s first podium in F1 Academy came from a driver who was not supposed to be a factor this early.

Felbermayr needed that drive. She had already won from pole in the Reverse Grid Race, but eighth to third in the Feature Race was a different kind of result. This one had to be recovered.

The early contact did the race no favours. Ferreira and Stevens both out inside two laps is a rough way to end the weekend for two teams. Kosterman’s penalty for the Safety Car infringement shows how unforgiving these restarts are becoming. Small margins, big consequences.

Thirty points is not panic territory, but it is no longer just a gap. Felbermayr has the summer break to find a response, and Zandvoort is where that response has to start. Palmowski leaves Silverstone in control.

What’s Next?