GB4 runner-up Alisha Palmowski secured her latest F1 Academy podium at Zandvoort last weekend, as the series resumed after a break of almost two months.
Immediately showing her potential again, Palmowski just missed out on a first pole position by a tiny 0.039s on Saturday, and finished seventh from seventh on the grid in the first race of the weekend later in the day.
But it was in race two where she impressed most, and despite starting from the damper side of the grid owing to morning rain, she made a good enough start to hold third early in the race from Ella Lloyd.
However with Lloyd picking up a penalty for a false start, Palmowski was therefore credited with second place at the end of the contest, her best 'main' race result of her maiden F1 Academy season, having won a 'Sprint' contest in China at the start of the year.
Palmowski now has four podiums to her name, and sits fifth in the standings, with two more events still to run in Singapore and Las Vegas.
“We struggled quite a lot in the reverse grid race — started P7, finished P7,” Palmowski told the F1 Academy website. “Just struggled for outright pace in that first half so we worked really hard last night.
“We looked at hours of data just to try and figure out how to improve the car and what I need to adapt my driving to improve that pace in the first half. I think we addressed that issue really well today."
Discussing her battle with Lloyd, Palmowski added: “I think at any other circuit I probably would have been able to overtake her but it’s just so difficult around here with it being so tight, twisty and technical. We did a good job overall.
“I think I was a little bit quicker than her, but it’s just so difficult to follow and overtake around here. I think we maximised the opportunity really and it was a big step forward based on yesterday so I’m really happy.”
