Don’t mind Alisha Palmowski if she seems extra eager to hit the track at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this weekend.
Not only has it been a long six-week break since the last F1 Academy race in Miami, but she’ll also be sporting a special Canadian-inspired livery in Montreal.
Red Bull Racing Pepe Jeans Academy Programme and partner 1Password unveiled Canadian artist Kirsten McCrea’s design Tuesday in Toronto. The vibrant livery takes local inspiration, featuring a colour scheme with red for Canada and blue for Quebec. The pattern showcases dandelion seeds influenced by the Expo 67 logo, while the charging ripples near the rear wheels serve as an inspiration for what one woman can accomplish.
“It’s a really bold design, really bright, vibrant colours, which I absolutely love,” Palmowski told Sportsnet.ca. “I think in general, it’s just great to see the support from the Red Bull Racing Pepe Jeans Academy Programme and 1Password in creating a bespoke livery specifically for F1 Academy, because it’s the first time that’s happened, and I’m just really honoured and privileged that I’m the one that gets to go behind the wheel of it this weekend. Hopefully it’ll bring me some good luck.”
This also marks the first time F1 Academy races in Canada and the female-only development series is making up for lost time. Although typically double-headers, Montreal will feature three races in the championship: two on Saturday and one on Sunday. That’s because Miami’s second race was postponed due to wet weather and has been carried over to this weekend.
Palmowski said she’s super excited to race at the historic track on Ile Notre-Dame as it poses a new challenge for both the drivers and the teams.
“We’ve had no prior testing here, it wasn’t on the calendar last year, so nobody really knows what to expect,” said Palmowski, who will start on the front row in the first race. “We’ve all done a lot of sim prep, so there have been hundreds of laps from every driver on the simulator.
“One session as well — one free practice — so not much track time ahead of qualifying, but we’ve got a great opportunity to try and maximize some championship points.”
It’s been quite the year for Palmowski. The 18-year-old British driver made her F1 Academy debut late last season as a wild-card entry in Qatar. She then fulfilled her dream by landing a full-time ride for 2025 with Campos Racing and the Red Bull Racing Pepe Jeans Academy Programme.
“The support network is incredible from every area, not just from a driving perspective, but from the media and fitness front as well. I feel like I’m living the life of a mini-F1 driver, which is just fantastic,” she said with a smile. “I’m learning absolutely loads. Partners like 1Password, they give real opportunities and real chances for young talent like me, young aspiring racing drivers, to showcase what we can do and to be on the grid.
“What an opportunity that I’ve got this year that I’m just trying to maximize and also embrace the opportunity as well because I’m aware there are only 18 young females in our whole world to get the chance that I’ve got right now, so it’s a dream come true.”
She couldn’t have asked for a better debut either, winning the season opener in Shanghai. Palmowski, who fended off Campos Racing teammate Chloe Chambers to the finish line, said it was crazy and really unexpected to take the checkered flag.
“The best way to start, although I did pile on the pressure then because we set the bar extremely high, but it’s great to start off the year with a win,” she said. “It was a great confidence booster because we’ve done previous testing, we’ve done testing at Shanghai, but you never really know the true pecking order of where everybody is. You don’t know who’s sandbagging, who might be hiding their pace until the actual opening race of the year. That was great to kickstart the year with a win.”
Palmowski sits fourth in the standings, but only 20 points separate her from championship leader Maya Weug. With three races on tap in Montreal, there are plenty of points up for grabs to close the gap.
“I’d say the season has been positive so far. … It’s been a big, big learning curve, and probably one that I underestimated a little bit coming into the year,” Palmowski said. “New car, new circuits, new team. There’s a lot to get used to, a lot of pressure as well being in a support series to F1, but I’ve learned so much in the opening part of the year, so I’m hoping that I can just use what I’ve learned in the second half of the year and hopefully still fight for the title.”
“We’re fourth in the championship, but we’re only 20 points away, which is less than a race win, so it’s all still to play for,” she added. “We’re extremely strong as a team as well. My teammate Chloe, she’s third in the championship, so we’re a really strong outfit this year in Campos Racing. I’m really excited to kickstart the second half of the year.”
F1 saw an explosion in popularity after the release of the docuseries Drive to Survive. F1 Academy has followed in its footsteps with F1: The Academy, which made its debut on Netflix last month.
Palmowski hopes it has a similar impact, bringing more awareness and introducing the series to a new audience while also inspiring young women to get involved in racing and “realize that we do belong in this sport equally as much as males.”
“I think what it really shows is how there’s not one sort of character that fits the bill to be a racing driver,” she said. “There are so many different characters. They come from different parts of the world, different families, different pressures, but there’s no reason why not all of them can succeed. They absolutely all can, and they can all belong in motorsport.
“I think that should hopefully inspire the next generation in seeing that they can absolutely be involved in motorsport. You don’t have to be a certain person to be involved.”
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