Alisha Palmowski converted pole into a lights-to-flag victory in the Montreal Feature Race, taking the chequered flag 10.9 seconds clear after a wet start at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
Palmowski led from the opening lap and had built a five-second advantage by Lap 7, controlling the race through drizzly, slippery conditions and crossing the line well ahead of the field.
Emma Felbermayr finished second after snatching that position from Megan Bruce on the final lap, while Bruce completed a double podium for Campos Racing in third. Payton Westcott came home fourth ahead of Mathilda Paatz in fifth. Alba Larsen, Nina Gademan, Natalia Granada, Rafaela Ferreira and Ella Lloyd completed the top ten in that order.
The numbers underline the scale of the result: Palmowski’s margin of 10.9 seconds not only delivered a dominant race win but also improved her own record for the largest winning margin in F1 Academy history. The result left her with a 25-point advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Standings heading into Round 3.
Early morning showers had left the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve cold and treacherous, so the performance on a slippery track carried extra weight. Palmowski kept the car clean in those first laps, converted pole into a lead at the start and kept the pace high enough to open the gap by Lap 7.
The race report posted by F1 Academy highlighted both the grip challenges and Palmowski’s control. Campos Racing’s weekend returned two podiums after Bruce’s finish, while Felbermayr’s late move for P2 added a final twist to the order on the last lap.
Tension arrived inside Palmowski’s cockpit on the final lap when she reported an engine problem but still managed to hold the lead and take the win. That glitch, juxtaposed with a lights-to-flag display and a record margin, creates an uncomfortable contradiction for her rivals: dominant pace on one hand, vulnerability on the other.
For the championship picture the immediate consequence is clear. Palmowski goes to Round 3 with a healthy points buffer and the momentum of a second victory in Montreal. The result reshuffles the early f1 standings and sets up a crucial weekend when the all-female series makes its debut at Silverstone from July 3–5.
Teams and drivers now face two tasks before Silverstone: decode the speed Palmowski showed at a slippery Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and diagnose whatever produced the engine alarm on that final lap. If her team resolves the mechanical concern, the 25-point cushion and back-to-back pole-to-win form make Palmowski the driver to beat in July.
What matters next is not whether Palmowski can win again, but whether any rival can close a gap that has just been widened while exploiting the one clear weakness revealed in Montreal. The series heads to Silverstone on July 3–5 with Palmowski leading the standings and the paddock watching to see whether her form is matched by reliability.
