F1 Academy returns this weekend for Round 2 of its 2025 championship in Jeddah, where the female single-seater talent will take on one of the most demanding street circuits in motorsport. After a thrilling season opener in Shanghai, it’s 18-year-old Alisha Palmowski racing under the Red Bull banner with Campos who’s emerged as the early standout.
The British driver stunned the paddock with a victory in reverse grid and on debut, and now arrives in Saudi Arabia full of confidence, calling the high-speed circuit “nerve-wracking” but “absolutely thrilling.” With just one race weekend under her belt, Palmowski is already turning heads as a serious contender on a grid dominated by second-year drivers.
A Rookie on the Rise
Alisha Palmowski may be new to F1 Academy, but she’s already racing like a driver with years of experience. The Campos driver made headlines in Shanghai by winning the opening race of the season with a commanding performance that saw her hold off more seasoned competition. Palmowski, speaking ahead of the Jeddah round, praised her team’s swift adaptation and highlighted a recent setup change that better suits both her driving style and the demands of the challenging street circuit.
“We were here a few weeks ago doing some test days and they were extremely positive for me personally and for the whole team,” she said. “We’ve made a slight setup change to the balance in the car that we had in Shanghai, which is a step in the right direction for me personally. I absolutely love the circuit. It’s very challenging. There’s no margin for error.”
Having stepped up from GB4, where she impressed in 2024, Alisha Palmowski is now competing with Campos Racing and supported by Red Bull, and she’s confidently embracing the significant shift. Currently fourth in the standings and the highest-placed rookie, she’s proving that balance and precision can sometimes outweigh experience.
“Great to kick the year off, obviously, with a win,” she added. “Hopefully we’ll be in a fight again this weekend… I’m feeling a lot more confident and comfortable within the car.”
How Testing Shaped the Jeddah Mindset
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is no place for hesitation. Fast, flowing, and hemmed in by walls, it demands razor-sharp focus. For many rookies on the grid, including Palmowski and Aiva Anagnostiadis, it’s their first time racing a street circuit. But thanks to three intense days of pre-season testing in Saudi Arabia, they’re arriving better prepared.
“It’s a very different feeling, having walls straight next to you,” Palmowski said. “You’ve got to be confident, you’ve got to be brave, and that’s where it’s essential we had those test days to build confidence. The bravest driver is going to win this weekend, to be honest.”
Tina Hausmann, entering her second and final F1 Academy season, echoed that sentiment. The Aston Martin-backed Swiss driver highlighted how track evolution over the test days, with rain one night and sweltering heat the next, added complexity to an already unforgiving circuit.
“Each of the three days felt so different,” Hausmann explained. “The track evolution was very, very interesting to see and will be crucial information for qualifying and the races.”
Anagnostiadis, representing Hitech Pulse-Eight and Tag Heuer, is not only a rookie herself but also part of a debuting team. Her focus, she says, is on learning quickly and adjusting to the condition, particularly the heat, which was a major factor during testing.
“Hopefully it cools down a bit more at night,” she laughed. “But I think we’re all prepared quite well for it.”
With only one free practice session ahead of qualifying and overtaking chances notoriously scarce in Jeddah, the pressure will be firmly on getting everything right in just a handful of laps. One mistake could be the difference between pole and a mid-pack fight.
Adapting to the Reverse Grid
Shanghai wasn’t just the stage for Alisha Palmowski’s debut win, it also introduced the reverse grid format for Race 2, flipping the top eight qualifiers and forcing front-runners to fight their way back through the pack. While the format continues to divide opinion, most drivers see it as a welcome challenge that values adaptability just as much as raw speed.
“I love the reverse grid races,” Palmowski said. “It’s one thing being out front, being consistent, being able to make no mistakes. But it’s totally another challenge starting mid-pack. Race craft, it’s a totally different skill. I think it’s great… more exciting for the fans, and it really encourages closer racing.”
Tina Hausmann, who’s had to adapt her approach after a full season of standard format races last year, acknowledged the strategic rethink it demands.
“Maybe you have the pace for P1, but you have to stay P8,” she said. “It’s really a change in mindset… it adds a lot of new challenges.”
For Aiva Anagnostiadis, who qualified 16th in China but finished in the points, the format offered a glimpse of what’s possible when the field gets mixed up and why drivers in the mid-pack are watching every qualifying lap with extra attention.
“If you qualify P8, you’re on pole for Race 2, so you’re pretty happy,” she said. “But if you’re P9, it flips, and that can be frustrating. It just changes the whole racing dynamics, but I think the racing’s been quite good as a result.”
As the series continues to grow, the reverse grid is shaping up to be one of F1 Academy’s defining features, pushing drivers to develop a fuller racing toolkit and keeping fans on edge every step of the way.
Beyond the Track: Inspiration, Role Models, and Racing with Vettel
While the on-track action in Jeddah promises to be fierce, some of the most meaningful moments for the F1 Academy grid this week have taken place away from the circuit. Earlier in the week, Palmowski and Hausmann joined four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel for his Race for Women initiative, a grassroots karting programme designed to empower and inspire Saudi women to get behind the wheel. The experience surpassed expectations.
“I didn’t really know what to expect from it, but it really outperformed everything,” Hausmann said. “Seb has done an amazing job to organise this initiative, and it was great to see the girls racing. They really put a lot of effort into it. It was a great evening, and I hope I can go again.”
Palmowski was struck by the scale and significance of the programme, particularly in a country where women only gained the right to drive in 2018.
“There were 150 girls originally, and they whittled that down to the best 20,” she said. “Just to see that number of young females involved in motorsport is incredible. And to have someone like Seb supporting it, it’s amazing. He’s a great guy, and having a name like his behind it should really help inspire future generations.”
The British driver also spoke about the importance of visibility in motorsport. She was vocal about growing up without many female role models in the sport, a reality that F1 Academy is actively trying to change, both on-screen and behind the scenes.
“When I was young, I didn’t even realise I could be involved in motorsport,” she shared. “Just due to the lack of representation. So now, for this next generation of young girls to see drivers like us on track, I think that’s really powerful.”
Eyes on the Front, Feet on the Pedals
As the lights prepare to go out in Jeddah, Alisha Palmowski remains calm, focused, and quietly confident. Her win in Shanghai may have set expectations sky-high, but she isn’t getting carried away. The target, as she puts it, is simple: “to be in the fight again this weekend. That’s always the aim.”
We’re in for a treat as F1 Academy heads into its second round of the season, where precision matters and pressure defines potential. This circuit is set to test every ounce of bravery these drivers have to offer.
Here’s when to tune in (all times local/track time):
- Free Practice – Friday, 14:05–14:45
- Qualifying – Friday, 21:30–22:00
- Race 1 (Reverse Grid) – Saturday, 15:20–15:50
- Race 2 – Sunday, 15:05–15:35
Feature Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool