Palmowski Takes Pole in Damp Zandvoort Qualifying
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 21, 2026
Palmowski Takes Pole
Alisha Palmowski claimed pole position for the F1 Academy qualifying session at Zandvoort with a lap of 1:40.911, and she did it in a session that changed shape from start to finish. The track started wet, dried out by the end and brought two red flags into the mix, which kept the field chasing grip and rhythm throughout the run. Alba Larsen took second, 0.864 seconds back, while Natalia Granada delivered her best qualifying result in third. Emma Felbermayr followed in fourth and Nina Gademan placed fifth. Rachel Robertson took sixth, giving the upper half of the grid a tight and changing order as the conditions evolved.
Palmowski’s lap stood as the mark everyone else had to chase once the session settled. The drying track opened the door for different tire calls and late improvements, but Palmowski stayed ahead of the rest of the field. Larsen’s run kept her close enough to pressure the front, and Granada’s third-place finish gave her a clear step forward with her best qualifying result. Felbermayr and Gademan also landed strong positions in the top five, while Robertson locked into sixth as the session moved through its wet-to-dry swing. The top six separated themselves from the rest, but the red flags and changing surface kept the fight from being straightforward. Every lap mattered, and the fastest one belonged to Palmowski.
Florescu Finishes Seventh
Zoe Florescu finished seventh in her F1 Academy qualifying debut as a Wild Card entry, and she did it after spending much of the session inside the top two. Running on wet tires, Florescu climbed as high as second before the track changed and the final minutes demanded a switch to slick tires. That transition turned the session into a tire-management test, and Florescu said the changing conditions made that job difficult. She also said Hitech made the right call with the tire strategy and called the lap a good starting point for the weekend.
Florescu’s result gave her a strong first qualifying showing, even with the shifting surface and the late move to slicks. The 7th-place finish put her in the middle of a tightly packed top 10, ahead of Payton Westcott in ninth and Jade Jacquet in 10th. The jump from wet tires to slicks came at the most delicate part of the run, when the track was no longer fully wet but still did not reward every driver in the same way. Florescu handled the change well enough to stay inside the top seven, and the run gave her useful pace to build on after her qualifying debut.
Zandvoort Sets Up Front Row
Florescu’s day carried extra value because she will start from the front row for the Reverse Grid Race alongside Megan Bruce. That puts her in prime position for another key run at Zandvoort, where she said consistency and defense will matter on a circuit that is hard to overtake on. The setting rewards drivers who can hold position and manage pressure, and Florescu’s qualifying effort gave her a strong base for that challenge. Her first outing as a Wild Card entry ended with a seventh-place result, but the front-row start for the Reverse Grid Race gives her another chance to convert pace into track position.
The broader qualifying order also gives the weekend a clear shape. Palmowski set the pace with the pole lap, Larsen followed close behind in second and Granada earned a best-ever qualifying result in third. Felbermayr, Gademan and Robertson filled out the next three spots before Florescu landed seventh. Westcott and Jacquet rounded out the top 10. With the session starting wet and ending dry, the field had to adapt quickly, and the final order reflected who handled the conditions best as the track changed. Zandvoort asked for timing, tire judgment and clean execution, and the drivers who managed those pieces climbed to the front of the grid.
