Alisha Palmowski, the 2026 F1 Academy champion, will compete in the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) in 2027. F1 Academy and Red Bull Racing announced that they have secured her a fully funded drive at Rodin Motorsport.
The 20-year-old Briton said stepping up through single-seater racing had always been her target. She said 2027 will give her "a new series, a new team and a fresh opportunity to test myself." She described clinching the title in Austin, with her family watching, as surreal.
What the package includes
According to the announcement, the race seat is only part of the arrangement. Palmowski will also become a member of the Red Bull Junior Team next year. She will get an extensive testing schedule and ongoing development within Red Bull's junior programme, and F1 Academy will keep backing her.
Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, said the move reflects the series' purpose. She said it wants its champions to keep climbing the sport's ladder with the backing they need. Wolff added that Palmowski had shown Red Bull Racing she deserved its continued support and a junior programme place. She also singled out the character, determination and integrity the driver had displayed away from the circuit.
How the title was won
Palmowski wrapped up the championship at the series' most recent event in Austin, with three races still left on the calendar. Her season yielded five wins, seven podiums and six pole positions.
That success came in her second season. A year earlier, driving for Campos Racing, she won the 2025 opener in Shanghai and ended the year fifth overall. She earned the Campos seat, along with entry to the Red Bull Racing Academy Programme, through a one-off appearance as a Wild Card at the penultimate round of 2024 in Qatar.
Two earlier F1 Academy title winners have already made the jump to a higher category: Marta Garcia, who raced in FREC in 2024, and Abbi Pulling, who moved to the GB3 Championship. Palmowski is the third to do so.
Race of Champions
Before her FREC campaign begins, Palmowski will line up for Team GB at the 2027 Race of Champions New Zealand in January. Her teammate there will be David Coulthard, who won 13 Formula 1 races.
