Red Bull has signed Alisha Palmowski to its 2025 F1 Academy roster, but who is the 18-year-old British sensation? Motorsport Week spoke exclusively with Palmowski to discuss her career to date and what drives her moving forward.
A lifelong Formula 1 fan, racing is in Palmowski’s blood. “I’ve sort of always grown up with the influence of motorsport around me,” said Red Bull’s newest recruit. “Since my great-grandad was a BriscaF1 stock car racing driver. But yeah, so it was sort of by fluke that I got involved in motorsport myself. Because I’d been a huge fan of motorsport ever since I was 5 or 6 years old, watching motorsport on the TV. I was lucky enough to go to the British Grand Prix a few times when I was young. Sort of 2015, 2016 time. But it was just by complete chance, just as a fun activity to do with my grandparents on the 6-week holiday from school [that] they took me go-karting. ‘I was like, what’s a go-kart?’ I’d never even heard of it. So it was just completely by chance. I always think about where I would be now if I had never had that day. Because it’s completely changed the trajectory of my whole life and career.”
From karting to cars
Palmowski’s karting obsession turned from a hobby into a career in 2016 and ’17 when she competed in the Daytona Junior InKart Championship, before progressing into the BirelART Series UK in 2018, earning Junior Rookie Champion. The BirelART series was rebranded as the Daniel Ricciardo Series UK national championship in 2019 and Palmowski was Junior Vice Champion in 2020 and ’21. This period was pivotal for Palmowski, setting her on a path to car racing and single-seaters.
“[In the Daniel Ricciardo series] we got my own kart and it’s a national series, so we went all around the UK racing,” Palmowski explained. “And then that’s where it really started to transition from a hobby into a potential career path. Then we were sort of looking at how we make the transition into car racing and that happened via the Ginetta Junior Scholarship.”
After earning her stripes in the Ginetta Junior Scholarship programme, Palmowski contested two seasons in the Ginetta Junior Championship, a series that has nurtured F1 race winner Lando Norris, among others.
“You only have to look at the drivers who have come from Ginetta Juniors, as you mentioned, Norris, Zak O’Sullivan, Jamie Chadwick,” said Palmowski. “There’s been a lot of great drivers come through Ginetta Juniors. They’re extremely difficult cars to drive. They’re on road tyres rather than on slicks. So they’re designed naturally to be very, very loose cars. The car control that equips you with is unmatched really. It really changed my career and it made me into the driver I am today.
“I don’t think you can get much closer racing than Ginetta Juniors. It’s extremely tight. It really taught me to get my elbows out and to be a bit more tough and fight harder. So it helped develop my race craft and car control, which has directly translated into driving and racing a single-seater. So full credit to Ginetta Juniors because without even winning that scholarship, I think I’d have never even sat in a race car. So they really have changed my whole career.”
An accomplished single-seater debut
From Ginettas, Palmowski embarked on her first season in single-seaters, contesting the GB4 championship, which is considered a perfect entry point to open-wheel racing in the UK. Palmowski immediately hit the ground running, winning her first race at Oulton Park and she went on to take two further victories and eight podium finishes to end the year as vice-champion.
“GB4 this year has been absolutely incredible,” said Palmowski. “It’s more than I could have hoped for, to be honest. It was my first year in single-seaters, so it’s been a huge learning curve. There’s been a lot of differences compared to the Ginetta Juniors. Being on slick tyres has been the predominant change. Learning all the tyre warm-up routine, and degradation. In terms of the step up, actually, they’re around 30 seconds plus a lap quicker than Ginetta Juniors, the GB4 car. So extremely quick, a big, big step up. But yeah, to be honest, we exceeded expectations throughout this year.”
Palmowski revealed her target in GB4 was to turn enough heads for an F1 team to take her under its wing for a place in F1 Academy. In that sense, it’s mission accomplished and Palmowski credits the GB4 series organisers MSV and its commander-in-chief Jonathan Palmer.
“There was a lot of pressure to perform and try to get spotted by a Formula 1 team,” Palmowski said. “But winning the debut race at Oulton Park at the start of the year was just the best start that we could have ever hoped for. And I’ve progressed and grown in confidence throughout the whole year. I’m a much, much stronger driver now than I was at the start. So it really did serve its purpose. And without the GB4 championship again, I would never have raced a single-seater car. So that championship really did give me a great opportunity and finishing top female gave me a prize fund of €30,000 towards an F1 Academy drive. So huge shout-out to MSV and Jonathan Palmer for that opportunity because it’s helped massively.”
Getting noticed on the international stage
Not only did her stellar GB4 campaign get her noticed by Red Bull and F1 Academy, but Palmowski took 2024 BRDC Rising Star and BWRDC Gold Star honours. Moreover, Palmowski was among the top-10 nominees for this year’s Silverstone Autosport BRDC Award alongside the likes of Abbi Pulling and Arvid Lindblad. Previous winners include George Russell, Jenson Button and David Coulthard and the award is judged by some of British motorsport’s top brass. It’s just the recognition that can help propel a young driver’s career.
Palmowksi said it was “absolutely incredible” to be nominated for “such a prestigious award.”
The 18-year-old added: “The drivers who have won it previously in the past and also just been nominated is such a high calibre, such a high standard. So to be amongst the top-10, it was something that I’d aspired to achieve in the future, but not necessarily this year at this early stage in my career. It is still early doors. It’s my first year in single-seaters. Obviously, we didn’t progress any further [than the top-10], which, to be totally honest, I didn’t expect to. With the calibre of drivers, particularly this year, it was extremely high. But it is something that I definitely aspire to be nominated for again in the future. Fingers crossed if I can keep performing and keep delivering results. But it was just such a great feeling [top be nominated]. It’s sort of the top-10 best UK junior drivers in up-and-coming ranks to F1 that get nominated for that award. So it was a great, great moment and a great confidence booster for me too.”
From national recognition, Palmowski made her debut on the world stage with a wildcard appearance at the Qatar round of this year’s F1 Academy championship. Palmowski fared well, qualifying sixth and finishing fifth in the sole race at the Lusail International Circuit.
“[It was] my first time experiencing the F1 support paddock,” Palmowski explained. “Such an awesome vibe. The amount of people around you, the fans. It’s such a step up in every aspect. And I [absolutely loved] every second. Again, it’s a huge learning curve. There are lots of differences. There’s a lot more media.”
Alisha Palmowski: A member of the Red Bull family
Palmowski’s performances in 2024 grabbed the attention of Red Bull and she will wear the F1 giant’s colours for the 2025 F1 Academy campaign. Red Bull is famed for its wide network of junior drivers and is perhaps the perfect place to nurture talent, in equal parts ruthless and educational where only the best will thrive.
“Honestly, there’s not enough words to describe how grateful I am for the opportunity that I’ve been given,” Palmowski exclaimed. “It’s an absolute dream come true. I mean, Red Bull, they’re obviously an incredible team. They’re a team that I’ve admired for years growing up. Multiple world champions in F1. They aren’t where they are by accident.
“I’ve been given access to the factory. They’ve welcomed me so incredibly well. I could not have had more support from them, even though it is early doors. I start with them properly next season. But I can totally see how it’s going to help me progress and develop as a driver for the next stage of my career. The F1 Academy drivers get equal access to the actual Red Bull Junior drivers, so the development that’s going to do for my career is going to be incredible. I’m just so, so grateful for the belief that they’ve put in me and I hope I can do them proud next year.”
Going ‘full attack’ in 2025 and beyond
Palmowski’s plan for 2025 is to go “Absolutely full attack.” Just as her plan in 2024 was to get to F1 Academy, her plan next year is to win the all-female world championship.
“I think every one of the F1 Academy drivers should say that they want to be champion and they want to win,” Palmowski said. “I believe it’s the mentality a driver should have and I do believe we can give it a go. Although having said that, I’m totally aware and realistic of the challenge that that will be. It won’t be easy by any means. There’s going to be a lot of new drivers to the grid next year, so I’ll have an equal sort of experience level to them. But equally, there’s going to be some returnees as well who already know some of the circuits from this year that are returning to the calendar next year. So obviously they will have an upper hand and more experience in that respect. But then again, it’s a great opportunity for me to push myself, learn from them and try to be towards the front. I always say I’m never happy in a race car unless I’m winning at the front. So there’s always more time to be found. I’ll be doing everything I can. I know I’ve got a great support network around me in Red Bull and Campos as well. So I’m just super, super excited for it all to begin.”
This year’s F1 Academy champion, Pulling, has won a fully funded drive in GB3 next year with Rodin as her prize. GB3 is considered a natural stepping stone to the FIA Formula 3 World Championship, to which the doors are opened to the F1 ladder in the truest of senses. This is not lost on Palmowski and her strategy for the future is already forming.
“We as racing drivers, we naturally look towards the future,” Palmowski explained. “I think you do have to have some sort of a plan of where you want to be in the future and what you have to do in order to achieve that. But equally, I do like to work on a year-to-year basis because motorsport in every form is a results-based business and you’ve got to perform in order to be given opportunities in the future. So I’m really focussing on next year.
“I’m going to try to do the best job that I can do to be given that opportunity further into the future. The F1 Academy champion is being given a seat in GB3 for next year, which is incredible. It’s the next step up on the single-seated ladder in motorsport. So the aim is obviously to try and win the championship, to be given that opportunity to further my career in the future.”
