F1 Academy: Palmowski Joins Red Bull Junior, Moves to FREC

Alisha Palmowski, the 2026 F1 Academy champion, is moving up. Announced on 13 November 2026 by F1 Academy and Red Bull, the 20-year-old Briton will race in the 2027 Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) with Rodin Motorsport and joins the Red Bull Junior Team.

A fully funded seat

The Rodin Motorsport seat is fully funded. Palmowski joins the Red Bull Junior Team next season, with a testing programme and continued support through the Red Bull Junior Programme. She is the third F1 Academy champion to move up the single-seater ladder, after Marta Garcia (FREC, 2024) and Abbi Pulling (GB3 Championship).

A fast-rising career

Palmowski debuted in F1 Academy in 2024 as a wild card at the penultimate round in Qatar. That earned her a place in the Red Bull Racing Academy Programme and a seat with Campos Racing in 2025. That year she won the opening race in Shanghai and finished fifth in the standings.

• 2026: five wins, seven podiums, six pole positions;
• Title: clinched in Austin with three races still to run;
• Record: fourth F1 Academy champion, after Marta Garcia, Abbi Pulling and Doriane Pin.

A busy start to the year

Before FREC, Palmowski will represent Team GB at the Race of Champions in New Zealand in January 2027, partnering David Coulthard. The 2026 F1 Academy season finale, in Las Vegas from 19 to 21 November, takes place during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.

What it changes

The move to FREC puts the Briton in a benchmark series of the European single-seater ladder, under the Red Bull umbrella. The 2027 results will show whether this new setting lets her keep climbing, as her two predecessors tried before her. The sources consulted do not name her team-mate or her testing schedule.

The editorial team