F1 Academy Champion Alisha Palmowski joins Race Of Champions Line-up
Newly crowned 2026 F1 Academy Drivers’ Champion and Red Bull Academy Programme driver Alisha Palmowski will compete at the Race Of Champions (ROC) World Final at Hnry Stadium in Wellington in January.
Palmowski secured the F1 Academy title in Austin. In Wellington she will line up alongside Formula 1 legend David Coulthard, more than a decade after watching ROC from the stands.
Alisha Palmowski said:
“Receiving an invitation to the Race Of Champions after winning the F1 Academy title in Austin is an absolute dream come true for me. I experienced ROC in London’s Olympic Stadium in 2015 as a spectator with my dad and absolutely loved the atmosphere. To be able to compete in this amazing event together with an absolute legend like David Coulthard is a dream come true.”
Palmowski joins a star-studded field featuring Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, David Coulthard, Travis Pastrana, ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett, Hayden Paddon, Chaz Mostert, Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki. Further driver announcements are still to come.
Competitors will race head-to-head in identical cars on a purpose-built tarmac circuit inside Hnry Stadium:
Saturday 9 January: the ROC Nations Cup to crown the “World’s Fastest Nation”.
Sunday 10 January: the individual Race Of Champions showdown to crown the “Champion of Champions”.
