Bättig Secures First Wild Card Pole in F1 Academy History
Swiss driver Chiara Bättig delivered a standout debut for F1 Academy at Silverstone in 2026. The 16-year-old Red Bull Junior and Wella-supported Wild Card entry claimed pole position with a 2:01.775 lap time and finished second in the feature race. This marked the first time a Wild Card driver achieved pole in the series.
Bättig Makes F1 Academy History
Chiara Bättig, the Swiss Red Bull Junior, became the first Wild Card driver to secure pole position in F1 Academy during the 2026 Silverstone round. She set the fastest time of 2:01.775 in qualifying after topping practice.[1]
Bättig started from pole in the feature race and finished second behind Alisha Palmowski, securing a podium on her series debut. The result highlighted strong pace from the Hitech entry.
Performance Details
:::analysis The 16-year-old driver showed consistency across sessions at the British circuit. Official results confirm her qualifying lap and race classification. :::
Related reading
:::analysis Bättig's weekend demonstrates the potential of Wild Card entries to challenge established competitors immediately. Such performances can influence future seat allocations in the all-female series. :::
[1]: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f1-academy-battig-achieves-historic-pole-position-on-wild-card-debut-at-silverstone.3WmrzotZyiK13TbONqAbAz
- [1]F1 ACADEMY: Battig achieves historic pole position on Wild Card debut at Silverstone (formula1). Accessed 2026-07-11.