Wild Card driver Chiara Battig secured the fastest time during the F1 Academy free practice session at Silverstone on July 3, 2026, marking a successful debut in the all-female racing series.
The 16-year-old Swiss driver clocked a time of 2:02.640 to finish two-tenths of a second ahead of current championship leader Alisha Palmowski.
>>> Salford City Signs Macaulay Langstaff from Millwall
Hitech kept its drivers in the pit lane until the final 20 minutes of the session before Battig surged to the top of the leaderboard.
The achievement makes her the first Wild Card entry to lead an official session in the history of the championship.
"I'm happy to get a good start," said Chiara Battig. "There are still a lot of things that I have to improve.
It was my first time driving in this car, so it's very different to what I'm used to."
Battig noted that the car features heavier braking, heavier steering, and more grip in the tyre compared to her previous experience.
"I think it is a good step for a strong weekend," she added.
The Swiss racer previously claimed a podium at the same venue in British F4 but noted that technical variations require a different approach to the circuit.
She anticipated that track evolution from support series races would significantly increase grip levels ahead of the qualifying sessions.
"It's just maximising all the track," explained Battig. "Maximising all the corner speed, especially through Maggotts and Becketts.
There's a lot of straights, you just need to prep everything very well and prepared early."
