Campos’s Ernesto Rivera gets first Spanish F4 win in safety car-filled race

Photo: Campos Racing

Campos Racing’s Ernesto Rivera came from third on the grid to win the second Spanish Formula 4 race at Algarve.

MP Motorsport’s Keanu Al Azhari and Griffin Peebles filled the front row, with Rivera alongside his team-mate James Egozi on row two. Al Azhari swept to the inside immediately at the start to defend the lead from pole, and he got through the first corners ahead before the safety car was called.

At turn two, TC Racing’s Gabriel Gomez was pushed out into the path of Rodin Motorsport’s Peter Bouzinelos and they both retired. Bouzinelos was out on the spot, Gomez made it back to the pits with a hurt hand, and Sainteloc Racing’s Yevan David was eliminated in a seperate incident.

Rene Lammers stalled on the grid, but everyone avoided hitting his car before he finally got going in last place. He gained back one spot when Campos’s Enzo Tarnvanichkul pitted at the end of lap one, and he did not rejoin the race until lap three.

Racing resumed on lap five and Peebles was passed by Rivera and Egozi before turn one. He reclaimed third from Egozi at turn two, then at the turn five hairpin Andres Cardenas went side-by-side with Campos team-mate Nathan Tye and as he failed to turn in he then sent Tye crashing into the side of Rodin’s Thomas Strauven. Cardenas escaped unscathed, the other two retired and the safety car returned.

The next restart was on lap eight, and Al Azhari nailed his timing for returning to racing speed to immediately build a gap while Egozi got alongside Peebles down the pit straight. Rivera also managed to get a very strong tow and actually passed Al Azhari before they even headed downhill. Peebles retained third by holding the inside line at turn one.

The safety car was summoned again as TC Racing’s Cristian Cantu and Lammers crashed. MP’s pre-race points leader Lucas Fluxa got past Cardenas for sixth before the race was neutralised.

There were two laps to go on the next restart, and Rivera escaped Al Azhari who came under immediate pressure from Peebles. MP’s Mattia Colnaghi took fourth from Egozi around the outside of turn one, then at turn five Monlau Motorsport’s Tim Gerhards and Sainteloc’s Maxi Restrepo went off and took Rodin’s Preston Lambert with them.

Lambert and Gerhards rejoined the track, whereas Restrepo got buried in the gravel. Race control chose to just use yellow flags there and racing continued.

Rivera held off Al Azhari to win by 0.298s, Peebles finished third and Colnaghi was fourth after having to pass Egozi again in a three-wide turn one move. Fluxa’s sixth place meant he lost the points lead to Al Azhari.

Race results (12 laps)