Colnaghi resists Al Azhari to close up in Spanish F4 title showdown

Photo: Spanish F4

Mattia Colnaghi held off rival Keanu Al Azhari to close within three points of the Spanish Formula 4 lead in the first race of the Barcelona title decider.

Colnaghi came into the weekend 13 points behind Al Azhari (who won an appeal against a penalty in race one at Motorland Aragon) and set the best time in qualifying, posting a 1m42.033s with just under five minutes left on the clock to displace Ernesto Rivera by 0.166 seconds. Al Azhari managed fifth place, behind Griffin Peebles and Juan Cota. It was Peebles who set the best second-fastest time to take pole for Sunday’s race two, ahead of Colnaghi, Cota and Rivera with Al Azhari fifth once more.

When the lights went out, Colnaghi aggressively swept across the track to cover off Rivera, and Cota found himself forced onto the grass. Al Azhari leapt up to second in front of Peebles in an MP Motorsport 1-2-3 while Rivera went wide onto the run-off at the first corner followed by three of his Campos Racing team-mates: Jan Przyrowski, Nathan Tye and Enzo Tarnvanichkul.

Al Azhari managed to threaten Colnaghi before the end of lap one, when the safety car was brought out to retrieve the stranded car of Gabriel Gomez.

At the restart, Al Azhari once more attacked Colnaghi down the inside of the first corner and again at Turn 5 but couldn’t find a way by.

After that, Colnaghi managed to gradually eke out an advantage of 1.3s out front until the safety car was required after an incident involving Lenny Reid and Peter Bouzinelos. By the time that was cleaned up and the race resumed there was less than a minute left on the clock, and Colnaghi established a second’s lead within a lap as he made sure of the win.

Rivera regained third after his first-corner off, and while Peebles briefly got back ahead when he too ran wide at the first restart, the Mexican would complete the podium.

Przyrowski went wide once more at the last restart, dropping him back behind Tarnvanichkul and Tye. Two more Campos drivers, Andres Cardenas and James Egozi, followed, with MP’s Maciej Gladysz propping up the top 10 as his slim title hopes came to an end.

Race result