Photo: Luca Bassani
Matheus Comparatto went one better in the Brazilian Formula 4 title fight than in 2023, when he was runner-up, by becoming champion in the final round at Interlagos.
The Bassani Racing driver got the job done with a race to spare, doing what was necessary to beat TMG Racing’s Alvaro Cho to the crown without needing to take unnecessary risks.
There were four races, as the reversed-grid race that was due to support Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix at the track last month but was cancelled due to torrential rains got rescheduled to kick off the action on Thursday.
Comparatto started eighth for that race and took advantage of a lap one crash between Cho and Cavaleiro Sports’ Lucca Zucchini that sent them into retirement. After taking evasive action, he climbed to second behind TMG’s Rafaela Ferreira and remained there until the end since he grew his points lead over Cho. Arthur Pavie made it two TMG drivers on the podium.
The enlarged points gap put pressure on Cho, and Comparatto was comfortably quickest in practice. Cho beat his rival by 0.145 seconds to top qualifying, but that put him on pole for the final race. On second-best laptimes, Comparatto was ahead by a tiny 0.018s and so started race two on Friday from pole.
Cho had a better start, claiming the lead before the Senna ‘S’. Comparatto followed him all the way, just as he did with Ferreira the previous day. He finished 0.473s behind, with Cavaleiro’s Pepe Souza 4.309s back in third.
Bassani’s Gino Trappa started in 16th and last place due to a caer rebuild that meant he missed qualifying. But the Argentinian set several laps good enough to earn him the fastest lap point and had no trouble with overtaking as he charged to sixth.
Another reversed-grid race followed on Saturday morning, and TMG’s Rogerio Grotta led all the way from pole. Ferreira and Trappa held their starting positions in second and third, and were split by just 0.027s in the final results. Trappa had managed to pass Ferreira, but red flags were then shown due to an off-track incident (a power generator in the television compound setting on fire) and so the classification was set from the previous lap’s order.
Comparatto started seventh and climbed to fourth, taking advantage of better tyres than rivals. Cho tried to follow him early on, but eventually lost ground and finished ninth.
That settled the title in Comparatto’s favour, meaning he could relax in the final race, and Cho’s position as championship runner-up was also assured. Instead the pair took the opportunity to have a formidable on-track battle with each other.
They spent the whole race split by less than a second, and Comparatto even tried last lap moves around the outside at the Senna ‘S’ and at turn four. Cho defended and took his seventh win of 2024. TMG’s Filippo Fiorentino and Trappa fought for third, a battle settled in the former’s favour by 0.414s.
Results round-up
Race 1 (12 laps)
1 Rafaela Ferreira TMG Racing 21m44.142s
2 Matheus Comparatto Bassani Racing +0.083s
3 Arthur Pavie TMG Racing +1.699s
4 Ethan Nobels Cavaleiro Sports +2.506s
5 Filippo Fiorentino TMG Racing +4.943s
6 Rogerio Grotta TMG Racing +5.813s
7 Pepe Souza Cavaleiro Sports +6.055s
8 Celo Hahn TMG Racing +6.382s
Ret Luzza Zucchini Cavaleiro Sports
Ret Alvaro Cho TMG Racing
Fastest lap: Fiorentino, 1m36.231s
Race 2 (20 laps)
1 Cho 32m15.107s
2 Comparatto +0.473s
3 Souza +4.309s
4 Pavie +5.783s
5 Nobels +6.409s
6 Gino Trappa Bassani Racing +6.669s
7 Ferreira +9.072s
8 Grotta +9.369s
9 Fiorentino +13.775s
10 Zucchini +14.365s
Pole: Comparatto, 1m35.873s
FL: Trappa, 1m35.822s
Race 3 (9 laps)
1 Grotta 14m33.420s
2 Ferreira +0.838s
3 Trappa +0.865s
4 Comparatto +3.746s
5 Nobels +7.021s
6 Fiorentino +7.289s
7 Pavie +10.304s
8 Zucchini +10.555s
9 Cho +10.617s
10 Alexander Jacoby Bassani Racing +10.934s
FL: Trappa, 1m35.996s
Race 4 (10 laps)
1 Cho 31m48.380s
2 Comparatto +0.288s
3 Fiorentino +2.828s
4 Trappa +3.242s
5 Grotta +4.277s
6 Pavie +5.963s
7 Ferreira +6.550s
8 Nobels +6.989s
9 Murilo Rocha Bassani Racing +7.495s
10 Hahn +12.601s
P: Cho, 1m35.637s
FL: Trappa, 1m36.581s
Championship standings
1 Comparatto 337 2 Cho 307 3 Nobels 238 4 Ferreira 222 5 Trappa 182 6 Pavie 175 7 Grotta 145 8 Zucchini 117 9 Ciro Sobral 109 10 Fiorentino 103