Keanu Al Azhari enters F4 UAE title contention with second win in a row

Photo: F4 UAE

Yas Heat Academy’s Keanu Al Azhari converted pole into victory in the third Formula 4 United Arab Emirates race of the weekend at Yas Marina Circuit.

There was not too much racing that took place during the 12-lap night race due to multiple safety car interruptions, and there was drama straight away as fourth-placed starter Alex Powell lurched away then stalled.

Everyone behind managed to avoide his car, while Al Azhari swept to the inside to ensure PHM Racing’s Nikita Bedrin did not take the lead. Mumbai Falcons’ Freddie Slater profited though, taking second place at the opening corner by going around the outside of Bedrin.

A few corners later Dion Gowda (Mumbai Falcons) and Jack Beeton (AGI Sport) collided, which prompted the safety car to be summoned on lap two. Racing resumed two laps later and Slater jinked to the inside on the restart to cover off Bedrin. Zack Scoular had climbed from 11th to seventh before the safety car appeared, but lost a spot on the restart lap to Prema’s Doriane Pin.

PHM duo Kamal Mrad and Everett Stack meanwhile both headed to retirement, with Stack gracing the barriers and damaging his car while Mrad made contact with Xcel Motorsport’s Alvise Rodella who reached the pits to then also retire.

The safety car returned on lap five, and this time it took until lap nine for all the crashed cars to be cleared and for racing to resume. Mumbai Falcons’ Kean Nakamura Berta attacked Bedrin on the restart, passing him around the outside for third place. They then almost collided in the hotel section for the lap, with Bedrin having a big lock-up, but Nakamura emerged ahead.

Fairclough tried to pass Bedrin too at the turn five hairpin, and they ran side-by-side down the next straight. They tried to do the same at the turns six/seven chicane but there was not enough space and Fairclough cut the corner to move ahead. He did not give the place back, and on the next lap the safety car came out again as Hitech GP’s Seb Murray spun out and Maxi Restrepo (Sainteloc Racing) and Yuhao Fu (Pinnacle Motorsport) collided.

The remaining laps were run behind the safety car, securing Al Azhari victory and moving him up to second in the standings. Bedrin dropped back to seventh after being passed Gabriel Stilp and then Doriane Pin before racing was neutralised.

Race results (12 laps)