Lucas Fluxa crashes out then wins red-flagged Spanish F4 race

Photo: Spanish F4

Lucas Fluxa was the winner of Spanish Formula 4’s third race at Jarama despite crashing out and causing race-ending red flags.

The MP Motorsport driver started on the front row and took the lead from pole-sitting team-mate Mattia Colnaghi at turn one on the opening lap. Campos Racing’s Ernesto Rivera, Jan Przyrowski and Andres Cardenas held third, fourth and fifth behind, and their team-mate Enzo Tarnvanichkul jumped from ninth to sixth.

Tarnvanichkul’s progress was undone by damaging his front wing at turn one on lap two, and Cardenas also lost ground as he was passed by Sainteloc Racing’s Matteo Quintarelli and then by Cram Motorsport’s Adam Hideg a lap later.

The race settled down up front, but then on lap five Drivex School’s Matus Ryba got beached in the turn one gravel trap and the safety car was summoned, with Rodin Motorsport’s Peter Bouzinelos spinning shortly and taking out the rear wing of Campos driver James Egozi’s car. Drivex’s Mikkel Pedersen also picked up wing damage during the safety car period and had to pit.

Racing resumed on lap eight and Cardenas went off at turn one. He was unable to rejoin the track, so the safety car returned. Before it did, Sainteloc’s Yevan David – who started 15th – passed Rodin’s Thomas Strauven for ninth and so he sat behind Campos’s Nathan Tye and Drivex’s Juan Cota for the next restart on lap 11.

This time Tecnicar Motorsport’s Gustaw Wisniewski and Tarnvanichkul went off at turn one, and Wisniewski got stuck in the gravel. Tye passed Hideg and David overtook Cota before the safety car was summoned again, with the final restart being on lap 14 and with five minutes still left on the race clock.

Quintarelli attacked Przyrowski at turns one and three, and Fluxa went off approaching turn four after being hit from behind by Colnaghi. Fluxa’s retired in the gravel, Colnaghi dropped to 16th, Rivera found himself leading the race and then race-ending red flags waved. Tye had passed Quintarelli just before the race was stopped, so was provisionally third.

But race control took the final results from the end of lap 12, meaning Fluxa was victorious (and therefore took the points lead) ahead of Colnaghi and Rivera.

“We had a collision with my team-mate. I was into the corner, he locked up and hit me,” Fluxa explained after finding out he won.

“He flatspotted my rear-right tyre, so I got to the next corner, I locked up and went into the wall. I thought everything was finished, but I don’t know… win. Yeah,” he added with a raised eyebrow.

A few hours later, Colnaghi was penalised 10s for causing a collision and that dropped him from second to 17th.

Race results (12 laps)