Lucas Fluxa wins shortened Spanish F4 season opener at Jarama

Photo: MP Motorsport

MP Motorsport’s Lucas Fluxa controlled a shortened opening race of the Spanish Formula 4 season at Jarama.

He fended off team-mate Keanu Al Azhari at the start, who later came on top of a later battle with Rodin Motorsport’s Thomas Strauven to finish second.

Series sophomore Al Azhari pulled alongside car racing rookie Fluxa at the start, but with the pole slot being on the inside it meant Fluxa was able to keep the lead. Strauven benefitted from Al Azhari’s attempt to persist on the outside line to move up to second exiting turn four.

Behind them, Rodin’s Peter Bounzinelos and MP’s Maciej Gladysz overtook Mattia Colnaghi, who dropped to sixth place.

Monlau Motorsport’s Tim Gerhards spun his team-mate Lenny Ried around at Bugatti hairpin, and as he could rejoin once all the cars had gone by there was no safety car interruption needed.

Having lined up 11th, MP’s Rene Lammers gained two places on the opening lap and continued to make progress as the race went on. He reached sixth place halfway through the race, right before the safety car did appear.

Gerhards had spun at turn one, but he eventually got going again as the safety car left the pitlane. Therefore, racing resumed at the end of that lap.

On the restart Al Azhari reclaimed second from Strauven, who tried to retaliate the following lap. He could not get it done though as he was on the outside line heading into turn one. Campos Racing’s Nathan Tye also used the restart to gain seventh place in detriment of Colnaghi.

The safety car was brought out for a second time when GRS’s Douwe Dedecker ended up beached in the gravel trap at turn one. Difficulties to recover his car meant the race was red flagged and not restarted, with the results taken from the end of lap 11.

Race results (11 laps)