Photo: Spanish F4
Monlau Motorsport has announced its full line-up for this year’s Spanish Formula 4 championship, where it will continue to race in partnership with Van Amersfoort Racing.
The two teams started working together last year as Monlau moved into single-seater racing in Spanish F4, running three cars. This year it will run four, with the already announced Pablo Sarrazin being joined by 17-year-olds Fernando Barrichello and Ricardo Gracia, and wildcard entrant Eloi Gonzalez Moreno.
Barrichello is the son of former Formula 1 star and reigning Stock Car Brasil champion Rubens and the younger brother of Formula Regional Europe racer Eduardo.
He started his single-seater career last year in the inaugural season of the Brazilian F4 championship, driving for the Full Time Sports team which has father has raced for in stock cars throughout the last decade, and he won two reversed-grid races to come seventh in the standings.
Barrichello then gained F4 mileage in Europe by joining Prema for two tests in Italy, and started 2023 by entering the F4 United Arab Emirates season opener.
His Brazilian F4 team-mate Gracia won one reversed-grid race and came ninth in the standings last year, and doubled up in Spanish F4 where he could only finish 31st in the championship. In karts, Gracia won the 2019 Brazilian Cup title in the Junior class.
Monlau says it “reserves a fourth single-seater” for Gonzalez Moreno, who was Spanish karting champion in the X30 Senior class last year. His status as a wildcard driver, for when he does join the grid, has been awarded by the Spanish automobile federation.