Photo: NACAM F4
Alessandros Racing’s Fernando Luque was the star of NACAM Formula 4’s third round of 2025 in Mexico City.
He set a 1m46.706s to top the first damp practice session by 1.302 seconds Jose Martinez, with Alejandro Bobadilla 2.192s off the pace in third.
Zaky Ibrahim lowered the pace to 1m35.001s in FP2, pipping Marco Alquicira by 0.036s and Luque by 0.293s.
Luque returned to the top in qualifying, setting a 1m33.921s to go fastest by 0.182s over Ibrahim. Alquicira was a further 0.313s behind in third, and Bobadilla completed a top four covered by 0.672s.
Pole was converted into victory in race one, building a gap of 3.228s over Ibrahim over 20 laps. Martinez gained two places to make the podium, but was 17.4s behind Ibrahim. Alquicira sealed fourth by just 0.137s.
Bobadilla started from reversed-grid pole in race two, but it was Alquicira who led into the opening chicane. Elias Vignola attempted a diving pass on Bobadilla for second into the stadium section, but Bobadilla then got alongside the leader exiting it and down the pit straight.
Vignola went down the inside of both at turn one, with Alquicira relegated to third. Bobadilla slipstreamed past the leader down the next straight, and on lap three Vignola dived down his inside at turn one again. Bobadilla kept his foot on the throttle on the outside, which became the inside for turn two and put him ahead.
A lock-up at the hairpin then allowed Alquicira back through to second, which then became first as Bobadilla went off in the esses. He pitted at the end of the lap, while Vignola continued with a broken front wing.
Alquicira began lap four with a gap, and at turn one Luque and Ibrahim dived down the inside of Vignola. At the hairpin, Martinez overtook Vignola too.
It was soon a pack race, and Luque took the lead at turn two on lap six. Three laps later, Alan Zezatti overtook Martinez for fourth but after a lap of going side-by-side Martinez got back ahead.
Alquicira began attacking Luque on lap 12, and he slipstreamed past him as lap 13 began. Luque tried keeping the outside line at turn two and make a move, but instead rode the turn three kerb, hit Alquicira and sent both off.
Ibrahim inherited the lead, with Alquicira in second despite another off. Luque took second on lap 14, then overtook Ibrahim after he had a wobble in the esses. Their battle was interrupted by the safety car, as Max Mora had parked up at the last corner.
Racing resumed on lap 17, and Alquicira tried a switchback move on Luque at the hairpin but was fended off. Martinez and Vingola had offs, Ibrahim spun entering the stadium section and Alquicira almost slid into Luque exiting it which helped Bobadilla jump to third and be just 0.786s off the lead with one laps to go.
At the hairpin, Bobadilla and Martinez went down the inside of Alquicira and the podium positions were finally decided as Luque made a 1.5s gap.
Luque also had pole for race three, which took place on a track wet in places. Martinez was an early mover from fifth on the grid, and tried overtaking Ibrahim for second as lap two began. Bobadilla passed Alquicira for fourth, who came back at him with a great move in the stadium section. Mora was last as he spun at the final corner.
There was already 3.6s between the top two as lap three began, but then Luque slid off at turn one and it trimmed his gap. Bobadilla reclaimed fourth there, only to lose it a lap later, and Martinez took second in the esses.
Alquicira locked up at turn one on lap six and broke his front wing going through the grass, but was able to continue in fourth and three laps later went down the inside of Ibrahim there for third. Ibrahim demoted Alquicira back to fourth in the stadium section.
Martinez was reducing Luque’s advantage while also being pressured by Ibrahim, who almost got through in the stadium section on lap 11 if not for Martinez going off to stay ahead.
It was a three-wide for second into turn one on lap 12, and Ibrahim had the position on the inside but got boxed in behind leader Luque at turn two so Alquicira went around the outside – which then became the inside – to pull off a double move. Third place swapped hands twice in the stadium section, and Bobadilla overtook Martinez there too.
Alquicira slipstramed past Luque as lap 13 began, and Ibrahim looked to the inside of the long-time leader on the run to the hairpin but ended up clouting his rear-right tyre and going airborne. Both retired, and Alquicira was left with a big lead than then shrank to nothing as the safety car came out.
The final-lap restart was fluffed by Alquicira, who was behind Bobadilla and Zezatti almost as soon as the lap began. Vignola went past too, then overtook Zezatti around the outside at turn one and looked to pass Bobadilla too. That proved too ambitious, and he finished 0.49s behind the winner and top scorer of the weekend.
Results round-up
Race 1 (20 laps)
1 Fernando Luque Alessandros Racing 31m32.998s
2 Zaky Ibrahim Ram Racing +3.228s
3 Jose Martinez Alessandros Racing +20.662s
4 Marco Alquicira Santinel Racing +21.767s
5 Alejandro Bobadilla Alessandros Racing +21.904s
6 Alan Zezatti Ram Racing +30.907s
7 Elias Vignola Ram Racing +33.700s
8 Max Mora Ram Racing +41.787s
Pole: Luque, 1m33.921s
Fastest lap: Ibrahim, 1m34.057s
Race 2 (18 laps)
1 Luque
2 Bobadilla +1.593s
3 Martinez +1.989s
4 Alquicira +2..435s
5 Zezatti +4.587s
6 Vignola +4.715s
7 Ibrahim +5.084s
Ret Mora
Race 3 (16 laps)
1 Bobadilla
2 Vignola +0.490s
3 Zezatti +2.032s
4 Alquicira +2.141s
5 Martinez +2.797s
6 Mora +3.275s
Ret Luque
Ret Ibrahim
P: Luque
Championship standings
1 Ibrahim 164 2 Luque 151 3 Martinez 116 4 Bobadilla 113 5 Alquicira 66 6 Zezatti 61 7 Vignola 60 8 Mora 50 9 Alex Popow Jr 40 10 Axel Matus 27