Rodin’s Nathan Tye wins Spanish F4 race two at Paul Ricard

Photo: Spanish F4

Rodin Motorsport’s Nathan Tye won Spanish Formula 4’s second race at Paul Ricard from fourth on the grid.

Drivers’ second-best laptimes from the first qualifying session set the grid, with Campos Racing’s Jan Przyrowski claiming pole by 0.112 seconds over MP Motorsport’s Ean Eyckmans.

Campos’s points leader Thomas Strauven qualified third, and took second place into the opening corner as Przyrowski had a bad launch and lost two places. Tye was attacking him next, and got by at the chicane that breaks up the back straight.

Przyrowski got back alongside him later in the lap through several corners, but Tye was able to keep his nose ahead while Ecykmans led the way.

MP’s Juan Cota was next to demote Przyrowski, going side-by-side through the first sector of lap two until Cota got his move done at the hairpin before the back straight. Rene Lammers (MP) and Vivek Kanthan (Campos) then slipstreamed past Przyrowski, with Kanthan attacking Lammers through the rest of the lap.

Eyckmans began lap three with a 1.11s lead, as Tye overtook Strauven. The safety car then came out, due to Campos’s Noah Monteiro having parked up on track.

Racing resumed on lap five, and Drivex School’s Gino Trappa had a crash at the chicane that then meant the safety car had to return. Eyckmans returned to racing speeds early for the following restart on lap eight, and had a half-second gap after a lap of racing.

Tye got alongside Eyckmans entering the back straight on lap nine and was very swiftly ahead. Although Eyckmans got back alongside into the chicane, there was not room to make a move and the race was won.

Strauven attacked Eyckmans through the final lap, helping Tye build a gap of 2.146s up front. Lammers overtook Cota at the chicane, and got alongside Strauven at the finish after the Belgian made a failed dive on Eyckmans two corners from the end.

Race results (11 laps)