Heavy rain cancelled several of this weekend’s junior single-seater races, but what remained provided exciting action across the board. Feeder Series reviews the action from Indy NXT, Formula Regional Europe, GB3, the UCS Formula Cup, British F4 and F4 CEZ.

By Feeder Series

Europe became the focal point of racing action this weekend after a number of continents shared the spotlight in recent weeks.

FR Europe and GB3 took to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, where the notoriously variable weather put paid to one race in each series and set up historic moments in others. F4 CEZ at the Salzburgring likewise lost its final race to rain. British F4 had two of three races interrupted by red flags. The Ultimate Cup Series was therefore the most calm of the five European series we covered in detail, certainly more so than an Indy NXT race at Detroit that began and ended with accidents.

Three other junior single-seater series this weekend are not covered in detail here. Over in Sweden, Richard Olson took pole position in Nordic 4. After a fierce battle at the front, it was Rosanne den Drijver who took the chequered flag first in race one. A 10-second penalty for unfair driving, however, demoted her to third and handed the win to Olson, with Matteis Stigsen in second. 

Fortunately, Den Drijver did not have to wait much longer for her first single-seater victory, as it came in race two. Stigsen crossed the line second but dropped to third with a 10-second penalty for a false start, with Milla Sjöstrand inheriting second. Olson won race three, followed by Stigsen and Sjöstrand. The trio of podiums keeps Stigsen at the top of the standings, 20 points ahead of Olson. Sjöstrand moves into third overall but is a further 40 points behind. 

Formula Nordic was also at Gelleråsen, though not sharing sessions with its Danish counterpart as in previous years. Hampus Varis topped qualifying and won all three races to pull out a 44-point lead over Fredrik Lindholm, who finished third and then second twice. Vincent Kraft was just 0.145 seconds ahead of Lindholm in race one and third in race two, but he retired from race three, with Louise Larsson instead occupying the final spot on the podium.

An AU4 broadcast was not readily available this weekend. In Sydney, Jensen Marold won race one, before Marco Manson took the victory in races two and three to equalise the two frontrunners on 125 points each. Manson has snatched the Gen2 lead on positions – both drivers have three wins and two second-place finishes, but Manson’s remaining finish this season, a fourth place, beats Marold’s seventh place. In Gen1, Koby Wilson took a clean sweep to win all three races in his class. 

Want to hear more from this weekend’s action? Stay tuned to the Feeder Series Podcast for the latest episode of Race Recap, to be released later today.

Additional reporting by Mitchell Ash and Anabelle Bremner

1. Indy NXT: Fittipaldi avoids chaos in Detroit to win and snatch points lead
2. FRegional Europe: Title contenders slip up as new winners conquer stormy Spa
3. GB3: Bedrin extends lead, Pulling makes history at Spa as first female winner
4. UCS Formula Cup: Rookie Suslov extends his lead with clinical performance in Magny-Cours
5. British F4: Wherrell snatches points lead from Van Langendonck
6. F4 CEZ: Weiss takes over championship lead after final race cancelled

Indy NXT: Fittipaldi avoids chaos in Detroit to win and snatch points lead

HMD Motorsports’ Enzo Fittipaldi survived a chaotic Indy NXT race in Detroit to come away with the race win and the championship lead. The Brazilian driver made the opportunistic race-winning move at a restart on lap 29 while Myles Rowe and Tymek Kucharczyk were locked in battle for the lead – and he never looked back.

Still, Rowe’s second place was the best result of the season for Abel Motorsports, while Fittipaldi’s HMD teammate and title rival Kucharczyk finished third to maintain his streak of finishing every Indy NXT race this season in the top five. 

Alessandro de Tullio’s wretched luck continued on Sunday. The Argentine-American took his fifth pole of the season in qualifying, only to be the innocent victim of Lochie Hughes’ lock-up into the Turn 3 hairpin at the start, which caused a multi-car pile-up. Hughes was handed a 30-second stop-and-hold penalty for triggering the incident, while De Tullio lost four laps to repairs.

Title contender Max Taylor was alongside De Tullio on the front row but was also an innocent bystander, being forced to take the escape road and fell to 18th.

Kucharczyk led the restart on lap nine and the race settled into a rhythm – at least on track. Correa was eliminated from the fight for victory on lap 10 when he was handed a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact with Salvador de Alba at the start. Rowe, who restarted fifth, made up one position through Correa’s stop and had risen to second by passing both Seb Murray and Fittipaldi by lap 20. 

The action was paused by a caution for debris on lap 26. At the restart on lap 29, Rowe made an ambitious dive into the Turn 3 hairpin on race leader Kucharczyk, forcing both drivers wide and giving Fittipaldi the opportunity to go from third to first in one fell swoop. Kucharczyk dropped from first to third with Rowe now in second.

The next caution came two laps later for Niels Koolen, who hit the barrier after Colin Kaminsky completed an overtake going into Turn 8. The fourth and final caution period was caused by Taylor. After the opening lap pile-up, the Andretti Global driver had worked his way up to eighth place, but it was all undone when he hit the wall exiting Turn 1 on lap 40. 

As time expired, the race finished under yellow with Fittipaldi, Rowe and Kucharczyk in the top three. Max Garcia finished fourth, equalling his season-best finish from race one at Barber, and Murray finished fifth. Nikita Johnson, who led the championship coming into Detroit, qualified 10th and finished the race sixth as he completed double duty by racing in the weekend’s IMSA SportsCar Championship event as well. 

After this weekend, Fittipaldi leads the Indy NXT standings with 266 points, seven points ahead of Johnson with 259 points and eight ahead of Kucharczyk with 258 points. The series will visit Gateway Motorsports Park next week for the first oval race of the season.

Report by Vincent van der Hoek

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying, Group 1	Alessandro de Tullio, 1:05.3664	Tymek Kucharczyk, +0.0049s	Lochie Hughes, +0.0438s
Qualifying, Group 2	Max Taylor, 1:05.6050	Juan Manuel Correa, +0.2790s	Salvador de Alba, +0.4503s
Race (42 laps)	Enzo Fittipaldi, 55:36.7624	Myles Rowe, +0.2811s	Tymek Kucharczyk, +0.5633s

Standings	Drivers	Rookies
P1	Enzo Fittipaldi, 266	Enzo Fittipaldi, 266
P2	Nikita Johnson, 259	Nikita Johnson, 259
P3	Tymek Kucharczyk, 258	Tymek Kucharczyk, 258
P4	Max Taylor, 228	Alessandro de Tullio, 171
P5	Lochie Hughes, 176	Max Garcia, 126
P6	Alessandro de Tullio, 171	Jack Beeton, 121
P7	Myles Rowe, 159	Nicolas Stati, 109
P8	Juan Manuel Correa, 156	Alexander Koreiba, 87
P9	Sebastian Murray, 148	Nicholas Monteiro, 79
P10	Jordan Missig, 140	Carson Etter, 70

Read the previous round’s report here.

FRegional Europe: Title contenders slip up as new winners conquer stormy Spa

Rashid Al Dhaheri emerged from the thunderstorms in the mountains of the Ardennes to become the third different FRegional Europe championship leader after round three of the season. 

The Emirati was inconspicuous throughout both collective test sessions and the sole free practice on Friday morning. Though Al Dhaheri topped group A to claim a front-row spot for race one, Alexandre Munoz became the first rookie to take pole position this season just ahead of Kean Nakamura-Berta in group B.

However, with storms overnight, Saturday’s race one looked doomed. The field tiptoed around the circuit for just one and a half laps behind the safety car before the race was red-flagged. With cars having already spun and the backdrop of lightning flashes across the Belgian skies, the session was suspended altogether.

Fortunately for Munoz, the decision was taken to remove the reverse-grid race two from the schedule rather than scrap the first race entirely – meaning the field remained as they had qualified when they lined up that afternoon.

Race one thus began, albeit behind the safety car. Munoz led the field away well, defending from Al Dhaheri down the Kemmel Straight. He had pulled a lead of 1.8 seconds by the time the safety car came back out on lap five because of Alexander Abkhazava and Dion Gowda’s collision, which ended with Gowda finding the barriers at Turn 9.

Munoz again pulled away after the restart while Al Dhaheri rebuffed Nakamura-Berta down the Kemmel Straight. Just as soon as it had come in, though, the safety car was brought out again after Chi Zhenrui became beached at Turn 8.

Despite a challenge from Al Dhaheri on the last-lap restart, Munoz held on for victory. Nakamura-Berta stayed third behind Al Dhaheri, with Sebastian Wheldon losing fourth to Yuki Sano on the final lap.

Group B, the first qualifiers on a damp track on Sunday morning, saw Maximilian Popov go fastest ahead of Munoz. The next group’s drivers were expected to eclipse his time, yet Al Dhaheri’s group-topping effort did not. The Mercedes junior was 0.046 seconds behind, giving Popov his first career pole position.

The other title protagonists suffered. Only Wheldon qualified in the top 10 in eighth. Nakamura-Berta finished 11th, and Reno Francot, who had failed to score points in race one, qualified in a disastrous 23rd.

The second race began with a nearly four-wide fight down the Kemmel Straight, sending Munoz, Al Dhaheri and Jan Przyrowski wide at Les Combes. The movement continued into the next lap as Al Dhaheri retook second from Munoz and Abkhazava went from fifth to third. 

Munoz tumbled down to ninth over the next 15 minutes, his continued slide was curtailed by a safety car. But at the restart, an unsighted Salim Hanna hit Gowda, and  the race ended under safety car conditions. 

Popov became the sixth different winner this season, ahead of Abkhazava, who took his first FR Europe podium, and Al Dhaheri, who took his second of the weekend. There were surprises further back, with Przyrowski finishing fourth and Marcus Sæter taking his first points and the rookie class victory in seventh.

The race left Al Dhaheri as championship leader on 94 points, just one point ahead of Wheldon. Nakamura-Berta recovered to fifth in race two and moved up to third ahead of Francot after his scoreless weekend. MP Motorsport retain the teams’ championship lead on 157 points, while just 10 points behind, R-ace GP have pulled a 28-point gap on Prema in third.

Report by Archie Harper

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying 1, Group A	Rashid Al Dhaheri, 2:14.523	Sebastian Wheldon, +0.090s	Yuki Sano, +0.151s
Qualifying 1, Group B	Alexandre Munoz, 2:14.070	Kean Nakamura-Berta, +0.014s	Alex Ninovic, +0.037s
Race 1 (10 laps)	Alexandre Munoz, 32:56.157	Rashid Al Dhaheri, +0.137s	Kean Nakamura-Berta, +0.437s
Race 2	Cancelled
Qualifying 2, Group A	Rashid Al Dhaheri, 2:13.248	Jan Przyrowski, +0.004s	Emanuele Olivieri, +0.129s
Qualifying 2, Group B	Maksimilian Popov, 2:13.202	Alexandre Munoz, +0.052s	Alexander Abkhazava, +0.120s
Race 3 (12 laps)	Maksimilian Popov, 33:51.316	Alexander Abkhazava, +0.214s	Rashid Al Dhaheri, +0.527s

Standings	Drivers	Teams	Rookies
P1	Rashid Al Dhaheri, 94	MP Motorsport, 157	Emanuele Olivieri, 40
P2	Sebastian Wheldon, 93	R-ace GP, 147	Alexandre Munoz, 37
P3	Kean Nakamura-Berta, 81	Prema Racing, 119	Gabriel Gomez, 8
P4	Reno Francot, 70	CL Motorsport, 70	Tomass Štolcermanis, 7
P5	Alex Ninovic, 41	Rodin Motorsport, 62	Marcus Sæter, 6
P6	Emanuele Olivieri, 40	Trident, 44	Rahim Alibhai, 0
P7	Alexandre Munoz, 37	ART Grand Prix, 37
P8	Maksimilian Popov, 35	Van Amersfoort Racing, 21
P9	Alexander Abkhazava, 32	RPM, 16
P10	Zhenrui Chi, 32	G4 Racing, 6

Read the previous round’s report here.

GB3: Bedrin extends lead, Pulling makes history at Spa as first female winner

Nikita Bedrin extended his championship lead in a rain-hit second GB3 round of 2026 at Spa-Francorchamps with victory in race two and second place in race one, which was won by a female driver for the first time as Abbi Pulling bested the Italian-licensed driver.

VRD Racing’s Bedrin came into the weekend with a stronghold over the drivers’ championship after taking two wins at the opening round, and he continued his good form by setting the best time across the three practice sessions with a 2:11.293.   

The threat of rain loomed over the two qualifying sessions, but that didn’t stop the drivers from pushing hard. It wasPulling who took the top spot in the timings in qualifying one with a 2:12.566. A red flag ended the session early, enshrining her as the first woman to top a GB3 qualifying session, with teammate Maxim Rehm in second and Bedrin in third.  

Qualifying two saw Bedrin then topped the timings in qualifying two with a 2:11.911. Rehm was 0.472s back, while Pulling continued her strong form by taking third, a further 0.017s behind Rehm  

Wet conditions greeted the field Saturday morning, and after an already delayed start and a single formation lap, race one was postponed because of the rain. This then changed the schedule of the weekend. The reverse-grid race was cancelled and races one and two were moved back to occupy the original slots of races two and three.  

When race one finally got underway, Pulling got a good start from pole, with Bedrin, Rehm and Jin Nakamura slotting in behind her. A safety car was called on the third lap after Peter Bouzinelos got stuck in the gravel trap at Les Combes, which cut down Pulling’s lead over the cars behind. This also followed a collision on lap two between Rowan Campbell-Pilling and Patricio Gonzalez, which forced both to retire from the race.  

Pulling controlled the restart superbly and maintained her lead, pulling away from Bedrin, who was then passed by Rehm on the Kemmel Straight. They swapped places again on the penultimate lap, but Pulling led to the end, taking her first race win in the series. Rehm received a post-race penalty as well as a three-place grid penalty for race two, and Rodin Motorsport teammate Molnár was promoted to third.  

Polesitter Bedrin made a strong start in race two and quickly pulled a gap on the first lap over Rehm, who was battling teammate Pulling to maintain second position. Those two also faced pressure from Hitech’s Deagen Fairclough and Molnár, and Pulling lost out to both on the opening lap.  

On lap four, Molnár made it past Fairclough and took the last of the podium places, a spot he maintained until the end of the race. Rehm took second place and Bedrin finished on the top step, taking his third win of the campaign.  

This result meant Bedrin maintained his lead in the drivers’ championship with 140 points, 27 points ahead of Rehm in second place. Hitech’s Jin Nakamura kept third in the standings on 96 points. In the teams’ championship, VRD Racing and Rodin Motorsport sit tied on 217 points, with the former taking the advantage on account of having one more win. They are followed by Hitech on158 points, and Xcel Motorsport on 135. 

Report by Isabelle Chandler

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying 1	Abbi Pulling, 2:12.566	Maxim Rehm, +0.020s	Nikita Bedrin, +0.037s
Qualifying 2	Nikita Bedrin, 2:11.911	Maxim Rehm, +0.472s	Abbi Pulling, +0.489s
Race 1 (10 laps)	Abbi Pulling, 26:10.487	Nikita Bedrin, +0.607s	Martin Molnár, +4.020s
Race 2 (12 laps)	Nikita Bedrin, 26:34.820	Maxim Rehm, +6.516s	Martin Molnár, +7.539s
Race 3	Cancelled

Standings	Drivers	Teams
P1	Nikita Bedrin, 140	VRD Racing, 217
P2	Maxim Rehm, 113	Rodin Motorsport, 217
P3	Jin Nakamura, 96	Hitech, 158
P4	Martin Molnár, 81	Xcel Motorsport, 135
P5	Lucas Fluxá, 79	Elite Motorsport, 117
P6	Abbi Pulling, 63	Arden Motorsport, 66
P7	Patricio Gonzalez, 57	Fortec Motorsports, 61
P8	Rowan Campbell-Pulling, 54	Hillspeed, 55
P9	Rodrigo Gonzalez, 51	Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing, 10
P10	Flynn Jackes, 49

Read the previous round’s report here.

UCS Formula Cup: Rookie Suslov extends his lead with clinical performance in Magny-Cours

The Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours hosted the Ultimate Cup Series Formula Cup’s second round of 2026. Having won all three races at Le Castellet to take a 21-point lead over teammate Martin Stoyanov, who did not participate in this round,  Stepan Suslov once again amassed the most points this weekend to extend his advantage in the drivers’ and rookies’ standings.

Unexpectedly, 2024 rookie champion Enzo Richer returned to the grid and in great form, setting the second fastest lap in qualifying one and achieving pole position in qualifying two. He was not alone in making a comeback as Portuguese driver Alexander Lima also returned to the gentleman driver class this week, while Frenchman Corentin Tierce joined the grid with his family-run Tierce Racing team.

Winfield driver Suslov started on pole for race one and led early on as Richer followed him in the first few laps. Suslov damaged his tyres during the fight, however, and Richer eventually bested him and won the race. Apart from the top two drivers’ battle, the race was relatively uneventful.

Alexandre Botella finished last after being overtaken by Lima and Craig McLatchey on the opening lap, also making contact with Gilles Depierre and losing time in the penultimate lap. This action resulted in a stewards’ decision to penalise Botella by placing him at the back of the grid for race two.

Suslov started race two on pole, followed by newcomer Tierce and countryman Alexis Størksen. The trio finished the race in the same order. Further down the grid, Eros Gioannini had a technical issue on lap two when his car slowed to a crawl on the main straight. He parked it in pit lane and retired. On lap five, Craig McLatchey lost control of his car and got stuck in the gravel, bringing out the safety car.

Boillot won the race in the gentleman driver class, followed by Lima and Gilles Depierre.

Race three was again relatively straightforward as Suslov started on pole and kept his position all race long to achieve his fifth victory in six races. In the end, the podium was identical to race two’s as Richer, who originally finished third, received a 10-second time penalty for a pit lane infringement.

At the back of the grid, Lima earned three penalties for track limits violations. During the final corners of the race, he lost control of his car and got stuck in the gravel, finishing last overall and losing out on a potential gentleman driver podium. Boillot won the race again in class, followed by McLatchey and Depierre.

Suslov dramatically increased his lead in both the overall and rookie standings to 59 and 50 points respectively. Despite being challenged by Richer and Tierce, the Winfield-run Swede driver put on clinical performances when needed. Størksen successfully overtook Stoyanov in the drivers’ standings and stands second in the rookies’ championship too, while after a great performance on debut, Tierce now stands fourth in the drivers’ championship.

In the gentleman driver class, Boillot is completely dominating his opponents with a 96-point lead over both Depierre and the Rykart, who passed away between the first two rounds. His advantage was 21 points before the round.

Report by Julien Thoinet

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying 1	Stepan Suslov, 1:37.634	Enzo Richer, +0.244s	Corentin Tierce, +0.341s
Qualifying 2	Stepan Suslov, 1:36.652	Corentin Tierce, +0.221s	Alexis Størksen, +0.512s
Race 1 (13 laps)	Enzo Richer, 21:13.783	Stepan Suslov, +3.235s	Corentin Tierce, +4.826s
Race 2 (11 laps)	Stepan Suslov, 20:34.771	Corentin Tierce, +1.763s	Alexis Størksen, +3.202s
Race 3 (13 laps)	Stepan Suslov, 21:05.720	Corentin Tierce, +2.241s	Alexis Størksen, +7.506s

Standings	Drivers	Rookies	Gentlemen
P1	Stepan Suslov, 143	Stepan Suslov, 143	Frédéric Boillot, 150
P2	Alexis Størksen, 84	Alexis Størksen, 93	Walter Rykart, 54
P3	Martin Stoyanov, 54	Alan Orzynski, 61	Gilles Depierre, 54
P4	Corentin Tierce, 51	Alexandre Botella, 56	Craig McLatchey, 51
P5	Alan Orzynski, 51	Enzo Richer, 55	Alexandre Lima, 45
P6	Frédéric Boillot, 50	Martin Stoyanov, 54	Frédéric Morihain, 21
P7	Enzo Richer, 49	Eros Gioannini, 34	Thierry Malhomme, 20
P8	Lucas Valkre, 30
P9	Eros Gioannini, 28
P10	Walter Rykart, 16

Read the previous round’s report here.

British F4: Wherrell snatches points lead from Van Langendonck

British F4 took to Silverstone for a round featuring the first running of the BRDC International Trophy – previously won by such drivers as Jim Clark, René Arnoux, Gil de Ferran and Mark Webber – since 2012. 

George Proudford-Nalder took pole position ahead of Theo Palmer and Ethan Jeff-Hall, though the Australian would not last long at the head of the field in race one, stalling off the line and dropping to the back. That moment allowed last weekend’s two-time winner Lewis Wherrell to inherit the lead immediately.

As the field swerved across the track in avoidance of the stationary Virtuosi, championship leader Dries Van Langendonck cut across the front of Joseph Smith, taking the Briton out of the race. 

As Jeff-Hall challenged Palmer for second through the opening stages of the race, Wherrell pulled out a five-second lead before the safety car was called for an incident between Mate Kobakhidze and Ella Lloyd. 

The race resumed for a single-lap dash to the finish, during which Palmer managed to wrestle his car alongside Jeff-Hall’s Argenti down the Wellington Straight heading into the final three corners of the race. Jeff-Hall dove back down the inside through Brooklands, forcing Palmer onto the grass and down the order and opening the door forVan Langendonck to slot into third across the line. 

For their respective incidents, both Jeff-Hall and Van Langendonck received post-race penalties, dropping them down the order to sixth and 16th respectively and bumping Adam Al Azhari, who restarted seventh, and Jarrett Clark up to the podium. 

Chiara Bättig started from reverse-grid pole position, ahead of Ethan Carney, but after a slow start for the pair, it was Smith who led into Copse.

Several drivers, including Alfie Slater and Emma Felbermayr, retired on lap one, while Van Langendonck suffered suspension damage and could not rejoin the grid after the red flag was thrown to clean up the incidents. 

With the clock reset to 20 minutes and the grid back to its original order, Smith snatched the lead again with Bättig again struggling off the line and dropping to third.

Bättig closed in on Carney late on, setting the fastest lap of the race, but could not find a way through. Nonetheless, the pair took their first podiums of the season.

Proudford-Nalder held the lead as race three for the BRDC International Trophy got underway, but contact further down the field – involving Clark and Smith, amongst others – brought out another red flag. 

After the restart, Proudford-Nalder led from Wherrell, who moved into second and closed the gap but could not get past in the early stages of the race.  

The top two charged ahead at the front of the field, building a five-second gap to Palmer in third, but still Wherrell could not force an opportunity for an overtake. 

Wherrell mounted a series of attacks in the final minutes of the race, starting the penultimate lap just 0.012s behind Proudford-Nalder before briefly taking the lead through Maggotts and Becketts. However, the Australian held on to take the win just 0.158s ahead of Wherrell. 

Wherrell’s recent form, along with Van Langendonck’s difficult weekend, places the 16-year-old at the head of the drivers’ championship. As such, Van Langendonck leaves a race weekend lower than first in the standings for the first time since October 2025.

Report by Gavin Guthrie

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying	George Proudford-Nalder, 2:01.886	Theo Palmer, +0.128s	Ethan Jeff-Hall, +0.178s
Race 1 (9 laps)	Lewis Wherrell, 21:00.899	Adam Al Azhari, +4.266s	Jarrett Clark, +4.437s
Race 2 (10 laps)	Joseph Smith, 20:41.177	Ethan Carney, +2.086s	Chiara Bättig, +2.699s
Race 3 (13 laps)	George Proudford-Nalder, 26:50.306	Lewis Wherrell, +0.158s	Theo Palmer, +5.188s

Standings	Drivers	Teams	Rookies
P1	Lewis Wherrell, 132	Hitech, 231	Dries Van Langendonck, 175
P2	Dries Van Langendonck, 123	Virtuosi Racing, 168	Lewis Wherrell, 167
P3	Ethan Jeff-Hall, 95	Rodin Motorsport, 164	Jaber Al Sabah, 106
P4	Theo Palmer, 86	JHR Developments, 157	Cameron Nelson, 95
P5	Scott Kin Lindblom, 81	Argenti Motorsport, 99	Timo Jüngling, 94
P6	Adam Al Azhari, 79	Fortec Motorsport, 78	León Hedfors, 73
P7	George Proudford-Nalder, 72	Xcel Motorsport, 35	Mate Kobakhidze, 65
P8	Joseph Smith, 64	Chris Dittmann Racing, 32	Vegard Klemetsen, 47
P9	Jarrett Clark, 55		Jackson Wolny, 44
P10	Ethan Lennon, 51		Piotr Orzechowski, 28

Read the previous round’s report here.

F4 CEZ: Weiss takes over championship lead after final race cancelled

F4 CEZ’s second round at Salzburgring ended with Elia Weiss in the championship lead after the three heats, with the weekend-ending final race cancelled as heavy rain hit the region.

Race one began with one fewer car on the grid as Samuil Ivanov was unable to start following a qualifying incident. David Walther converted pole position into the lead, holding off Elia Weiss through the opening corners before an early safety car was deployed when Jorge Bruno became stranded in the gravel on the outside of Turn 5. 

Racing resumed at the end of lap four, and Weiss immediately showed stronger pace. He passed Walther for the lead on lap eight and controlled the race from there, taking the win and with it the championship lead.

Drama struck two laps later when Georgiy Zasov suffered a rear-left puncture on the main straight. The incident seemed inconsequential, but it scattered tyre scraps across the track, which Walther hit two laps later, damaging his front wing.

Teodor Borenstein used this situation to his advantage, and after putting pressure on the Dane for the whole second half of the race, the Czech driver overtook the championship leader around the outside in Turn 12 on the final lap, securing Jenzer’s third 1-2 finish of the season. 

The first of Sunday’s three scheduled races saw Weiss start from pole alongside Max Karhan, but Karhan grabbed the lead on the opening lap. Simon Rechenmacher soon moved into third, and the leading trio broke away from the field. Weiss and Karhan traded the lead several times, while Rechenmacher briefly climbed to second mid-race before running wide at the opening chicane and dropping back.

After setting consecutive fastest laps, Weiss reclaimed the lead on lap 13 with a bold move on Karhan through the final corners. The race finished under the safety car after Bruno was beached in the gravel for the second time that weekend following contact with Francesco Pio Coppola, who received a penalty and dropped from fifth to 11th.

Race three began behind the safety car, and Karhan, starting second, quickly passed polesitter Walther on the back straight. Borenstein attempted the same move a lap later, but Walther defended firmly, forcing Borenstein wide and enabling Rechenmacher to take third. Further back, Michalina Sabaj made contact with Alexia Danielsson, who later received a five-second penalty.

A second safety car was deployed when the two front wings of Danielsson and Agustín Sepúlveda had to be cleared from Turn 2. After the restart with nine minutes remaining, the top two remained unchanged. Rechenmacher later overtook Borenstein for third after the first chicane, with Borenstein dropping to sixth after a poor exit from Turn 3. On the final lap, Rechenmacher attempted a move for second on Walther but could not complete the overtake.

The final race of the weekend, which was due to take place at 16:00 local time and feature the 32 best-ranked drivers from the qualifying races, was cancelled as a thunderstorm had appeared around the Salzburgring. Originally, the race had been postponed to 17:00, but the conditions did not allow the drivers to take to the track.

The cancellation of the race meant that nobody had a chance to overthrow new championship leader Weiss, who scored the maximum of 50 points available this weekend. He has 111 points, nine more than Walther, who is one point ahead of 2025 runner-up Karhan.

Report by Maciej Jackiewicz

Results	P1	P2	P3
Qualifying, Group 1	David Walther, 1:20.906	Max Karhan, +0.118s	Dean Pedersen, +0.401s
Qualifying, Group 2	Elia Weiss, 1:21.029	Teodor Borenstein, +0.092s	Simon Rechenmacher, +0.213s
Race 1 (16 laps)	Elia Weiss, 25:26.617	Teodor Borenstein, +4.433s	David Walther, +4.699s
Race 2 (18 laps)	Elia Weiss, 25:59.708	Max Karhan, +0.596s	Simon Rechenmacher, +1.169s
Race 3 (17 laps)	Max Karhan, 25:39.487	David Walther, +1.566s	Simon Rechenmacher, +2.180s
Race 4	Cancelled

Standings	Drivers	Teams	Rookies
P1	Elia Weiss, 111	Jenzer Motorsport, 290	Simon Rechenmacher, 110
P2	David Walther, 102	Maffi Racing, 108	Markas Šilkūnas, 94
P3	Max Karhan, 101	Cram Motorsport, 102	Georgiy Zasov, 83
P4	Teodor Borenstein, 75	Technorace, 67	Ella Häkkinen, 63
P5	Simon Rechenmacher, 63	Mathilda Racing, 66	Knud Nielsen, 57
P6	Markas Šilkūnas, 48	ABA Racing by SG Motors, 46	Lubo Ruykov, 52
P7	Francesco Pio Coppola, 47	Renauer Motorsport, 40	Stefan Treneski, 51
P8	Aleksandar Bogunović, 46	Janík Motorsport, 30	Antonio Errigo, 49
P9	Georgiy Zasov, 43	Real Racing, 25	Igor Polak, 47
P10	Mathilda Paatz, 39	JMT Engineering, 23	Erik Poulsen, 45

Read the previous round’s report here.

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency