The opening round of the F4 Spanish Championship at the demanding Circuit Ricardo Tormo delivered a weekend of valuable learning and encouraging development for G4 Racing, despite the team leaving without points.
Set in a challenging and demanding layout, the 4.005 km circuit with 14 corners pushed drivers to quickly find their rhythm, especially with limited overtaking opportunities making track position crucial. Combined with a packed schedule featuring extensive testing and multiple practice sessions, teams were thrown into an intense and competitive environment right from the start of the weekend.
Against this backdrop, G4 Racing approached the weekend as an opportunity to build momentum, and the signs of progress were clear across all three drivers.
Jean Karras (#9) underlined his determination to recover during the races despite a difficult start to the weekend:
“It was difficult and a weekend to forget for me for the first round of the championship on a track I know. I didn’t find the pace in qualifying but in the races I was stronger and managed to finish all the races gaining places even though I had 2 incidents I couldn’t avoid.”
Philippe Karras (#12) emphasized the team’s strong pace and the frustration of missed opportunities:
“Quite happy with the progression we made throughout the days as pace was really good to fight in the top 10 as we showed in Qualifying 1. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the results we deserved after a mistake from my side when I stalled in Race 1 and then in Race 2 when I got from a driver in the first lap. Then Qualifying 2 was still a disaster as I got blocked on my best lap from traffic. It is what it is we move on and we will come back stronger in Portimão!”
Jorden Moodley (#94) highlighted both the challenges and enjoyment of the weekend:
“It was an exciting weekend with a lot of challenges with changing conditions throughout the weekend, overall, a very fun weekend filled with great racing! I’m still finding my pace and will continue to concentrate on improvement for the upcoming rounds.”
Team Principal Patrick Gnos summarized the weekend with a balanced and forward-looking perspective:
“The Circuito Riccardo Tormo of Valencia was our playground for first round of the F4 Spanish Championship. Mixed weather conditions made it complicated. Our drivers had not been testing in Valencia for quite a while, and they had to get more comfortable with the track. They managed it quite well.
Jorden improved consistently during each session and fought hard during the races. We are really enjoying seeing Jorden getting more and more integrated into the team and starting to feel more confident.
Jean also improved from one session to the next one. He worked with dedication together with his engineer to adapt the car’s set-up to his driving style and became more comfortable. Jean was torpedoed by a competitor who had to cope with a damaged car during one race. Nevertheless, Jean has again shown good race craft and pace.
Philippe was feeling well on this track. He rapidly found a way to handle the car, and the lap times were impressive. During the races, Philippe got hit and spun by a competitor that ruined his chances to score good points while being in the scoring zone from the beginning of one the races. Not lucky at all. Philippe’s commitment and positive attitude were perfect.
A very unlucky weekend but some very positive experiences… We will go for it again next.”
While the final standings did not reflect the team’s potential, G4 Racing leaves Valencia with clear signs of progress, improving driver confidence, and competitive pace that sets an encouraging tone for the next round of the championship.