Both the American, who finished second, and the Pole, who finished third, gave Campos Racing and Griffin Core by Campos a presence on the podium at Montmeló. Rivera, Tarnvanichkul, and Tye also reached the top 5. Rivera and Tarnvanichkul stepped onto the rostrum among the rookies. Cárdenas was among the top eight finishers
The 2024 F4 Spain season had its final chapter this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, leaving a great impression for the drivers of Campos Racing and Griffin Core by Campos. The best performers after the three races on Catalan soil were James Egozi, with the Campos Racing F4 car bearing Red Bull colors, and Jan Przyrowski, with a Tatuus from Griffin Core by Campos. The American was second while the Pole finished third. Additionally, the other four drivers from Campos Racing, Enzo Tarnvanichkul and Nathan Tye, and Griffin Core by Campos, Ernesto Rivera and Andrés Cárdenas, also secured a solid haul of points in Barcelona.
Tarnvanichkul gave the first warning in free practice by being the fastest at the end of the session on Saturday morning. The Thai driver clocked a time of 1m44.632s. Przyrowski was third while the Mexican Rivera was fifth. Tye and Egozi finished the free practice in tenth and eleventh positions.
By midday, in the first qualifying session, the six drivers from Campos Racing and Griffin Core by Campos found their place among the top ten. Rivera fought for pole position until the end, ultimately securing the second position with his best time of 1m42.199s. Tye was sixth with a time of 1m42.412s, ahead of Tarnvanichkul (1m42.416s), Przyrowski (1m42.438s), Cárdenas (2m42.466s), and Egozi (1m42.470s). Unbelievable equality!
The second fastest lap of each driver in Q1, which would form the starting grid for the second race, saw Rivera fourth in the time sheets with his best record of 1m42.323s, just half a tenth of a second off pole position. Przyrowski was sixth, just ahead of Egozi and Cárdenas. Further back, Tye was eleventh while Tarnvanichkul could not set a second reference lap and had to settle for 28th place.
The Saturday afternoon, when the first race of 30 minutes plus one lap took place, witnessed a very eventful start, but all the drivers from the Alzira team managed to avoid any contact or incident in the always difficult first lap with 35 single-seaters on track. Although Rivera lost a place at the start, he remained in the fight for the podium along with Przyrowski, who was fifth; Tarnvanichkul; Tye; and Cárdenas, all of whom were in the top ten. After the safety car came out, the race resumed on the fourth lap with Rivera keeping Griffin Peebles at bay on the restart. The safety car came out again twelve minutes before the end, after a collision between two cars left them in the gravel, and did not leave the track until the final lap. Rivera crossed the finish line in third place, but received a one-place penalty and thus dropped to fourth. Tarnvanichkul climbed to fifth place, ahead of Tye, Przyrowski, Cárdenas, and Egozi, the latter after a great final sprint, meaning all Griffin Core by Campos and Campos Racing drivers finished in the points.
Sunday started early with Q2, where Egozi took a commanding pole position - and the two extra points it awards - thanks to his lap of 1m42.290s, leaving his closest pursuer two and a half tenths behind. Rivera set the third-best time with his lap of 1m42.731s, sharing the second row of the grid with Tarnvanichkul, who clocked a time of 1m42.781s. Tye and Przyrowski shared the sixth row on the starting grid with their times of 1m43.030s and 1m43.048s. Cárdenas would start 17th with a time of 1m43.191s.
The second race, held in mid-morning and scheduled for 25 minutes plus one lap, was soon neutralized after the start with the safety car coming out after two cars got tangled up and went off. Rivera, who was fourth, was running ahead of Przyrowski at the restart; Tye, who had gained six places; and Egozi. The Peruvian Cárdenas was ninth in those early stages. The safety car made two more appearances, the third and final one just before the race ended. In the interval between the two periods, Przyrowski overtook Rivera, allowing the Pole to step onto the third step of the podium, ahead of the Mexican. Tye, Egozi, and Cárdenas finished in fifth to seventh places in that order. Tarnvanichkul crossed the finish line in 16th place.
In the third and final race, lasting 30 minutes and bringing the season to a close, Egozi lost a place at the start but stayed close to the leader, the two of them pulling away from the rest of the pack. Rivera was fourth, leading a trio that included Tarnvanichkul and Tye. Przyrowski completed the top ten in the first half of the race. Rivera put enormous pressure on Keanu Al Azhari throughout the race, but in the end, Tarnvanichkul found a gap to overtake the Mexican and became the new threat to Al Azhari. After 16 laps, Egozi secured the second place at the finish line, with Tarnvanichkul in fourth. Przyrowski finally took the ninth place at the finish. Rivera and Tye fell out of the points due to five and ten-second penalties respectively for exceeding track limits. Cárdenas' race ended very early after being involved in an incident with two other competitors in the early stages.
After seven meetings and twenty-one races, Rivera was the best in the standings with his fifth place and 148 points, also being the third-best rookie. Egozi finished sixth with 141 points, while Przyrowski rounded off the top ten with 91 points. Tye and Tarnvanichkul, immediately behind the Pole, were eleventh and twelfth with 74 and 67 points. Cárdenas ultimately classified in 14th place. In the teams' standings, Griffin Core by Campos and Campos Racing took the third and fourth places.
An exciting season ends, but preparation for the next one in 2025 begins today.
Photos: FotoCar13
