The Mexican driver for Griffin Core by Campos secured his first victory in the Algarve. Meanwhile, Tye climbed to the podium for the first time with his Campos Racing car. Egozi, Przyrowski, Cárdenas, and Tarnvanichkul all finished in points-paying positions
The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, the venue for the second round of the current F4 Spain season, brought excellent results for Campos Racing and Griffin Core by Campos. Mexican driver Ernesto Rivera, representing Griffin Core by Campos, emerged as the winner for the first time this year. Meanwhile, British driver Nathan Tye also climbed the podium with his Tatuus car managed by Campos Racing. James Egozi and Enzo Tarnvanichkul of Campos Racing, along with Jan Przyrowski and Andrés Cárdenas of Griffin Core by Campos, also scored points at some point during the weekend.
In the first free practice session, the collective performance was outstanding, with the six drivers from Campos Racing and Griffin Core by Campos occupying six of the top eight spots in the FP1 standings. Tye was the best of them with a time of 1m44.149s, earning him second place ahead of Rivera, Egozi, and Przyrowski, who placed third to fifth. Tarnvanichkul and Cárdenas were seventh and eighth, respectively, demonstrating their strength. In the second free practice session, Tye was once again the best of the Alzira-based team’s drivers with his lap of 1m44.280s, just nine thousandths of a second faster than Egozi, who was third. Przyrowski was fourth, ahead of Rivera. Tarnvanichkul and Cárdenas finished in eleventh and twelfth in the timesheets.
Shortly after lunchtime, Q1 took place, where the dominant note was once again the extraordinary parity among the 36 drivers present. Rivera clocked a time of 1m44.161s, securing second place on the grid for the first race of the weekend. Egozi was on the third row with his lap of 1m44.220s. Przyrowski, seventh, would start just behind the Red Bull Junior driver with his best effort of 1m44.227s. The Peruvian Cárdenas qualified ninth with a lap of 1m44.385s, while Tye was eleventh with his time of 1m44.407s. Tarnvanichkul couldn't manage a clean lap, which prevented him from improving his time of 1m44.913s, leaving him 23rd on the starting grid.
That same Saturday afternoon, the first Portuguese race took place. When the lights went out, Rivera maintained second place during the first lap. Meanwhile, Egozi, Przyrowski, and Tye were also in the top ten in the early stages of the race. Rivera engaged in an exciting battle with Italian Mattia Colnaghi. However, Rivera went slightly wide on the seventh lap, causing him to lose four places, positioning him behind Przyrowski. Consequently, Egozi became the best driver of the Alzira-based team, fighting for the podium until the chequered flag. Ultimately, the Red Bull Junior driver finished fourth, just missing the podium for a very narrow margin. Przyrowski finished seventh, ahead of Rivera. Cárdenas completed the top ten, finishing just ahead of Tye. Tarnvanichkul finished fifteenth.
Sunday morning started with Q2. In a session marked by extraordinary parity, Tye was second with a time of 1m43.980s, just 65 thousandths of a second off pole position. Egozi recorded the fourth fastest time with a lap of 1m44.078s, ahead of Rivera, who was fifth with his time of 1m44.175s. Przyrowski qualified eighth with a lap of 1m44.275s, while Tarnvanichkul was ninth with his best lap of 1m44.299s. Cárdenas clocked a time of 1m44.452s, placing him 13th on the grid.
Next, in the second race, Rivera maximized his chances from third place on the grid. After an early safety car, which saw him third ahead of Egozi, Rivera overtook Griffin Peebles on the restart to move into second place. Behind, Egozi also battled Peebles for third. Another safety car gave Rivera the opportunity to take the lead, drafting behind Keanu Al Azhari and moving into first place. From then on, Rivera did not relinquish his top spot and crossed the finish line as the winner. Egozi eventually finished fifth, while the seventh place went to the Peruvian Cárdenas after a great comeback, ahead of Przyrowski. Tarnvanichkul, after a pit stop, finished a lap down in the lower positions. Tye was forced to retire.
In the third and final race, Tye maintained second place when the lights went out, while Egozi gained a position to move into fourth. Rivera was fifth, while Przyrowski and Tarnvanichkul were also in the top ten, in eighth and ninth respectively. Soon, Egozi overtook Thomas Strauven to move into podium positions. However, in a race marked by extreme parity and minimal gaps in all positions, the Red Bull-liveried driver dropped down the order. Up front, Tye continued to pressure Al Azhari, who could never relax, and after 17 laps, the Briton finished second, just eight-tenths behind. Rivera was fourth and Przyrowski fifth, both adding more points to their tally. Tarnvanichkul completed the top ten. Cárdenas finished 16th, and Egozi concluded 18th.
After the first two rounds of the season, Rivera holds fourth place in the drivers' standings with 54 points. Tye is sixth with 34. Just behind, in seventh place, is Przyrowski with 33 points. Egozi is also among the top drivers, in ninth place with 30 points.
The next F4 Spain event will be the second one outside Spanish border, taking place at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet on July 6-7.
Photos: Fotocar13
