Monteiro regains championship lead after finishing second at Motorland Aragón
The 2026 F4 Spain season now reaches its summer break with Noah Monteiro sitting atop the drivers’ standings after the first three rounds of the championship. The Griffin Core by Campos driver once again demonstrated his consistency in race conditions, producing three impressive recovery drives that proved crucial from a championship perspective, including his fifth podium finish in nine races. Ty Fisher also wrapped up the third event of the season by taking victory in the rookie classification in Saturday’s opening race. Griffin Core by Campos’ third driver, Vivek Kanthan, showed excellent pace and even set a fastest lap despite luck once again not being on his side. As for Campos Racing, Jacob Micallef stepped onto the rookie podium with a third-place finish in Saturday afternoon’s race, while Luna Fluxá scored her first championship points. Daniel Kelleher also featured among the points scorers.
In free practice, Griffin Core by Campos dominated the combined standings of both sessions. Monteiro set the benchmark with a lap of 1m58.403s, while teammate Kanthan was just over a tenth of a second adrift on a 1m58.507s, good enough for second overall. Micallef also enjoyed a strong start to the weekend, posting the sixth-fastest time with a 1m58.684s aboard his Campos Racing-liveried Tatuus. Kelleher and Fisher rounded out the top ten in ninth and tenth places respectively with laps of 1m58.743s and 1m58.805s. Fluxá stopped the clocks at 1m59.218s, a promising performance ahead of qualifying.
Q1, held early on Saturday morning, was once again defined by extremely close competition. With thirty-five cars on track, finding a clear lap free from traffic proved vital. This became one of the main challenges for the Alzira-based team’s drivers, who struggled to match their pace from the previous day. At the end of the fifteen-minute session, Kelleher emerged as the team’s best-placed driver in sixth with a lap of 1m58.718s. Kanthan qualified two places behind on a 1m58.759s. Fisher, Micallef and Monteiro had to settle for eleventh, twelfth and fourteenth respectively, while Fluxá finished sixteenth.
Regarding the second-fastest laps, which determined the grid for the afternoon sprint race, the situation was similar. Kanthan secured sixth place with a 1m58.829s lap, while Kelleher was ninth on a 1m58.980s. Monteiro would start twelfth, with Fisher and Micallef lining up fourteenth and fifteenth respectively. Fluxá qualified twenty-fifth.
The first thirty-minute race of the weekend, held around midday on Saturday under already soaring temperatures, proved productive in its early stages for the Griffin Core by Campos and Campos Racing drivers. After just one lap, Kanthan and Kelleher were running sixth and seventh, Fisher ninth, while Monteiro had already climbed to twelfth. The Portuguese driver, always on the attack, was up to ninth by lap three when the safety car was deployed following an incident further back in the field. One of the victims of the incident was Micallef, who had to pit with floor damage and ultimately retired. The restart lasted only a single lap before another safety car intervention. A third neutralisation followed in what became a highly eventful race. Kelleher was also forced out in one of those incidents. The safety car eventually peeled off with just one lap remaining, setting up a dramatic finish. Monteiro and Fisher were among the drivers who capitalised best on the situation, crossing the line fourth and fifth respectively. Fluxá delivered an excellent eighth-place finish to score her first points of the season. Kanthan, who had also finished among the front-runners, was relegated to nineteenth after receiving a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, ending up two positions ahead of Kelleher.
The sprint race, contested with track temperatures reaching fifty degrees Celsius, presented another stern test for drivers, machinery and tyres alike. When the lights went out, Kanthan was unable to take advantage of his grid position after stalling and dropping to the back of the field. Fluxá also endured misfortune in the opening metres, becoming involved in a first-corner incident that forced her into the pits. Following a safety car period after the opening lap, Kelleher and Monteiro were running ninth and tenth. Racing resumed two laps later and it soon became apparent that the Alzira-based team’s drivers had some of the strongest pace on track. Kelleher set the fastest lap while Monteiro moved into sixth after overtaking Rocco Coronel. In another thrilling finish, Monteiro passed two more rivals to secure fourth place at the chequered flag. Ultimately, the best Campos Racing finisher was Micallef, whose outstanding recovery drive earned him seventh place. Team-mate Kelleher received a five-second penalty following an incident and dropped out of the points. Fisher narrowly missed out as well, finishing eleventh. Kanthan, after dropping to last, fought his way through half the field and even claimed the fastest lap and the bonus point that accompanies it.
Sunday dawned hot from the very first hours of the day. In the second qualifying session, no fewer than twenty-five drivers were covered by less than one second. With only thousandths separating the leading contenders, Kanthan posted a best lap of 1m58.135s to secure third place on the grid. Monteiro improved significantly compared to Saturday and qualified eighth with a 1m58.286s. Kelleher and Micallef shared the sixth row of the grid, with Fisher lining up immediately behind them. Fluxá recorded the twenty-first fastest time.
The final race got underway shortly before 1 p.m. under relentless sunshine. Kanthan became involved in an exciting battle for third place with Nacho Tuñón during the opening lap. Monteiro had already gained one position by the end of lap one, while Kelleher was knocking on the door of the top ten. However, the standout performer in terms of race management was Monteiro. The Portuguese driver gained two more places and was already fourth by lap two before moving into third shortly afterwards by overtaking Nathan Tye with a slipstream-assisted move on the back straight. His next target was Tuñón, and in pursuit of him Monteiro set the first of four consecutive fastest laps. On lap seven he passed Tuñón using virtually the same manoeuvre he had executed on Tye. Believing he might have exceeded track limits while making the move, he immediately ceded the position back to both Tuñón and Tye. Before long, however, he reclaimed third place at Tuñón’s expense. Moments later, the safety car was deployed. At the restart, with just over four minutes remaining, Kanthan was forced out after contact damaged his front wing. Seconds later Monteiro launched his attack on Tye and snatched second place under braking at the end of the back straight. Could he catch race leader Andrej Petrović? It certainly looked possible. However, Coronel’s spin into the gravel triggered another safety car period that lasted until the finish. Even so, second place yielded a priceless eighteen points, together with the bonus point for fastest lap. Kelleher and Micallef also fought their way into the points, finishing ninth and tenth respectively. Fisher and Fluxá crossed the line seventeenth and eighteenth, the latter after receiving a five-second penalty. Following his pit stop, Kanthan finished towards the rear of the field.
Monteiro heads into the summer break leading the championship standings with 100 points to his name. Fisher and Kanthan occupy ninth and tenth positions respectively, while Micallef is the highest-placed Campos Racing driver in twelfth. In the teams’ standings, Griffin Core by Campos sits third on 135 points.
The next round of the championship will take place at Circuito de Madrid Jarama – RACE on August 22-23.
