Noah Monteiro and Griffin Core by Campos Secure Runner-Up Honours as Vivek Kanthan Ends Season with Barcelona Win
The 2026 F4 Spain season came to a close this past weekend with the seventh and final round of the calendar at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya. Following the three races held at the venue on the outskirts of Granollers, Noah Monteiro and Griffin Core by Campos Racing secured runner-up honours in the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships respectively, following a meeting packed with excitement, close racing and adrenaline.
Vivek Kanthan ended the season in style, just as he had started it: with a victory. The Griffin Core by Campos driver secured a win and a second-place finish, providing an excellent conclusion to his campaign. Ty Fisher, also representing Griffin Core by Campos, and Daniel Kelleher, racing under the Campos Racing banner, were likewise regular contenders for the leading positions. Both ended the season with a significant points haul and podium finishes in the Rookie standings. Jacob Micallef and Luna Fluxá, meanwhile, enjoyed less fortune and were unable to convert their efforts into points, although both produced impressive recovery drives. The Spanish driver also once again finished as the highest-placed female competitor over the course of the weekend.
The promising pace shown on the Barcelona circuit was already evident during the collective test organised by the championship in midweek and was subsequently confirmed in Friday’s free practice sessions, with drivers from Griffin Core by Campos and Campos Racing consistently featuring towards the top of the timesheets.
Saturday began with the first qualifying session, which would determine the starting grids for the two races scheduled for that day. Two red flags, the first with thirteen minutes remaining and the second just five minutes before the end, made life particularly challenging for the drivers and their strategies. Nevertheless, Kelleher and Kanthan produced two excellent laps in the closing moments, recording times of 1m43.210s and 1m43.232s respectively to secure second and third places on the grid. Monteiro and Fisher also delivered strong performances, sharing the third row with respective times of 1m43.536s and 1m43.562s. Micallef and Fluxá faced greater difficulties and, without an opportunity to complete a clean lap, the Maltese driver qualified 21st, with the Spanish driver in 30th.
The second-fastest lap from each driver determined the starting grid for the afternoon sprint race and earned Kanthan pole position. The American secured the top spot with a time of 1m43.605s, just 55 thousandths of a second ahead of his nearest rival. Monteiro qualified third with a time of 1m43.841s. Kelleher was fifth in 1m44.227s, while Fisher secured seventh place with a lap of 1m44.444s. Micallef and Fluxá qualified 16th and 23rd respectively.
The opening race, scheduled to last thirty minutes plus one lap and held on Saturday morning, was neutralised by the safety car immediately after the opening lap. At that stage, Kanthan and Kelleher were running third and fourth. Once the safety car returned to the pits, the race remained green until the finish, although that initial intervention would have a significant impact on proceedings. As the field gradually spread out, Kanthan remained firmly in contention towards the front. His consistency ultimately paid off and, following penalties for Ty Fisher, for a jump start, and Elliot Kaczynski, for weaving on the restart, the American moved up to first place to claim victory. Fisher and Kelleher narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Monteiro crossed the line seventh after recovering from a difficult start, while Micallef and Fluxá produced impressive recovery drives to finish 14th and 15th respectively.
The start of the sprint race was less favourable for Kanthan, who lost the lead off the line and settled in behind Kaczynski. The safety car was deployed at the end of the opening lap, with Kanthan running second, Kelleher fifth and Fisher sixth, while the remaining drivers looked to move into the points-paying positions. Among them was Monteiro, who was running 13th. Racing resumed two laps later, but another incident brought out the safety car once again before the red flag was displayed. Following a fifteen-minute stoppage, the race restarted with eleven minutes remaining on the clock.
The battle was intense, particularly for Fisher and Kelleher, who were involved in several close encounters with their rivals in the midfield. After fourteen laps, Kanthan eventually crossed the finish line in second place. Fisher and Kelleher, who once again spent much of the race running together, finished seventh and eighth respectively. Micallef and Fluxá produced further determined recovery drives, climbing to 13th and 16th places. Monteiro, however, saw his race compromised by contact with Nacho Tuñón on lap ten, which dropped him back to 27th.
The second qualifying session, scheduled to open Sunday's programme, got underway later than planned due to dense fog. Kelleher was Campos Racing's leading contender in the battle for pole position and came very close to securing it, ultimately qualifying second with a time of 1m42.480s. Fisher recorded the sixth-fastest time in 1m42.690s, while Kanthan qualified eighth with a lap of 1m42.877s. Monteiro would start the final race of the season from the sixth row after recording a time of 1m43.017s, with Fluxá lining up from seventh row following a lap of 1m43.138s. Micallef qualified 20th with a time of 1m43.473s.
The third and final race of the season did not get off to the best possible start for Kelleher either. When the lights went out, the Irishman failed to make a good getaway and dropped to fifth place, immediately ahead of Fisher. As had been the case in the two previous races, the safety car was deployed after just one lap. At that stage, Kelleher and Fisher were fifth and sixth, with Kanthan seventh, immediately behind them, while Monteiro had already gained three positions to move up to tenth.
The safety car returned to the pits on lap five, only to be deployed again on the following lap after another incident. This second intervention was shorter and racing resumed after just one lap. However, the situation changed once again on lap ten, when the safety car returned to the track and remained there until the chequered flag. As a result, there were few opportunities to change the running order. Fisher and Kanthan finished fifth and sixth respectively, Kelleher was eighth and Monteiro rounded out the points-paying positions in tenth. Micallef and Fluxá, who once again spent much of the race running together, finished 13th and 14th respectively. Nevertheless, the classification for Sunday's race remains provisional, pending an investigation into a suspected technical infringement involving the two leading cars, which could result in changes to the final result.
As a result, Monteiro finishes the season as runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship with 210 points. Kanthan, following an impressive second half of the campaign, takes sixth place with 165 points. Kelleher and Fisher conclude their maiden seasons in the championship in tenth and 11th positions, with 94 and 84 points respectively. Micallef finishes 13th with 38 points, while Fluxá secures the title of highest-placed female driver in the standings. In the Teams’ Championship, Griffin Core by Campos claims second place with 283 points, while Campos Racing finishes sixth with 98.
The entire team is already turning its attention to preparations for the 2027 season, when the objective will once again be to fight for the championship titles.
