The second round of the 2024 Spanish F4 Championship took place in Portimao. There, Keanu Al Azhari (MP Motorsport) took command of the championship after securing two victories—his first in the series—and achieving a full set of Pole Positions.

Starting from pole in race 1, Keanu Al Azhari claimed his first victory in the F4 Spanish Championship. The Emirati driver performed flawlessly, immediately gaining a considerable margin over rookie Ernesto Rivera (Griffin Core by Campos), who shared the front row with him.

The Mexican, on the sixth lap after a restart due to a safety car situation caused by contact between Eloy González (DXR by Drivex) and Tim Gerhards (Monlau Motorsport) on the second lap, was attacked by Mattia Colnaghi (KCL by MP Motorsport), who overtook him in the first corner with a perfect maneuver.

However, Rivera did not give up and immediately tried to reclaim his position from the Italian. They ran side by side for a couple of corners, but the Campos driver stayed too long on the outside of a right-hand turn, running off the line and losing several positions. Colnaghi continued calmly without being able to catch Al Azhari.

In the end, contact between Matteo Quintarelli (Sainteloc Racing) and Mikkel Pedersen (Drivex) brought the safety car back on track, remaining until the checkered flag.

Behind Al Azhari and Colnaghi, an excellent Thomas Strauven from the Rodin team finished third, executing a splendid double overtaking maneuver while battling with James Egozi (Campos Racing) and René Lammers (MP Motorsport). Lucas Fluxà (KCL by MP Motorsport) made a great comeback from 12th on the grid to finish sixth, wanting to reiterate that his double victory in Jarama was no fluke

Ernesto Rivera enters the scene

The second race in Portimao was heavily influenced by no less than three safety cars. It was precisely during the restart phases that the winner was decided. Ernesto Rivera, starting from third on the grid, overtook Griffin Peebles (MP Motorsport) at the first corner during the restart from the first safety car, moving up to second place behind leader Keanu Al Azhari, who had started from Pole.

Then there was a second safety car, and Rivera once again positioned himself perfectly, drafting behind Al Azhari, whom he passed at the first braking zone. Rivera subsequently held off Al Azhari after the third safety car, securing his first victory in the series.

For Al Azhari, the 15 points for second place are crucial as they propel him to the top of the championship standings, considering that Lucas Fluxà finished sixth after starting from eleventh. Third place in the race went to Griffin Peebles, who returned to the podium after winning the Winter Series, while Mattia Colnaghi finished fourth. Special mention goes to Douwe Dedecker, who scored his first points in the series.

Keanu Al Azhari: Unstoppable and new leader

With the victory in the third race of Portimao, his second of the weekend, Keanu Al Azhari has taken a considerable lead in the overall standings, leading with 102 points compared to Lucas Fluxa's 74, who finished sixth. This time, Al Azhari was not surprised by his pursuers, represented in race 3 by Nathan Tye (Campos Racing) and Thomas Strauven. Tye always occupied the second position, while Strauven secured the podium spot by overtaking James Egozi (Campos Racing).

Another great performance by Ernesto Rivera, who finished fourth after his victory in race 2. Mattia Colnaghi, initially sixth, got involved in a series of intense battles and finally achieved ninth position, after having dropped out of the top 10, just like Griffin Peebles, who finished eighth.

Así, a la conclusión de la segunda cita del Campeonato de España de F4 en el Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Keanu Al Azhari es el nuevo líder con 102 puntos por los 74 de Lucas Fluxà -mejor rookie- y los 67 de Thomas Strauven. En la batalla por equipos, MP Motorsport toma el mando con 122 puntos por los 105 de KCL by MP Motorsport y los 87 de Rodin Motorsport

The next event will take place from July 5th to 7th at the Circuit Paul Ricard (France).