The young Italian driver Mattia Colnaghi was crowned F4 Spanish Champion in Barcelona after a weekend in which he claimed two victories, allowing him to win a close battle with his teammate Keanu Al Azhari, who had arrived as the leader for the final round.
Colnaghi, winner of the 2024 RMYTA, made the most of his guaranteed seat with MP Motorsport thanks to the agreement with Richard Mille. With 6 victories, 12 podiums, 6 Pole Positions, and 5 Fastest Laps, he not only proved to be the best rookie of the year and the ninth champion of the series but also played a key role in securing the seventh teams' championship for the Dutch outfit, this time with his team KCL by MP Motorsport.
The team, based in Westmaas, dominated 2024 by taking the top three positions in the standings with Colnaghi, Al Azhari, and Polish driver Maciej Gladysz, while also achieving a 1-2 finish in the team championship.
The weekend began with the young Italian showing all his strengths, scoring maximum points in the event's first race (Pole, victory, and Fastest Lap) ahead of his main rival, Keanu Al Azhari, reducing the gap between them to just 3 points before the decisive Sunday.
The sprint race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya proved crucial in determining the championship outcome. In it, Colnaghi claimed his sixth win of the year—his third consecutive victory—and just when it seemed the title would be decided in a close battle in Race 3, a 5-second penalty for Keanu Al Azhari in a race that ended under Safety Car pushed the Emirati driver from 3rd to 18th position.
This result placed Colnaghi as the series leader—the first driver other than Al Azhari to lead in 2024—with a 15-point advantage over his teammate, with 26 points still up for grabs. The 2 points for Pole Position went to James Egozi, who achieved his first pole in the series.
The final race of the year began with the two title contenders in fifth and sixth positions. Al Azhari, knowing he needed to take risks, made a great start and soon moved up to third place. Behind him, Colnaghi played it safe, settling into fifth, which would secure him the title if Al Azhari did not advance further.
In front of them, Juan Cota took the lead at the start ahead of Egozi, and the two gradually pulled away from the rest, dashing Al Azhari's hopes of clinching the title.
As the laps went by, Cota’s dominance became evident, as he took his fourth win of the season and finished just 1 point shy of the overall podium after being the highest scorer in the second half of the year.
Egozi matched his best result of the season, while Al Azhari completed the podium. Colnaghi, in fifth, capped off his comeback, winning the title in his rookie season. Meanwhile, Maciej Gladysz, who also had title hopes heading into Barcelona, earned just 7 points, finishing third in the overall standings.
Thus, Mattia Colnaghi is the new F4 Spanish Champion with 282 points, followed by Keanu Al Azhari with 274 and Maciej Gladysz with 187. Behind them, Juan Cota (186) and Ernesto Rivera (148) complete the top 5 of the year.
