Round 4 of Formula 4 Spanish Championship season brought GRS Team to Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium, one of the most historical, thrilling tracks in the World. The weekend kicked off with some issues but, once they were solved, all our drivers performed at a sensational level, achieving the team’s first points of the season.
For this weekend, the team was back to a three-driver line-up. Marcos Flack joined GRS and partnered full-time drivers Vladislav Ryabov and Ricardo Gracia on this round.
Free Practice results proved that fighting for the points would be a difficult goal to reach again. However, Vladislav fought his way into the Top 15 in one of the sessions, while Marcos was adapting lap by lap to his new team and series.
On qualifying sessions, Marcos was the reference within the team. Aussie driver was 19th and 15th. Both Vladislav and Ricardo improved their position on the second session, with the Russian driver -racing under Spanish license- qualifying on 21st and 20th; and the Brazilian on P26 and P24.
Friday ended with Race 1: one to forget. Ryabov could not start the race due to a mechanical failure during the formation lap, while Flack was also forced to retire on Lap 2. Gracia, on the other hand, had a good performance and finished on 18th position, matching his best result of the season so far.
Race 2, the shortest one, was an improvement for GRS drivers. Ryabov made up two positions to end up on 19th place. Gracia did so and crossed the finish line in 24th. Flack started on on P19 and finished closing the Top 20. However, it was a great result considering he had to make a pit stop to replace a damaged front wing.
The final race was the best of the weekend. All three drivers gained numerous positions and perfomed superbly. Marcos achieved a sensational sixth position, the first points scored this season. Vladislav and Ricardo were equally brilliant, obtaining their best results of the year after finishing on P12 and P15, respectively.
After scoring points, the team leaves Spa with full confidence ahead of the remaining rounds. The effort and work done throughout the year are starting to pay off, and the progression of all drivers is currently ascending.
Formula 4 Spanish Championship is now on summer break. We will be back in action in September 3-4. MotorLand Aragón, where we claimed our first podium of 2021, will host the fifth round of the season.
