Round 2 of Formula 4 Spanish Championship 2022 for GRS Team. The team raced at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, a track we have great memories from after our sensational weekend here in 2021. This time, however, the results were not as bright as last season.
Race week started with awful news. Lukáš Málek would miss the meeting after testing positive for Covid-19. The team’s efforts were therefore reduced to two cars, with Vladislav Ryabov and Ricardo Gracia.
On-track action began with Friday’s collective test. There, both drivers shown speed and consistency. Both gained important mileage after many laps, and they finished in high positions. Vladislav topped the test and took P1, with Ricardo in 11th.
The situation got complicated on Saturday. Setting competitive times became tough to set in Free Practice sessions, but also in qualifying. Ryabov was 16th (14th on the grid for Race 2) in Qualifying Practice while Gracia qualified 23rd (20th for Race 2).
First race took place on the evening. Gracia was involved in a heavy crash in Lap 2. Fortunately, all the drivers involved got away unharmed, but the Brazilian’s race was over. Ryabov struggled to find the pace and finished in 17th position.
Sunday action started with Qualifying 2. The feeling was similar to Saturday’s, with Vladislav qualifying in 17th place and Ricardo in P23.
Race 2 followed a similar pattern to the first one. Ricardo had to retire in lap 1 after a rival hit his car. Ryabov, on the other hand, was 19th. The situation did not improve on Race 3, where Ryabov was P20, with Gracia on P18.
We leave Jerez unsatisfied with the results, but very thankful to every single one of the team members, who have worked really hard throughout the weekend. Formula 4 Spanish Championship will be back on June 11-12. Circuit Ricardo Tormo will host the third round of the championship.
