F4 CEZ: Mathilda Paatz powers to first Formula 4 podium in Spielberg
- MIKA BÖCKER
- May 19
- 4 min read
In three hard-fought F4 CEZ races at the Red Bull Ring, Mathilda Paatz achieved several strong results and was rewarded with her maiden podium finish in F4 in the final race of the weekend.
Mathilda Paatz secured her first Formula 4 podium in Spielberg. In three hard-fought races at the Red Bull Ring, Mathilda Paatz achieved several strong results and was rewarded with a podium finish in the final race.
Paatz had made a strong debut in the 2025 F4 Central European Zone (CEZ) championship at the Red Bull Ring season opener, securing her first Formula 4 points with a career-best ninth-place finish in Race 3. Stepping up to F4 CEZ with the family-run Mathilda Racing team, the young German showed promising pace throughout the first weekend weekend, rebounding from setbacks in the opening races with a determined comeback drive in Race 1, a rapid start in Race 2 cut short by contact, and a well-earned top-10 in the final race. Paatz, who has previously competed in French F4 in her rookie single-seater season, was aiming to keep momentum at the second round at the same venue.
Paatz started the first race of the second F4 CEZ weekend in Spielberg from tenth place on the grid. All drivers got off to a clean start, and apart from a few excursions, the feared chaos at the start was avoided. The driver of the Mathilda Racing team—already known from the Nürburgring Endurance Series—also managed a good, clean getaway, moving up to eighth place within the first few laps.
However, the race remained far from calm or orderly. The tightly packed field of F4 cars, combined with Spielberg's fast, rollercoaster layout, led to numerous close battles and shifting positions. Paatz joined one of these fights soon after the start.
After a few laps, she pulled off an overtaking move on the inside of the fast double left-handers at turns 6 and 7, but was unable to hold the position to the end of the lap. The loss of momentum from the move left her vulnerable, and the tight field quickly pounced. Despite this, Paatz maintained her eighth-place position through the intense duels that followed.
With about ten minutes remaining, Gorcica parked his car in the run-off area at turn 3. After another lap, it initially appeared he could rejoin, but he was ultimately forced to stop for good at the approach to turn 4. Despite the high-speed section, the race remained green as marshals retrieved the car under yellow flags, without deploying a safety car.
Four minutes before the end, the race was abruptly red-flagged following a dramatic incident: after a rear-end collision, Herrera's No. 24 car rolled over just before the start/finish line and slid along the Halo to a stop at the end of the straight. Thankfully, Herrera was uninjured. As the race was not restarted, the classification reverted to the lap before the red flag. Paatz had still been in eighth at that point, but she was promoted to sixth place after penalties were applied to drivers involved in the accident.
The young German began Race 2 from sixth on the grid. This time, the field didn’t even reach the Niki Lauda Corner without incident: Schranz stalled on the grid, and Sabaj swerved to avoid him, colliding with Dyrved. Both cars crashed into the barrier, initially triggering a safety car, which was upgraded to a red flag stoppage later that same lap.
To warm up the field, two more laps were completed behind the safety car before the restart. With 18 minutes remaining, the race resumed. After the restart, Paatz worked her way up into the top positions and even challenged for the lead from second place. In the laps that followed, however, her tires began to degrade, and she was unable to defend her position in the slipstream up to turn 3, ultimately falling back to fifth in the tight lead group.
With 8:30 minutes to go, the safety car was called out again due to debris on track. After the restart one lap later, Paatz was unable to defend against pressure from the two Jenzer Racing drivers and dropped to seventh by the checkered flag.
Thanks to the top-six reverse grid from Race 1, Paatz started Race 3 from pole position—her first in her young Formula 4 career. She made an impressive start and had already opened a gap of over one second by the end of the first lap.
On lap two, Bocquet and Borenstein collided in turn 4, with one car coming to a halt on top of the other. The safety car was deployed, along with the medical car. However, in an unfortunate timing, the medical vehicle exited the pit lane parallel to the line of race cars. This led to several close calls, as the medical car had to avoid the field to reach the scene.
The race restarted with 14:30 minutes to go. Paatz pulled away again, especially after Trappa—who was in second—was briefly overtaken. Trappa soon caught back up to Paatz and made the pass with five minutes remaining.
In the closing laps, the namesake of the Mathilda Racing Team had to defend hard against Karhan’s renewed pressure, successfully doing so with some tight but clean moves. She ultimately crossed the line in second place, securing a well-deserved first podium finish in her Formula 4 career.
The Cologne native will also contest the next F4 CEZ round, which will take place at the Salzburgring on 31 May-1 June.
