F4 Spain: promising debuts for Luna Fluxá and Zoe Florescu in challenging Valencia opener
- RACERS
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Despite difficult conditions at Circuito Ricardo Tormo, Luna Fluxá, Zoe Florescu Potolea, and Maria Germano Neto all showcased promising pace and at the Spanish F4 season opener, with Fluxá securing two Female Trophy wins, with Florescu twice in the top-15 and claiming her female class victory in Race 3.
The F4 Spanish Championship kicked off its 2026 season with three female drivers - three highly promising single-seater rookies - embarking on a new chapter in their careers.
It was a challenging weekend at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, with changeable weather adding further complexity. Nevertheless, there were several strong performances from the trio: Spanish driver Luna Fluxá qualified inside the top ten on Sunday and was running sixth before an unfortunate retirement. She had earlier finished P17 and P12 in the opening races, securing two Female Trophy wins and frequently running close to the points despite a difficult Saturday qualifying session that forced the Campos Racing driver into recovery drives in the first two contests.
Zoe Florescu Potolea, another highly promising youngster, like Fluxá had contested the Winter Series to prepare for her full-time debut and showed flashes of impressive speed. The Romanian secured two top-15 finishes at Valencia, delivering mature drives, particularly in the wet Race 3, where she demonstrated excellent racecraft to finish P14 and claim her first Female Trophy victory.
It was a very unfortunate weekend for Maria Germano Neto, whose campaign was marred by technical issues that left her without representative lap times in both qualifying sessions, forcing her to start from the back. She delivered a remarkable recovery in Race 2, climbing from last to P21, but was unfortunately taken out in Race 3.
Across the field, competition was extremely tight, with the top 20 drivers separated by mere tenths of a second. The first qualifying session immediately highlighted the competitiveness of the field; Fluxá surged to second in the early stages with a 1:36.8, before improving significantly to a 1:35.1 to move into P4 and remain within the top ten.
Florescu also showed strong progression, initially running inside the top 20 before improving to the 1:35.0 range. Both drivers eventually dipped below the 1:35 barrier as the session evolved.
At the end of the session, Florescu set a 1:34.617 to finish P22, while Fluxá posted a 1:34.646, placing her P23. Germano Neto, however, was unable to complete any representative laps due to technical issues.
Florescu lined up P20, Fluxá P21, and Germano Neto P34 for the opening race of the 2026 Spanish F4 season. The race began with immediate chaos as multiple cars went off into the gravel, prompting the Safety Car. Fluxá made an excellent start, climbing to P16, with Florescu close behind in P17. Germano Neto, starting from the pit lane, moved up to P31 as the race was neutralized.
At the restart, Florescu’s race came to an early end as she was forced to pit with a technical issue. Germano Neto climbed to P29 but became embroiled in intense midfield battles, trading positions with Moodley and later Miettinen.
Fluxá continued her strong recovery, overtaking Burnett for P15 and closing in on Lowette while managing track limits warnings. As tyre degradation began to impact the field, she maintained consistent pace and built a gap to the cars behind.
However, a five-second track limits penalty in the closing stages dropped her to P17, concluding a nonetheless solid recovery drive. Germano Neto finished P29 after a race filled with battles.
Starting P19 in Race 2, Fluxá once again made a superb launch, climbing to P14. A major accident at the front involving Kanthan, Petrovic, Riccobono, and Lowette brought out a red flag early in the race.
Fluxá had avoided the incident and was up to P12, while Florescu ran P16 and Germano Neto gained an impressive 11 positions to reach P23 before the stoppage.
Following the restart behind the Safety Car, Fluxá held P12 but came under pressure from Blascos, who eventually overtook her. The Spaniard responded by reclaiming the position from Cochet on lap 6.
Florescu initially dropped to P18 but steadily improved her pace, climbing back to P17 and later P15 with a strong, composed drive. Germano Neto continued her recovery through the field, ultimately finishing P21 after gaining 13 positions.
Fluxá secured P12, in a highly positive second race just outside the top ten despite her starting position.
Sunday morning brought dramatically different conditions, with a wet track presenting a new challenge for the second qualifying session. Fluxá delivered an outstanding performance, setting a 1:48.439 to qualify ninth in a highly competitive 35-car field. Florescu also performed solidly with a 1:49.694 for P23. Germano Neto, however, was once again unable to set a representative time due to technical issues.
The session was briefly red-flagged after Rodrigo Martinez went off into the gravel.
Race 3 began under uncertain conditions, with a damp track and limited grip off the racing line.
Starting from P9, Fluxá made an excellent getaway, quickly moving up to P7 after Tye ran wide and immediately pressuring and passing Ty Fisher for sixth. It appeared she was on course for a top-five finish.
However, disaster struck on lap two when she locked her rear wheels, spun into the gravel and became stranded, bringing out the Safety Car and ending her race prematurely.
Florescu, starting P23, held position early on before capitalizing on incidents to climb through the field. She demonstrated strong control in the difficult conditions, navigating multiple Safety Car periods and intense battles.
Germano Neto once again impressed with a determined charge from the back, climbing steadily into the top 20.
In the closing stages, Florescu engaged in fierce battles in extremely close conditions. On the final lap, she executed a bold move on Lowette in a near five-wide situation, showcasing excellent racecraft.
She crossed the line P16, later promoted to P14 due to penalties, and secured her first Female Trophy win of the season with one of the cleanest and most mature drives of the race.
Germano Neto, after gaining nearly 15 positions, was unfortunately taken out on the final lap and classified P29.
While none of the three drivers managed to score overall points, the Valencia weekend provided valuable experience and clear signs of progress.
The trio will now look to build on this foundation at the next round in Portimão on 5–7 June, where further development and stronger results will be within reach.
