Fluxá and Germano Neto endure frustrating weekend at Jarama in disrupted Spanish F4 weekend

Luna Fluxá and Maria Germano Neto endured a difficult fourth round of the 2026 Spanish F4 Championship at Jarama, with the weekend dominated by incidents and repeated Safety Car interventions that left the drivers with very little opportunity to demonstrate their true pace.

Photo credits: Fotocar13

Luna Fluxá and Maria Germano Neto endured a difficult fourth round of the 2026 Spanish F4 Championship at Jarama, with the weekend dominated by incidents and repeated Safety Car interventions that left the drivers with very little opportunity to demonstrate their true pace.

Fluxá finished 29th in the opening race after being shuffled back during the repeated restarts, survived a major starting-grid incident in Race 2 after joining from the pit lane, and was eventually classified 29th again, before retiring from the final race following contact in the midfield.

Germano Neto, meanwhile, recorded 23rd in Race 1, retired from Race 2 after going off during a Safety Car restart, and was classified 28th in the final race after a late-race incident cost her a lap.

The Jarama weekend begun with an absence from regular Spanish F4 racer Zoe Florescu Potolea, as the she missed the round because of a calendar clash with F1 Academy. The Romanian driver instead made her debut in the all-female championship as a wildcard entry at Zandvoort, leaving Fluxá and Germano Neto as the two female representatives in the Spanish F4 field at the Madrid circuit.

For Fluxá, the event represented an opportunity to build on the breakthrough she had achieved at MotorLand Aragón, where she finally converted the competitive pace displayed during the opening rounds into her first Spanish F4 points with an eighth-place finish. Incidents and bad luck had repeatedly prevented her from capitalizing on her top-ten potential earlier in the season, making the Aragón result an important confidence boost.

Germano Neto also arrived at Jarama with encouraging momentum. The Portuguese driver had continued to show flashes of speed at Aragón despite the difficult circumstances that had characterized much of her rookie campaign, often finding herself caught up in incidents and setbacks. Her 15th-place finish at MotorLand represented her personal best result in Spanish F4 and provided another positive reference point heading into the fourth round.

Instead, the weekend at Jarama quickly became a test of survival, with the amount of interrupted running leaving little opportunity for either driver to settle into a rhythm.

Fluxá and Germano Neto started the opening race from 22nd and 24th respectively, but the race was interrupted almost immediately. Car Mokarem stalled on the grid, remaining stationary as the rest of the field managed to avoid him, prompting the first Safety Car period of the weekend.

Fluxá retained her starting position during the brief opening phase, while Germano Neto gained one place to move into 23rd. The field eventually prepared for a restart with 26 minutes remaining, but the green-flag running lasted less than a complete lap.

Cochet ended up in the barriers following an impact that occurred away from the view of the cameras, bringing the Safety Car back onto the circuit. The recovery operation took almost ten minutes before the field was finally able to attempt another restart.

The second restart produced some movement in the midfield, although the two drivers experienced contrasting fortunes. Fluxá dropped all the way to 29th, while Germano Neto held 23rd place. For a short period, the field was finally able to complete several consecutive laps under green, offering the drivers their first real opportunity to race. That window once again proved extremely short-lived. With ten minutes remaining, Martinez and Miettinen made contact, leaving the latter stranded on the circuit and triggering another neutralization.

A third attempt to restart the race failed before the field even reached the start line, as several incidents unfolded, including a collision between Molaren and Perez that left both cars stationary. With the circuit continuing to be obstructed, further restart attempts were abandoned and the race ultimately finished behind the Safety Car.

Only two full laps were completed under green-flag conditions during the entire race, leaving both Fluxá and Germano Neto with virtually no opportunity to recover their starting positions. Germano Neto was classified 23rd, while Fluxá finished 29th.

Photo credits: Fotocar13

The second race offered another challenge, with Germano Neto lining up 17th and Fluxá 22nd, but the drama began before the race had even officially started. During the formation lap, Fluxá spun into the gravel at the final corner and became stuck, requiring recovery crews to retrieve her car. A second formation lap was subsequently required, with Fluxá eventually joining the race from the pit lane.

What initially appeared to be another setback would unexpectedly work in her favor. As the field took the start, Kaczynski stalled on the grid and was struck by a following car that could not avoid the stationary vehicle. The resulting collision was severe, although all drivers escaped without injury. Starting from the pit lane, Fluxá was able to steer clear of the debris field and avoid becoming involved in the accident.

The extensive debris and fluids left on the circuit prompted a red flag, with the race suspended before another restart could take place. The field completed two laps behind the Safety Car before the race finally resumed with just 12 minutes remaining.

The chaos had reshuffled the field considerably, with Germano Neto now running 18th and Fluxá classified 33rd. However, the Safety Car was deployed again almost immediately during the restart lap, this time after Germano Neto went off into the gravel and was forced to retire.

Recovery operations in the first sector once again consumed a significant amount of time, leaving only six minutes of actual racing when the green flag finally returned.

Fluxá took advantage of the brief opportunity to make progress, climbing to 29th place during the remaining green-flag laps. With so little racing time available, however, there was no realistic opportunity to recover further positions before another incident interrupted proceedings.

With just 30 seconds remaining on the clock, Moodley came to a halt alongside the circuit, prompting another Safety Car period and ensuring that the second race would also finish under neutralized conditions. Fluxá therefore remained 29th at the checkered flag.

Photo credits: Fotocar13

The final race of the weekend offered another opportunity for both drivers to recover some of the ground lost in the first two encounters, with Fluxá starting from 20th and Germano Neto from 22nd.

Once again, however, the opening lap immediately descended into chaos. Cochet and Mulder collided, bringing out the Safety Car for the third consecutive race start of the weekend.

Amid the confusion, both Spanish F4 drivers initially benefited, with Fluxá gaining two positions and Germano Neto moving forward by one. The brief progress, however, would prove temporary for Fluxá.

The race restarted with 21 minutes remaining, but she was caught up in a typical midfield incident when a rival spun directly in front of her. With little opportunity to avoid the rotating car, Fluxá made contact and was forced to retire at the corner. The other driver involved managed to continue for only a few metres before also stopping.

The incident triggered yet another Safety Car period, adding to a weekend in which the pace car had seemingly spent more time leading the field under caution than allowing it to race at full speed.

Germano Neto once again benefited from the disruption, moving from 21st to 18th as cars ahead were eliminated or lost time. With heavily damaged cars scattered at various points around the circuit, recovery operations were again lengthy, and the next restart did not take place until only 10.5 minutes remained.

Germano Neto initially held her position after the restart but quickly began to lose ground, dropping to 20th within two laps. Another crash, this time involving Tuñón, brought out yet another Safety Car and further reduced the amount of competitive racing available.

The race finally resumed with just three minutes remaining, setting up a last-gasp sprint to the finish. Germano Neto encountered further difficulties during those closing laps, falling all the way to 28th and losing a lap in the process. Nevertheless, she continued to the checkered flag and was classified as a finisher.

The Jarama weekend therefore produced a frustrating set of results for both Fluxá and Germano Neto, with the final classifications failing to reflect the potential either driver had demonstrated earlier in the season.

The fifth round of the Spanish F4 Championship will take place at Jerez from September 25–27. Fluxá and Germano Neto will be joined once again by Florescu, who is expected to return to the Spanish F4 grid following her F1 Academy wildcard appearance at Zandvoort, with all three drivers hoping for a cleaner weekend and, above all, significantly more green-flag racing.