Luna Fluxá claims podium, rookie win on car racing debut
- RACERS
- Feb 23
- 5 min read
The 2026 Eurocup-4 Spanish Winter Championship opened at Portimão with a breakthrough weekend for women in motorsport, as three of the most highly anticipated young female talents in European F4 impressed, with Luna Fluxá scoring an overall podium and a rookie win on her first ever weekend in cars.
The 2026 Eurocup-4 Spanish Winter Championship opened at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão with a breakthrough weekend for women in motorsport, as three of the most highly anticipated young female talents in European racing lined up on a 32-car grid for the first round of the season.
Headlining the trio was 15-year-old Mercedes-AMG F1 junior Luna Fluxá, the first ever woman since 1966 to win a FIA international kartings title making her long-awaited single-seater debut with Campos Racing, alongside Tecnicar's Zoe Florescu Potolea - contesting only her third Formula 4 weekend after two rounds in Formula Winter Series - and Portuguese racer Maria Germano Neto, stepping up to F4 machinery for the first time with TC Racing after graduating from an equally groundbreaking karting career and just like Florescu a former winner of the Girls On Track -Rising Stars junior selection.
Pre-event running had already hinted at Fluxá’s potential, as she consistently led the female entries and notably went fifth overall in the third practice session, highlighting her rapid adaptation to the car at a circuit not short of technical challenges. Zoe Florescu also used the limited non-disrupted time to get used to new brakes.
The first qualifying session of the weekend was disrupted by multiple red flags in a fiercely competitive 32-car field. After an early stoppage when Monteiro went off at Turn 13, the session resumed for a 12-minute dash. Fluxá initially set a 1:55.2 to sit 13th before producing a strong 1:46.184 to jump to third overall. Although she could not quite piece together her optimal sectors in the closing minutes, she ultimately secured P12, in an eye-catching debut qualifying result just six tenths shy of pole position.
Maria Germano Neto’s first representative lap of 1:49.0 placed her 17th at that stage, and she later improved to a 1:45.9 to finish P25. Zoe Florescu, delayed by another red flag for debris at Turn 1, posted a 1:46.3 on her first timed lap to go P23 and improved to 1:46.0, ending the session P26, just behind Neto, with both rookies separated by minimal margins in an ultra-tight midfield.
The season opener saw Fluxá start from P12, with Neto P25 and Florescu P26. Fluxa launched superbly, climbing to P10 by Turn 1, while Florescu also gained ground to P25. Neto, facing the intensity of her first race start in single-seaters, slipped to P29 but quickly began recovering.
Fluxá immediately found herself in the mix for top-ten battles, trading positions as Coronel dropped back. After briefly losing out to Micallef, she executed a stunning triple overtake between the final corner and Turn 1 on lap three to reclaim P10, passing Coronel and Blascos in a bold and decisive move.
A multi-car accident involving Karras, Lowette and Cima brought out the safety car on lap four. Florescu and Neto navigated the chaos cleanly to move into P19 and P20 respectively.
At the restart, Fluxá climbed further: she passed Micallef to move into ninth and then eighth as the order shuffled, running competitive 1:46.4 lap times and holding her own in a fierce pack contesting positions from fourth through eleventh. Despite a five-second track limits penalty in the closing stages, she crossed the line P10 before being classified P14, still an exceptional debut performance and the highest-placed female finisher.
Zoe Florescu delivered a clean and mature drive to P18, while Neto completed her first Formula 4 race in P22 after showing promising pace despite earlier setbacks.
The afternoon sprint race featured a reverse grid, placing Luna Fluxá on pole position for only her second car race. The pressure was immense, but the Spaniard delivered.
She made an excellent start to lead into Turn 1 ahead of Petrovic and Kelleher, defending assertively at Turn 5 and showcasing good racecraft well beyond her experience. A safety car interrupted the opening lap after incidents involving Cima, Riccobono and Pinera, and further drama unfolded under neutralization when Reijs and Lowette collided.
At the restart with seven minutes remaining, Fluxá controlled the field, before Petrovic used the slipstream to edge ahead into Turn 1. She remained within striking distance, lapping in the 1:46.2-1:46.3 range and keeping the pressure on, aso setting a fastest lap at one point that would be deleted to track limits. Luna stayed within eight tenths of Petrovic to the chequered flag, securing a sensational second place, her first podium finish and first rookie podium - achieved in just her second car race.
Behind, Florescu and Neto battled intensely. Florescu overtook Neto on lap eight, only for the Portuguese driver to reclaim the position shortly after. However, contact between the two at Turn 6 resulted in front-wing damage for Neto and rear-left damage for Florescu, forcing the latter to retire. Neto continued to P24 despite the damage.
In Sunday morning’s second qualifying session, Fluxá improved steadily to a 1:45.4, securing P12 once more and remaining within six tenths of pole, set by Tye. Florescu’s 1:46.1 placed her P27, just ahead of Neto in P28 with a 1:46.205.
The final 30-minute feature race delivered intense drama. Fluxá started P12, Florescu P26 and Neto P28.
Florescu made an excellent getaway, climbing to P23 on the opening lap. Fluxá slotted into P13 at Turn 1 and completed lap one P14, while Neto gained a position amid early attrition.
Fluxá then engaged in a spirited battle with Burnett, initially losing out before reclaiming the position on lap five with superior pace in some sectors. She then chased down and passed Lyzen for P13 on lap six. When Schormans stopped on track, the resulting safety car compressed the field with 17 minutes remaining.
At the restart, a delayed acceleration from leader Tye triggered chaos behind; Fluxá capitalized brilliantly, surging into P10 and then navigating a multi-car collision at Turn 5 that eliminated Fisher, Kelleher, Karras and Micallef. Her reaction elevated her to P9.
Florescu and Neto were equally impressive in avoiding the carnage, vaulting to P17 and P18 respectively. A subsequent restart again featured a delayed launch from the leader, and further incidents reshuffled the midfield. Neto seized the opportunity to climb to P15, while Florescu briefly overtook her before taking avoiding action and slipping back.
In the closing laps, Fluxá pushed into P8, running just behind Tunon and hungry for more. Final-lap contact between Coronel and Kanthan caused further disorder, but Fluxá held firm to finish P8, securing her second points finish of the weekend and yet another rookie podium with second among the rookies.
Maria Germano Neto produced one of the drives of the race, charging from P28 to cross the line P12 in a remarkable comeback, finishing just ahead of Zoe Florescu, who also recovered to P13 after her earlier misfortune. The Romanian recovered a whopping 23 positions over the races.
The Portimão opener marked a significant moment for women in single-seater racing. Luna Fluxa’s debut podium and double points finishes confirmed the immense promise that had surrounded her karting career, while Zoe Florescu and Maria Germano Neto both demonstrated good speed and racecraft in only their earliest F4 appearances.
With the second round scheduled just one week later at Jarama in Spain, momentum and expectation are already building for three of the most exciting up and coming female talents.
