Luna Fluxá returns to the points with top-ten finish in Spanish F4 Navarra round
Luna Fluxá returned to the points in the penultimate round of the Spanish F4 Championship at Navarra, securing ninth place in the final race after a competitive weekend in which she repeatedly challenged near the top ten.
Luna Fluxá returned to the points in the penultimate round of the Spanish F4 Championship at Navarra, securing ninth place in the final race after a competitive weekend in which she repeatedly challenged near the top ten.
The Campos Racing driver showed encouraging qualifying pace and steadily progressed through the field across all races, converting her speed into her second points-scoring result of the season. Zoe Florescu Potolea also enjoyed a positive opening race, finishing 13th on a weekend when the whole Tecnicar team struggled a bit more for outright pace, while Maria Germano Neto made further progress in her rookie campaign, eventually securing 17th in the final contest after benefiting from penalties ahead.
Fluxá arrived at Navarra looking to build on her encouraging performances at Jerez, where she recovered to 12th in Race 3 after starting 19th, and her breakthrough eighth-place finish at Aragón, which secured her first Spanish F4 points of the season. Florescu returned after a disrupted Jerez weekend, where she retired from Race 2 but recovered to 16th in the final race, while Neto continued to seek stronger results after setting a personal best of 15th at Aragón.
The Navarra weekend offered all three drivers another opportunity to demonstrate their progress, with Fluxá and Florescu showing competitive pace in practice and Neto looking to build on her developing racecraft. The penultimate round also proved to be a weekend of mixed fortunes, with repeated track-limit penalties affecting the classification and making consistency particularly important.
Fluxá and Florescu were both close to the top 20 in the free practice sessions, while Neto remained further down. The first qualifying session brought a significant step forward for Fluxá, who had regularly shown promising speed throughout the season but had struggled to convert it into strong grid positions. The Spaniard put together a much-improved session, setting a 1:47.034 to qualify 11th and place herself within reach of the overall top ten.
Florescu also delivered an encouraging performance, improving on her final attempt to record a 1:47.553 and secure 23rd on the grid. Neto qualified 35th with a 1:50.034, in a session interrupted by a red flag caused by Nacho Tunon.
Saturday's opening race began behind the safety car after a technical issue with the starting lights delayed the start. When the field finally got underway, Fluxá immediately remained in contention around the top ten, running 11th on lap two before moving up to tenth on the following lap. She traded positions with Fisher as the group fought closely together, with several cars circulating within a small margin.
Fluxá was however soon handed a five-second penalty for track limits on lap seven, but she continued pushing and setting competitive lap times as she tried to remain with the group. She subsequently dropped to 12th before passing Schaufler to regain 11th. However, another track-limit infringement brought a second five-second penalty, taking her total to ten seconds and compromising her final classification despite her solid pace.
Further back, Florescu began making progress through the field. Running 20th, the Romanian passed Sato to move into 19th and remained in the pack as the race developed. With numerous drivers ahead receiving track-limit penalties, she had an opportunity to gain positions provided she kept her own race clean. Unfortunately, Florescu would also receive a five-second penalty.
Neto, meanwhile, made steady progress from the back of the field. She climbed to 31st and continued to gain positions while avoiding the track-limit issues that affected several of her rivals.
The race ran uninterrupted after the delayed start, allowing the drivers to complete a full-distance contest. Fluxá crossed the finish line 11th but was classified 23rd after her ten-second penalty. Florescu took the chequered flag 17th and was promoted to 13th, making her the highest-placed female driver in the final classification and delivering one of her most encouraging results of the season. Neto finished 28th on the road but was promoted to 24th, having been among the few drivers to avoid track-limit penalties.
Fluxá started the second race 17th, with Florescu lining up 23rd and Neto 34th. The field again began behind the safety car before the race went green on lap two with around 20 minutes remaining.
Schormans accelerated away at the front, but the action was quickly interrupted when Ty Fisher and Nathan Tye were involved in a major accident at Turn 9. The safety car was deployed immediately, and the race was eventually red-flagged with ten minutes remaining to allow the incident to be cleared.
Fluxá had already made an encouraging start, climbing to 14th by the end of the opening lap. Florescu held 23rd, while Neto gained several positions to reach 31st. After the recovery operation, the field returned to the track behind the safety car before racing resumed with five minutes remaining.
Fluxá was 13th at the restart and quickly went on the attack. She challenged Blascos before moving into 12th, then became involved in a close battle with Aleix Pinera. The pair exchanged positions on lap ten, but Fluxá emerged ahead and continued to make progress.
Neto also enjoyed a positive restart, gaining two more places to reach 29th. She set a 1:51.772 and began closing on Jorge Luis Bruno, showing improved pace as she continued to work her way through the field. Florescu, meanwhile, was engaged in a tight battle with Micallef, defending her position as the midfield circulated within a few tenths of a second.
The Romanian subsequently dropped to 26th on lap 11, while Fluxá continued to build momentum. Setting a 1:49.1, the Spaniard gained half a second on Sato behind her as the race entered its final lap. She crossed the line 12th, once again finishing close to the top ten. Florescu took the chequered flag 28th and Neto 30th, but both were handed five-second track-limit penalties, dropping them to 32nd and 33rd respectively.
Sunday morning's final qualifying session provided another opportunity for Fluxá to build on her progress. The Spaniard recorded a 1:46.928 to qualify 15th, maintaining a competitive position for the weekend's final race. Florescu set a 1:47.631 to secure 26th on the grid, while Neto improved to a 1:48.330 and qualified 33rd. With Fluxá positioned to challenge for another top-ten charge and both Florescu and Neto looking to make progress from further back, the final race offered a fresh opportunity to close the weekend on a positive note.
The final race of the Navarra weekend began with chaos among the front runners. Coronel spun into the gravel, further contact followed and a front wing broke apart, allowing Fluxá to move up to 14th. Florescu held 26th, while Neto gained three places to reach 29th.
Fluxá continued her progress on the second lap, climbing to 13th before battling Mulder. Both drivers passed Tye, allowing the Spaniard to move up to 12th. Neto was also making significant progress, executing several overtakes to reach 24th and closing in on Florescu, who was running just ahead of her. The two were separated by around a second, with Florescu looking to catch Frigolet.
As the race settled down, Fluxá remained competitive but had to manage her pace carefully to avoid further track-limit penalties. Pinera and a recovering Coronel both moved ahead, dropping her to 14th. The Campos driver continued to stay close to Coronel, however, and remained within striking distance of the cars ahead. Further back, Florescu produced encouraging sector times and began to pull away from Neto, opening a gap of around a second.
Fluxá's persistence paid off on lap 15, when she used the slipstream to pass Mulder and reclaim 13th. With several cars ahead at risk of time penalties for track limits, she remained close enough to capitalise while carefully avoiding the same mistakes that had affected her earlier races.
On lap 16, Tunon went into the gravel, but the race remained green as the field approached the final lap. Fluxá had climbed to 11th and was now within reach of another points finish. She stayed close to Coronel and remained within five seconds of Fisher and Pinera, giving herself a chance to gain further places once the penalties were applied.
The Spaniard ultimately secured ninth place in the final classification, delivering her second points-scoring result of the season, bringing her total to six. It was a particularly encouraging conclusion to a weekend in which she had shown improved qualifying form and consistently challenged closer to the front.
Florescu also enjoyed a competitive run to finish 17th on the road, while Neto crossed the line 18th after making further progress from the back of the grid. Florescu, however, was handed a ten-second penalty, dropping her to 25th and promoting Neto to 17th. For the Portuguese rookie, the result marked a positive outcome after a weekend in which she steadily improved and capitalised on the penalties affecting her rivals.
The Navarra round provided a welcome boost for Fluxá, whose ninth-place finish confirmed that she is increasingly capable of converting her speed into championship points. The Spanish F4 Championship will head to Barcelona for the season finale on 6–8 November.
