Mathilda Paatz scores third top-five in F4 CEZ with strong runs at Salzburgring
- MIKA BÖCKER
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Mathilda Paatz claimed two top-five finishes and continued her strong F4 CEZ campaign with a brilliant comeback drive from the pit lane, securing important points throughout the weekend and three female trophy wins. Michalina Sabaj also showed progress and secured her first points with two top 10 finishes and a rookie podium.
Mathilda Paatz collected important points in the third round of F4 CEZ, with the other women of the series also achieving good results.
After starting from the pit lane in race 1, Mathilda Paatz showed extraordinary fighting spirit and went on to secure two top-five finishes – her third of the season, following her maiden podium last time out at the Red Bull Ring.
It has been a widely positive start to the season for Paatz, who has shown great pace since the first round but was unable to capitalize due to bad luck at the season opener. However, things turned around in the second round, as she consistently battled in the top ten and, with a remarkable Race 3, secured her first single-seater podium with a second place from reverse grid pole.
Paatz, who moved to F4 CEZ after a rookie single-seater campaign in French F4 in 2024, is making significant progress in her first year at the wheel of the Tatuus T421. The driver of the Mathilda Racing team is one of three female competitors in the championship, joined by Michalina Sabaj – a returnee to F4 CEZ – and racecar rookie Kiara Henni.
For the first race on the high-speed Salzburgring circuit, the female field had promising starting positions. Mathilda Paatz held the best grid slot and was scheduled to start from 6th place. Sabaj started from 13th, while Henni – continuing to build experience – lined up 16th.
The start of the formation lap already threw this lineup into disarray: Paatz's car wouldn't move. As the field navigated the first few corners, she had to be towed into the pits. The team managed to restart the car, allowing Paatz to join the race from pit lane. Later reports indicated that a clutch problem was the cause.
The actual race start went smoothly: both Sabaj and Henni avoided any incidents and each moved up one position. Further back, Paatz worked to reduce her five-second deficit and limit the damage. It didn't take long: her lap times matched those of the leading group, making her the fastest woman on track. After just five minutes, she had closed the gap to Henni and quickly overtook her.
Gáspár suffered a puncture after a braking error with 18 minutes remaining and had to drag his car back to the pits. This benefited all the women in the field, allowing Sabaj to move up to 11th, Paatz to 14th, and Henni to 15th. Just two laps after passing Henni, Paatz also overtook Dyrved.
Eight minutes later, Gorcica ran out of track after an unsuccessful overtaking attempt. He crashed into the guardrail, breaking his front suspension. The safety car was deployed; the restart, with four minutes remaining, saw Sabaj in 10th place, Paatz in 12th, and Henni in 14th. On the first lap after the restart, Paatz overtook Sabaj for 10th, pushing her down to 11th. She continued her charge on the final lap, passing Borenstein.
After a penalty for Walter, Paatz was classified 8th in the final standings. Sabaj finished 10th, claiming her first top ten of the season to date and her first rookie podium. Henni, unable to fend off the recovering Gáspár and slipped to 15th.
The three female drivers started Race 2 from their previous day’s finishing positions: all three had a smooth getaway, unlike several of their rivals who struggled to get off the line. Despite the chaos behind them, Paatz, Sabaj and Henni improved their positions.
After the first lap, Paatz was in a tight three-way battle for fourth, just behind Schranz and Cortes, who were engaged in their own fight. Meanwhile, Henni encountered trouble after a spin, losing significant time but managing to continue. Sabaj also found herself in a scrap but couldn’t hold onto 10th place, slipping to 12th with 18 minutes to go.
Meanwhile, Paatz was focused on the fight between Schranz and Cortes. Rather than waiting, she launched her own attacks and came really close to Schranz on several occasions. After another side-by-side moment in the paddock corner, she eventually had to let the two battling drivers go and could no longer keep up. Instead, Walter caught and overtook her with 11 minutes remaining. Around the same time, Sabaj also dropped a position.
Paatz finally managed to get past Cortes when the latter braked too late, slid into the gravel, and crashed into the tyre wall – triggering a safety car with 7 minutes to go. Paatz moved back up to 6th place, with Sabaj and Henni also gaining positions.
The restart came with just 50 seconds remaining, setting up a fiercely contested final lap. Schranz and Herrera collided in the first chicane, causing Herrera to spin and fall to the back. Paatz took advantage to finish 5th. Sabaj again scored points in 10th, while Henni crossed the line in a positive 12th – a significant improvement on her qualifying result and equalling her personal best in the series.
For the final race, the women were unable to benefit from the reversed starting order and retained their Race 2 starting positions. Henni did not participate in the final race.
As the day progressed, wind conditions worsened with extreme gusts affecting parts of the track. However, with no further weather issues, the race started on schedule. This time, the start was smooth, but both remaining women lost positions. Paatz dropped to 9th, while Sabaj slipped to 14th.
After this initial setback, Paatz bided her time, waiting to capitalize on the battles ahead. Her patience paid off a few laps later when Schranz and Lo Bue both had to use the run-off at Turn 1. Schranz rejoined just ahead of Paatz, but she launched a bold move around the outside in the paddock corner. Schranz countered at Turn 1, and Paatz remained in 8th place.
Meanwhile, Sabaj reclaimed 13th but struggled to progress further on the fast Salzburgring circuit, sometimes dubbed a miniature Nordschleife. Paatz, however, was able to better exploit her pace and profited from ongoing fights ahead. With 10 minutes remaining, she climbed to 6th and, two laps later, passed Mimassi to secure 5th place.
Her comeback was abruptly ended when the race was red-flagged with 3:10 remaining due to a spectacular accident involving Borenstein between Turns 4 and 5. He flew off the track, slid under the tyre wall at high speed – lifting it – hit a water pipe behind, and was thrown back into the gravel. Despite the heavy damage to the car, Borenstein exited under his own power after initial shock and was taken to the medical car. Fortunately, he was uninjured. Due to the necessary track repairs and limited time remaining, the race was not resumed.
Paatz was classified 5th, once again the top female finisher across the weekend. Sabaj completed the final race just outside the top ten in 12th.
The F4 CEZ Championship now heads into its summer break and will return from July 25th to 27th in Most.
