Rafaela Ferreira charges through the pack to double top-10 in F4 Brazil's finale at Interlagos
- RACERS
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Despite a challenging qualifying and a wet-race setback, Rafaela Ferreira showcased good racecraft at Interlagos by charging through the field to ninth and eighth place in Sunday's races, ending the Brazilian F4 season on a positive note.
Rafaela Ferreira rounded out the 2025 Brazilian Formula 4 season with a combative performance at Interlagos, overcoming a difficult qualifying to complete two recovery drives in the final races of the year at the home of Brazilian motorsport.
The Brazilian F4 field returned to São Paulo’s iconic Autódromo José Carlos Pace for the season finale, following a mid-week round at the same venue. Among the returning drivers was F1 Academy racer Rafaela Ferreira, who has already been confirmed for a second season with the Visa Cash App RB F1 Academy team in 2026. Ferreira had rejoined the Brazilian F4 grid earlier in the year during the Formula 1 Grand Prix support event at Interlagos, where she claimed victory in the non-championship round, and arrived at the finale looking to finish the year on a positive note.
Practice pace was encouraging for the Red Bull Academy Programme driver, but her weekend took a setback in qualifying on Friday afternoon, where she could only manage 14th on the grid, leaving her with some work to do across the three races.
Saturday morning’s opening race took place in treacherous conditions, with persistent rain leaving the track wet and visibility limited. The race began behind the safety car, with the field released at the end of lap two. Ferreira had to contend with heavy spray from the pack ahead as the racing got underway, carefully navigating the opening laps as the field made it cleanly through the early stages.
She made early progress by overtaking Mesquita for 13th with a confident move around the outside, but with 15 minutes remaining, the difficult conditions caught out several drivers just ahead of her. Contact between Helou and Abreu forced Ferreira off the racing line, and with nowhere to go on the soaked surface, she slid onto the grass and into the barriers, damaging her front wing.
Ferreira managed to extricate the car and return to the pits for repairs, rejoining the race almost a lap down at the back of the field. Undeterred, she began pushing immediately, setting a personal best of 1:52.0 on lap 10 before finding more than half a second again. She continued to improve, dipping into the 1:51s and eventually breaking the 1:51 barrier, posting a 1:50.465 on the final lap of the race.
With the race remaining green to the end and limited opportunities to close the large gap ahead, Ferreira ultimately finished 14th, in a frustrating result after showing strong pace in adverse conditions.
Sunday brought drier conditions for Race 2, with the track still damp off the line but all drivers opting for slick tyres. The reverse-grid format placed Pedro Lins and Celo Hahn on the front row, while Ferreira again lined up 14th.
At the start, one car stalled, allowing Ferreira to make a strong launch and immediately join the midfield battles. She gained two places through the opening corners while duelling hard with Abreu and Helou, before a dramatic incident involving Renzo Barbuy flipping after contact brought out the safety car.
Running 12th at the restart on lap three, Ferreira came under pressure from Dall’Agnol and briefly lost out to Helou, but she responded quickly, repassing Rocha for 13th. Further drama ahead saw Pedro Lima lose his front wing and drop down the order, promoting Ferreira to 12th. A drive-through penalty for Mesquita then elevated her to 11th with nine minutes remaining.
Ferreira soon found herself locked in a battle with Helou for ninth place, both drivers passing Dall’Agnol in the process. The duel intensified through turns four, five, six and seven, with Ferreira repeatedly fighting side-by-side before finally making the move stick with just one minute left on the clock.
Once ahead, she was able to pull clear and set her sights on Louza a few seconds up the road, eventually taking the chequered flag in ninth place, recovering five positions from her starting spot.
The final race of the season offered Ferreira one last opportunity to end the year on a high, once again starting from 14th. The race began behind the safety car, with Alceu Feldmann Neto accelerating clear when the green flag waved on lap two. Ferreira safely negotiated a multi-car incident at the Senna S, where several cars ran wide into the run-off area, and emerged up to 11th before the race was neutralised again following contact between Grotta and Fiorentino.
After an extended safety car period to recover damaged cars, racing resumed on lap six with 18 minutes remaining. Ferreira reacted well and immediately went on the attack, overtaking Abreu for 10th and pulling away. She showed strong pace, setting a 1:38.3 before dipping under the 1:38 barrier with a 1:37.9 as she closed to within a second of Mesquita ahead, while keeping Abreu at bay behind.
An incident ahead involving Dall’Agnol and Barbuy saw Ferreira avoiding trouble and geting ahead of Dall’Agnol, however she lost momentum and was repassed by Abreu, remaining in 10th. In the closing laps, she closed rapidly on the group ahead and seized her chance on the final lap when Mesquita went offline during a four-car fight. Ferreira executed a decisive pass and crossed the line just 0.074 seconds ahead, finishing ninth – later promoted to eighth – once again after gaining six positions.
Despite an unfortunate qualifying, Ferreira’s weekend at Interlagos gained her two points and showcased her racecraft and ability to fight through the field. The Brazilian driver leaves the 2025 racing season with valuable mileage as she prepares for her 2026 campaign.