Rafaela Ferreira returns to Brazilian F4 with victory and triple top-five at Interlagos

F1 Academy racer Rafaela Ferreira made a winning return to Brazilian F4 at Interlagos, storming from the back to fifth in Race 1, claiming victory in Race 2, and setting the fastest lap en route to fourth in Race 3 in a stellar weekend on home soil.

Photo credits: F4 Brazil

In front of her home Formula 1 crowd at Interlagos, F1 Academy racer Rafaela Ferreira made a highly successful return to Brazilian Formula 4 at the non-championship Trophy Round supporting the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Representing Cavaleiro Sports in the #18 entry, Ferreira was the only female driver on the 16-car grid and impressed across a weekend of tricky, changeable weather, showcasing her racecraft with a spectacular race win and three top-five finishes.

Qualifying seventh with a 1:36.834 lap, Ferreira started Race 1 on a damp track under the safety car. Conditions were slippery, and several cars spun on the opening lap — including Ferreira, who went around but managed to rejoin at the back of the field. The race was soon neutralized as the safety car returned to recover the stricken cars of Celo Hahn and Naim Saleh.

Once racing resumed with 14 minutes to go, Ferreira launched an impressive recovery drive. Charging through the field, she passed three cars in the opening corners to move up to 11th, then overtook Abreu for tenth and executed a clean move on Diaz for ninth. Maintaining strong pace, she quickly caught Sobral and overtook him to climb to eighth.

Ahead, Lima sustained front-wing damage and ran deep into Turn 1, allowing several cars — including Ferreira — to move past. The F1 Academy driver’s momentum continued as she made a decisive move on Barbuy at Mergulho for seventh before closing in on Baptista. In a multi-corner battle, Ferreira displayed her tenacity, attacking into Turn 1 and, after several switchbacks, finally making the move stick to seize fifth position with two minutes left.

At the flag, Filippo Fiorentino took victory ahead of Ethan Nobels and Lins, while Ferreira’s fifth-place finish stood out as one of the highlights in a remarkable comeback from the back of the field in challenging conditions.

On a dry track for the second race, Ferreira lined up fourth on the grid behind pole-sitter Ciro Sobral, Renzo Barbuy, and Cadi Baptista. Drama struck even before the start as Christian Helou’s engine failure on the formation lap delayed proceedings.

At lights out, Ferreira made a lightning start, moving up to third and going three-wide into Turn 4 as Sobral and Fiorentino ran wide. However, a collision further down the order between Nobels and Sanzovo brought out the red flag. When the race resumed behind the safety car with seven minutes remaining, Ferreira was once again sharp at the restart, using a strong exit from the S do Senna to out-drag Sobral down to Descida do Lago, taking second place.

Now chasing Fiorentino for the lead, Ferreira applied pressure immediately — and on the next lap, timing her move perfectly, she once again used her better traction through the S do Senna to launch an attack into Turn 4, overtaking Fiorentino just before another multi-car crash behind prompted the race to end under caution.

Ferreira’s well-executed overtakes therefore secured a sensational victory — her fourth win and twelfth career podium in Brazilian F4 — making for a triumphant return to the championship and celebrating it on its biggest stage at Interlagos.

Photo credits: F4 Brazil

The final race of the weekend was again held in damp conditions, with Fiorentino starting from pole ahead of Lima and Mesquita, while Ferreira lined up seventh. The race began behind the safety car before a rolling start with 13 minutes to go.

Ferreira made another excellent launch, immediately climbing to fifth in the opening corners. She pressured Baptista for fourth while fending off an attack from Lins, who briefly got ahead at Turn 1 before Ferreira reclaimed the position with a firm move at Turn 4.

Rejoining the fight for fourth, Ferreira chased down Baptista and, with three minutes remaining, executed yet another superb overtake — going around the outside at Turn 1 and holding her line through the Senna S to make the move stick. Pulling away immediately, Ferreira created a gap while the drying track allowed her to push further.

Setting the fastest lap of the race in 1:45.096, Ferreira closed rapidly on Mesquita, cutting the gap to less than a second by the final lap. Despite running out of time to mount a final challenge, she crossed the line fourth, just 0.8 seconds shy of another podium.

Across three action-packed races, Rafaela Ferreira showcased her speed among Brazil's F4 talents; from a stunning comeback drive in Race 1 to a last lap victory in Race 2 and fastest-lap pace in Race 3, the 20-year-old delivered one of her most convincing weekends to date.

Her performance at the Interlagos Trophy Round in front of the Formula 1 paddock and home fans was a reminder of her potential after an unlucky F1 Academy rookie season to date. With momentum back on her side, Ferreira will now turn her focus to the final F1 Academy round in Las Vegas in two weeks' time.