Race Report

FORMULA 4
FIA F4 CEZ CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 1/2/3

Circuit: RedBull Ring (A), Length 4,326 km, 10^th – 12^th April 2026
www.projekt-spielberg.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2026:
Max Karhan (CZ), Teo Borenstein (CEZ), Ella Häkkinen (CEZ), Elia Weiss (DE), Georgiy Zasov (CH) und Markas Silkunas (LTU)

Fantastic start of the FIA F4 CEZ season at the Red Bull Ring; Victories for Borenstein and Weiss; Ella Häkkinen with excellent race debut

The first out of six race events for the FIA F4 CEZ (Central European Zone) Championship took place on the popular F1 circuit of the Red Bull Ring (A). The weather was typical for April, ranging from cool and foggy to sunny and warm.
A total of 42 drivers had registered enthusiastically for the start of the season.

Qualifying

Saturday, 11/04/26, Heat 1 10.40 – 11.00, Weather: Foggy, 10°C
Saturday, 11/04/26, Heat 2 11.05 – 11.25

Due to the high number of participants this year, the regulations for this championship stipulate free practice sessions on Friday, after which the field is divided into two heats, each with a 20-minute qualifying session. Following this, the drivers are divided into three groups and three qualifying races (A-B, B-C, A-C) of 25 minutes each take place, and finally, the top 32 drivers compete in the final race.

Our drivers were divided into the following race groups according to the regulations and results:

• Group A: Teo Borenstein
• Group B: Max Karhan, Markas Silkunas
• Group C: Elia Weiss, Georgiy Zasov, Ella Häkkinen

FIA F4 CEZ Championship

Race One (25 minutes) Group A - B

Saturday, 11/04/25, 14.45, Weather: Cloudy, 14°C

Teo got off to a strong start and took the lead. Max, on the other hand, missed the start and dropped back to fourth. Markas ran wide, and a competitor overtook him, leaving Markas in seventh. Teo wasted no time and immediately opened up a gap between himself and his pursuers, Walther and Rechenmacher. Max needed a few laps to find his rhythm, but then he set about regaining the lost positions. On lap seven, he overtook Rechenmacher, and two laps later, he passed Walther without much of a fight. This put him back in second place, where he had actually started. In the final laps, he closed the gap to Teo, but then there wasn't enough time to seriously challenge him. Teo thus won the first race of the 2026 FIA F4 CEZ Championship convincingly, and Max proudly climbed onto the second podium spot next to him. Markas brought home a very respectable seventh place.

FIA F4 CEZ Championship

Race Two (25 minutes) Group B - C

Sunday, 12/04/26, 08.45, Weather: Overcast, 6°C

Elia got off to a fantastic start and immediately managed to slip past Max and take the lead. Max immediately began to fight back, and a fierce battle ensued between the two. By the end of the first lap, Max had succeeded, reclaiming first place. But his joy was short-lived, as Elia, of course, didn't give up. The lead changed hands again on the second lap, and from then on, Elia left nothing to chance. He drove a flawless race and gave Max no opportunity for an effective attack. Elia brought the victory home with ease. Max finished second for the second time this weekend. Behind him, Rechenmacher had established himself in third place, and Georgiy finished an excellent, consistent race in fourth. Markas had started right behind Georgiy but misjudged an attack and dropped back to 13^th place. From there, he worked his way back up to 8^th place, but ran wide during an overtake and dropped back to 11^th. Markas ultimately finished in 10^th place. Ella, experiencing her very first Formula 4 race weekend, started in 6^th place after an excellent qualifying performance. This was a remarkable achievement. She also made a good start and maintained a position in the top ten throughout her first race. In the end, Ella brought home an excellent 9^th place. This also meant that Ella, as the best female driver, stood on the top step of the podium! She truly deserved this honor!

After the race, there were some penalties, and Ella and Markas moved up one place as a result.

FIA F4 CEZ Championship

Race Three (25 minutes) Group A - C

Sunday, 12/04/26, 13.20, Weather: Cloudy, 16°C

The third qualifying race took place on Sunday shortly after noon. Teo battled with Elia after the start, who had gotten a better start. Teo overtook Elia and took the lead, which he then extended lap after lap. Teo won his second race of the weekend. Elia came under pressure from Walther and had to concede defeat. Elia then drove a clean and secure third place home. Georgiy was caught out at the start by Ruykov. He then engaged in a hard-fought battle with him for fourth place for several laps. Georgiy ran wide and hobbled through the gravel trap, dropping him back to tenth place. He worked his way back up to sixth place in the final laps. Ella had a good start to her second race. She performed very well in this race as well and once again confirmed her ability with a respectable ninth place overall. This time she was the second-best female participant.
After the race, Teo was handed a 5-second time penalty because he "left the track and thus gained an advantage" during the overtaking maneuver, dropping him back to 2^nd place. Ella also received a time penalty for an incident in the narrow pit lane before the start, which was not caused by her mistake. This dropped her to 11^th place overall.

FIA F4 CEZ Championship

Final Race (25 minutes)

Sunday, 12/04/26, 16.15, Weather: Cloudy, 16°C

All our drivers had qualified for the final race. The start towards the end of Sunday afternoon was hectic. Teo had to slot in second behind Walther, Max was in third, and Elia followed in fifth. But the order soon changed again. Elia surged forward to second place, with Teo in third. However, Rechenmacher braked too late in a corner, sending Teo into a spin. Teo managed to rejoin the field in 26^th place. This ended his chance of a good finish. Walther was in the lead, Elia in second, and Max had moved up to third. Georgiy had improved to sixth, and Markas was in ninth. Ella started from 14^th and maintained a similar position throughout the race. She ultimately finished in 14^th place. Teo could not improve his position in the remaining race time. With just over seven minutes remaining, the race was red-flagged. After three cars were cleared, the race restarted behind the safety car. After only a little over one clear lap, the race was red-flagged again because a car had come to a stop off the track. This time, there was no restart.
Thus, a rather demanding weekend came to a somewhat hectic end.

Several penalties were handed out after the race. This moved Georgiy, Markas, and Ella further up the standings.

Championship standings

FIA F4 CEZ Championship 2025 after 3 out of 18 races:
1^st David Walther (DK), 66 points; 2^nd Elia Weiss (D), 61 points; 3^rd Max Karhan (CZ), 56 points; 4^th Teo Borenstein (CZ), 45 points; 5^th Georgiy Zasov (CH), 34 points; 6^th Simon Rechenmacher (D), 31 points; 9^th Markas Silkunas (LTU), 24 points; 14^th Ella Häkkinen (CZ), 17 points

+93

2026 FIA F4 CEZ CHAMPIONSHIP – AGENDA

More information:

• www.f4-cez.com
• formulascout.com