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Elia Weiss and Max Karhan from Jenzer Motorsport swapped positions numerous times during the Group B+C race at Salzburgring, but a decisive overtaking move by Weiss ultimately secured him his second victory of the weekend in the F4 Central European Zone Championship and extended his lead in the standings.

Jenzer Motorsport team-mates Elia Weiss and Max Karhan shared the front row, with Dean Pedersen and Simon Rechenmacher lining up on the second row. Aleksandar Bogunovic and Ella Häkkinen occupied the third row, Francesco Pio Coppola and Antonio Errigo started from the fourth, while Mathilda Paatz and Mio Olert completed the top ten on the fifth row.

Weiss got the better start and led through the opening chicane ahead of Karhan. However, the Czech driver fought back at the long right hander at the back of the circuit, sweeping around the outside to take the lead. He completed the opening lap ahead of Weiss and Rechenmacher, with Bogunovic, Pedersen and Coppola closely behind.

Karhan and Weiss soon began to edge away from third placed Rechenmacher, who in turn managed to create a small gap to the drivers behind. Weiss then reclaimed the lead with a move around the outside of the same right hander, as Rechenmacher was able to close in on the leading pair, turning the battle for victory into a three way fight.

Karhan regained first place on the following lap, while Rechenmacher also made progress by moving up to second. The race leader managed to pull out a small advantage as Weiss and Rechenmacher battled closely behind. Rechenmacher’s challenge suffered a setback when he ran wide through the chicane and briefly crossed the grass, dropping back behind Weiss into third position.

A few seconds further back, a battle for fourth place was raging. Led by Coppola, the group exchanged positions repeatedly as drivers searched for any advantage. As the race progressed, the gap between fourth placed Coppola and 18th placed Viktor Snebjorn Poulsen was only around ten seconds, underlining just how closely contested the field remained.

As the closing laps approached, Weiss began to reel in race leader Karhan. Running within half a second of his team-mate, he prepared his attack carefully. The decisive move came at the favourite long right hander, where Weiss initially positioned his car as if he would attempt an outside pass before suddenly switching to the inside. The move caught Karhan by surprise and allowed Weiss to take the lead after the pair ran side by side through the following corner.

Once in front, Weiss immediately opened a small gap, while Karhan was forced to focus on defending second place from the charging Rechenmacher.

With just three minutes remaining, Jorge Luis Bruno and Francesco Pio Coppola made contact. Bruno ended up stranded in the gravel trap with damage to his right rear wheel, prompting the deployment of the safety car. The neutralisation effectively brought the contest to an end, with the race finishing under yellow flags.

Elia Weiss claimed his second victory of the weekend at Salzburgring, ahead of Karhan in second and Rechenmacher in third. Pedersen finished fourth, with Coppola taking fifth place, but received 5 second penalty for a contact with Bruno and dropped to eleventh. Paatz therefore secured fifth place, followed by Bogunovic in sixth, Andreas Lo Bue in seventh and William Westcott in eighth. Antonio Errigo and Ella Hakkinen completed the top ten in the 26 car field.

F4 CEZ – Group B C Race 2

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