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The legendary Salzburgring hosted the third round of the F4 Central European Zone championship, where drivers from the Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport shared victories across three action-packed races. Czech driver Max Karhan claimed two wins, while Argentina’s Gino Trappa triumphed in the final race of the weekend.
This event marked the halfway point of the 2025 season, which could be dubbed the “Austrian half,” with the first two rounds taking place at the Red Bull Ring and now the Salzburgring wrapping up May. The picturesque and high-speed circuit delivered no shortage of drama and wheel-to-wheel action.
On paper, the results may suggest a straightforward weekend—Jenzer Motorsport dominated all three races, consistently locking out the top two spots and even scoring a clean sweep of the podium once.
The team’s strong form started in qualifying, where Jenzer drivers lined up in the order: Gino Trappa, Max Karhan, Nicolas Cortes, and Javier Herrera. Best of the rest was Benett Gáspár from Zengő Motorsport in fifth.
But the Salzburgring, with its fast-flowing layout and long straights, always allows for surprise twists. Karhan made the most of the slipstream early in Race 1, passing Trappa on lap two and holding onto the lead even after a safety car restart. He repeated the feat in Race 2, withstanding heavy pressure from Trappa and once again defending his lead to the chequered flag.
Race 3 saw Trappa start from third but launch into the lead immediately. He controlled the race from the front, and while teammate Nicolas Cortes crossed the line second, a five-second penalty for a mid-race incident dropped him behind Karhan, securing the Czech driver another podium and the highest overall points haul of the weekend.
The weekend wasn’t without its share of incidents. Every race featured crashes, though fortunately none resulted in injury. In Race 1, David Gorčica hit the barriers; in Race 2, Nicolas Cortes planted his car into the tyre wall; and in the third race, Teo Borenstein suffered the biggest shunt of the weekend with a heavy impact, again into the tyres. All accidents stemmed from fierce racing and drivers giving it everything in pursuit of top results.
Several drivers celebrated career-best performances in F4 CEZ. Nicolas Cortes reached the podium for the first time, as did local hero Simon Schranz of Renauer Motorsport. Javier Herrera scored a strong fourth place, Andreas Lo Bue of Maffi Racing broke into the top five, and František Němec from the F4 CEZ Academy powered by JMT Racing climbed to sixth in Race 2. Right behind him was David Gorčica from Janík Motorsport, also securing his best result in the series. Meanwhile, Michalina Sabaj picked up her first points of the season.
The third round of the year certainly didn’t lack excitement—from nail-biting duels to unfortunate collisions. Salzburgring once again proved to be a stage for thrilling racing, as does the F4 CEZ championship itself, which now heads to the Autodrom Most, Slovakia Ring, and finally the grand finale in Brno.
