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The F4 Central European Zone Championship continued on 30–31 May at Austria’s Salzburgring, where 40 drivers gathered for the second round of the 2025 season.
The weekend quickly developed into a battle between two teams. Jenzer Motorsport arrived in Austria as the favourite thanks to its six drivers line-up, while Maffi Racing pinned its hopes on the rapid David Walther, who had emerged from the season opener at the Red Bull Ring leading the drivers’ standings.
Walther showed as early as Saturday morning that he was more than capable of taking on the Jenzer Motorsport line-up. Fastest across the two 20-car qualifying groups, he secured pole position for the opening race. Alongside him on the front row was Jenzer’s Elia Weiss, with Teo Borenstein lining up just behind. Dean Pedersen, Markas Silkunas, Aleksandar Bogunovic, Francesco Pio Coppola and the rest of the field were equally determined to make up positions as soon as the lights went out.
A potentially tricky run into the first chicane passed without incident, further proof that these young drivers already display their professionalism. It was a theme that continued throughout the entire weekend.
The fight between Walther, Weiss and Borenstein began immediately. Slipstreaming battles, drafting duels and repeated overtaking opportunities through the crucial Turn 12 defined the opening race. Walther and Weiss exchanged positions several times, but it was ultimately Weiss who established himself at the front and took the chequered flag. Walther was later demoted by Borenstein, with the two crossing the line behind the winner.
For the second race, Weiss started from pole with team-mate Max Karhan alongside him. Walther, along with part of the 40-car entry, was not involved in this contest due to the event’s format. The field had been divided into three groups, with each of the three qualifying races featuring only two groups at a time, creating 26-car grids.
This time the battle for victory was fought between Jenzer team-mates Weiss and Karhan. Their duel allowed Simon Rechenmacher from Cram Motorsport to join the fight, turning the race into a spectacular three-way contest. Weiss attacked relentlessly while Karhan defended with determination, but the German eventually found a way through and secured his second victory from two starts at Salzburgring.
The third qualifying race became a head-to-head contest between Karhan and Walther. The Czech driver looked to have the superior pace and, after taking the lead from second on the grid, quickly began building a gap on his way to what appeared to be his first victory of the season. Behind him, Walther had his hands full defending against the charging Borenstein.
Karhan’s dominant drive was interrupted with 12 minutes remaining when the safety car was deployed, bunching the entire field back together. However, he controlled the restart perfectly and immediately pulled away once again. Borenstein wasted no time launching another attack on Walther, pushing so hard that it briefly looked as though the pair might collide. In the end, it was Borenstein who paid the price, losing momentum and dropping to sixth place. Walther held on to finish second, while Rechenmacher claimed his second third-place finish of the weekend.
That left the stage set for the late-afternoon final, which was due to feature the 36 best-performing drivers from the previous three races. Unfortunately, severe weather intervened. Torrential rain and powerful wind gusts made conditions increasingly unsafe, even for the track marshals. After an initial delay to the start procedure, race control ultimately decided to cancel the final race altogether.
Although Salzburgring delivered one race fewer than originally planned, it certainly did not disappoint when it came to showcasing the next generation of racing talent. Elia Weiss left Austria as a double winner, while Max Karhan added a victory of his own. Most significantly, Jenzer Motorsport remained unbeaten throughout the weekend.
The third round of the F4 Central European Zone Championship takes place this coming weekend, 6–7 June, at the Slovakia Ring.
F4 CEZ – Group A+B starting grid Race 1
F4 CEZ – Group B+C starting grid Race 2
F4 CEZ – Group A+C starting grid Race 3
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