Race Report

FORMULA 4
FIA F4 CEZ CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 11/12/13

Circuit: Balaton Park (HU), Length 4,115 km, 6^th – 8^th October 2023
www.balatonparkcircuit.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2023:
Ethan Ischer (CH), Reno Francot (NL), Max Karhan (CZ), Shimo Zhang (IT), Thomas Gore (JM)

Ischer is the first Champion in FIA F4 CEZ

The sixth and final race event for the ACCR Czech Formula 4 Championship – which now has been certified by FIA and its name is from now on FIA F4 CEZ (Central European Zone) Championship – was held at Balaton Park, near Budapest (HU). The first ever event at Balaton Park featured an exciting mix of fast corners, challenging hairpins and slow chicanes. At this new and very technical venue, Reno and Ethan battled to become the first F4 CEZ champion, while Max continued his experience and two new drivers joined the team: Shimo Zhang and Thomas Gore!

Qualifying

Saturday, 07/10/23, 11.00 – 11.25, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

In this championship there are several practice sessions available on Friday, followed by the official part with one qualifying session of 25 minutes, followed by two or three races of 25 minutes each. Three races were planned here at Balaton Park.
The grid for the first race will be drawn up in the order of the fastest qualifying time achieved by each driver in the qualifying. The grid for the second race will be drawn up in the order of the race 1 result. The grid for the third race will be drawn up in the order of the second best qualifying time achieved by each driver in the qualifying.

Being the first cars to put down some rubber, the new surface didn’t offer much grip to the drivers. During the course of Friday, our drivers gained experience while making steady progress in terms of lap times. Going into qualifying on Saturday, everything was possible. Ethan took pole position, while teammate and championship leader Reno qualified 3^rd. Making his debut, Thomas took a positive 4^th place, with Max was 6^th followed by Shimo (also on his debut) in 7^th position.

FIA F4 CEZ Championship

Race One (25 minutes)

Saturday, 07/10/23, 14.20, Weather: Sunny, 24°C

In the early afternoon, the first race of the weekend got underway at Balaton Park. Starting from pole position, Ethan kept the lead when the lights went out at the start. Behind him, Reno didn’t waste any time and overtook Sauter to take 2^nd place. 4^th on the grid, Thomas had a good start and kept his position, while Shimo had a brilliant start and snatched the 5^th position already by the end of the opening lap, followed by max in 6th place. While Ethan was building a gap at the front, Reno was in a hard fight with Sauter, as the others kept their positions as the race reached the final stages. When the chequered flag waved, Ethan took the win after an impressive drive! Behind him, Reno was handed a 2 second time penalty and with this finished 3^rd in the results. On his first Formula 4 race, Thomas took a great 4^th place – 1st on the rookie podiums – followed by Shimo, who achieved a great 5^th place in his first ever race in a formula car (2^nd of the rookies). Max, after a strong race, crossed the line in 6^th place.

FIA F4 CEZ Championship

Race Two (25 minutes)

Sunday, 08/10/23, 10.05, Weather: Cloudy, 22°C

The second race of the weekend got underway on Sunday morning on a cloudy and windy Balaton Park. With now two points gap from Reno in the overall standings, tension was high, as Ethan was starting from pole position. Unfortunately, when the lights went off, Ethan stalled and dropped back the order as Sauter took the lead followed by Reno who was now in 2^nd place. Thomas inherited the third place, followed by Ethan now in 4^th position, Max was 5^th and Shimo was 6^th. Despite the race got briefly neutralized by a Safety Car, Ethan was not able to make a move on Sauter for third place at the restart, the drivers kept their positions from the restart to the checkered flag. At the end, Reno crossed the line in a great 2^nd place, with the new teammate Thomas completing the podium in 3^rd position! Ethan took 4^th place, followed by Max in 5^th position and Shimo in 6^th!

FIA F4 CEZ Championship

Race Three (25 minutes)

Sunday, 08/10/23, 13.40, Weather: Cloudy, 17°C

The third and final race of the season got underway on Sunday first afternoon. Starting from pole position was Ethan, while Reno was alongside him in second place. When the lights went off, the two title contenders kept their respective positions and the battle unfolded. After the opening laps, Ethan was still leading with Reno in second place. Behind them, Thomas moved up to 4^th place and Shimo was in 5^th. Unfortunately, Max stalled at the start but quickly managed to find his rhythm and was again up to 8^th position. As the race was reaching the final stages, Ethan was leading the race. Reno was in second place, trying to hold back Sauter. In the penultimate lap, Sauter made a move on Reno and the two had a contact at Turn 8. When the chequered flag waved, Ethan took the win. Reno crossed the line in 2^nd place followed by Sauter in 3^rd. Thomas took 4^th position at the end, with Shimo in 5^th and Max in 7^th. As things were, the podium ceremony got underway with Reno unofficially crowned champion, 1 point ahead of Ethan. However, moments later, the contact with Sauter went under investigation and the young Dutch received a 5 second time penalty, being accused for not leaving enough space to Sauter and causing the collision. With the final classification updated, it was Ethan that became the first FIA F4 Champion, with 2 points advantage over Reno.

Meisterschafts-Zwischenstand

FIA F4 CEZ Meisterschaft 2023 nach 13 Rennen:
1^st Ethan Ischer (CH), 263 points; 2^nd Reno Francot (NL), 261 points; 3^rd Michael Sauter (CH), 204 points, 4^th Oliver Michl (HUN), 112 points; 5^th Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen (DK), 106 points; 6^th Miroslav Mikes (CZ), 75 points; 7^th Max Karhan (CZ), 56 points; 10^th Thomas Gore (JM), 39 points; 12^th Shimo Zhang (CN), 12 points

2023 FIA F4 CEZ CHAMPIONSHIP – AGENDA

More info:

• www.eset-v4.com
• www.accr-formula.com