Rocco Coronel scores points at Portimão and keeps the lead in the standings

PORTIMÃO (June 7, 2026) – About eight weeks after the season opener in Valencia, the second round of the Spanish Formula 4 Championship took place at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal. With a strong showing in all three races, in which he managed to move up several positions each time, Rocco Coronel retained the lead in the championship standings. Third place in the final race was the best finish for the TeamNL talent, competing for the MP Motorsport team. “I scored points twice. The weekend wasn’t great, but I was able to score points and hold onto the lead in the championship,” he concluded.

In the week leading up to the event, two test days were scheduled, on Tuesday and Wednesday. “I was doing pretty well—not great, but consistently in the top eight,” said Coronel. “It did feel good—the driving, the car—so we went into the weekend with a positive attitude.” There were no activities scheduled for Thursday, so there was some time for relaxation and training on the beach. On Friday, the action of the race weekend began with the test session and both free practice sessions, during which Coronel was able to complete his program successfully. “We tried some changes to the setup, drove longer and shorter distances, and before that we had found a good setup,” he said.

On Saturday morning, Coronel had a good position on the track during the first qualifying session, but in the final stages, he was unable to set a faster lap time while stuck in the so-called “dirty air” behind a car in front of him, so he ultimately had to settle for eleventh place. In the first race, Coronel got off to an excellent start and managed to gain three positions right at the start, but then his advance was interrupted by a safety car intervention and subsequently by a red flag. After stranded cars were removed, the race resumed, with Coronel once again gaining positions at the restart. “A very good reaction time, a very good restart—I was right there,” he reported afterward. Following an incident further back in the field, the safety car was deployed again, leading the field for three laps. After the restart, Coronel lost two positions after an overtaking attempt on the inside came to nothing. In a subsequent battle, Coronel made contact with a competitor, for which he received a ten-second time penalty afterward. Then things went wrong elsewhere, leading to another neutralization. After the final restart, Coronel was able to regain positions and, having started in eleventh, ultimately crossed the finish line in fifth, but due to that time penalty, he dropped to 23rd place in the final standings. “So, no points, unfortunately,” he noted matter-of-factly.

He started seventh in the second race, the sprint race. Once again, there were several incidents and two safety car interventions. As a result, Coronel wasn’t able to make up much ground. “I managed to gain a position, but it was a fairly steady race. It was a bit difficult to move up, and I also had to defend quite a bit, but otherwise it was a good race in which I finished sixth and simply secured my points,” he concluded.

In qualifying for the final race, Coronel once again had a very strong position on the track and finished eighth, with the gap to pole position being just two-tenths of a second. “That’s really minimal—the blink of an eye,” he said. The start of the third race of the weekend went well again, albeit without any changes in position. Then there was a red-flag interruption because debris was on the track following an incident on the opening lap. The race eventually resumed behind the safety car, after which the field was released again after one lap. Coronel gained some ground after the restart, but was also involved in fierce battles, so he occasionally had to give up a position again. There were two more safety car interventions as the race progressed. After the final neutralization, there was one more free lap, during which a lot happened. “A lot of drivers collided, several cars went off the track, but I was able to stay out of the chaos and crossed the finish line in fifth place. Due to penalties for others, I was ultimately classified third,” Coronel reported afterward.

The next race weekend is scheduled for June 19–21 at Motorland Aragón. “Hopefully things will go a little better there,” said Coronel.

Rocco Coronel’s Calendar

June 19–21 – Spanish F4 Championship – Aragon
August 22–23 – Spanish F4 Championship – Jarama
September 25–27 – Spanish F4 Championship – Jerez
October 9–11 – Spanish F4 Championship – Navarra
November 6–8 – Spanish F4 Championship – Barcelona