Polish racer Kornelia Olkucka enjoyed one of her best weekends in F4 to date, securing her first top-20 finish in the Formula Winter Series during the second round at Valencia, having shown remarkable progress in race pace since the start of the season.
Polish racer Kornelia Olkucka enjoyed one of her best weekends in F4 to date, securing her first top-20 finish in the Formula Winter Series during the second round at Valencia, having shown remarkable progress in race pace since the start of the season.
Despite being involved in a couple of incidents through no fault of her own, Olkucka fought through the circumstances and steadily climbed the order in each race, showcasing her determination and improved speed.
Olkucka made her single-seater debut in 2024, competing in the Formula 4 Central European Zone with Maffi Racing after racing at both national and European levels in karting. She went on to score points in F4 CEZ on nine occasions, finishing her rookie season with an eight-race streak in the top ten.
In 2025, Olkucka was confirmed to remain with the Swiss team for a dual campaign, taking on the highly competitive Formula Winter Series and the Italian F4 Championship.
Aiming to continue her progress in single-seaters, Kornelia had a positive debut in the season opener at Portimão, where she made steady gains and maximized the opportunity to learn despite having been out of the car for several months.
She quickly found her rhythm and made significant strides in pace over the weekend—a trend that carried into Valencia for the second round, where she demonstrated remarkable progress from the first testing session to the three races.
With a two-day pre-event testing schedule, Olkucka proved that consistent track time allows her to improve steadily: over the course of testing, she found nearly two seconds in lap time as she prepared for qualifying.
Q1 on Saturday morning took place in cooler conditions and was disrupted by a red flag with nine minutes to go. Kornelia had set a 1:45.1 before the stoppage, but when the session resumed, times dropped further. She put in a strong lap of 1:37.5, briefly placing her in P16. Ultimately, her best time of 1:36.633 left the Maffi Racing driver in P30.
In Q2, drivers returned to the track on new tyres. Olkucka topped the timing sheets in the opening minutes; she eventually improved her time to 1:36.436, finishing P30 once again. While not the positions she had hoped for, her pace suggested strong potential for recovery in the races.
RACE 1
A few hours later, the first race of the weekend got underway in a competitive 31-car field, with Kornelia lining up in P30. She had a clean start into Turn 1, immediately moving ahead of Aleksander Ruta into P29.
On Lap 2, David Walther went off into the barriers, triggering a safety car. Kornelia gained more positions from the cars involved in the incident, moving up to P27 under neutralization.
At the restart with 21 minutes remaining, she kept it clean and moved further up to P25 when Alisha Palmowski had to pit with damage.
Olkucka was running strong lap times in the 1:37.0s and began closely chasing Alba Hurup Larsen, applying pressure and demonstrating good racecraft. On Lap 12, Hurup Larsen went off and became stuck in the gravel, bringing out another safety car.
At the green flag on Lap 14, there was action throughout the field, with several drivers running deep into corners and swapping positions. Olkucka, now in P24, defended hard from Payton Westcott. However, the action was short-lived as multiple incidents—including damage for Edward Robinson and Ricardo Baptista stopping on track—triggered another safety car with just two minutes to go.
The marshals quickly recovered the stricken cars, allowing the race to go back to green for a final lap. On the last lap, a multi-car clash between Chambers, Bearman, and Severiukhin just outside the top ten created more chaos, but the race remained green.
Olkucka skillfully avoided the incidents and crossed the finish line in P21. She was later promoted to P20, marking one of her best races in F4 to date. She showcased solid pace, held her ground in fierce battles, and proved her improvements in a competitive field.
RACE 2
After a remarkable first race, Kornelia Olkucka aimed to showcase her improved pace once again in Race 2, starting from P30. At the start, polesitter Gabriel Gomez was slow off the line and quickly swallowed by the pack. Kornelia gained one position on the first lap as Artem Severiukhin encountered trouble, moving up to P29.
On Lap 2, Olkucka passed Aleksander Ruta, who hit trouble, climbing to P28. When Maffi Racing’s Teo Borenstein spun into the gravel, the safety car was deployed on Lap 5.
After a quick cleanup, racing resumed one lap later: Olkucka immediately passed Simon Schranz and pushed forward into P26, now setting her sights on the group of cars ahead.
She then capitalized on the collision between Payton Westcott and Joanne Ciconte to gain two more places, moving into P24. Ruta fought back and briefly reclaimed the position, but Kornelia held her own in a strong battle.
Unfortunately, Olkucka was spun around when Hurup Larsen attempted a move, resulting in contact. The Danish driver lost her front wing in the incident, while Kornelia dropped to P29. Hurup Larsen was later handed a 10-second penalty for the collision.
Despite the setback, Kornelia never gave up, pushing to the end and crossing the finish line in P28. She had a strong mid-race performance, engaged in good battles, and showed determination despite being unlucky.
RACE 3
For the third and final race of the weekend, Olkucka lined up in P30 again, determined to build on the progress she had made despite an unfortunate second race.
As the lights went out, Leo Robinson took the lead from Gabriel Gomez. Kornelia had another strong start, immediately gaining two positions over Edward Robinson—who had started from the pit lane—and Teo Borenstein.
She maintained competitive pace in the 1:36.8 range, closing in on Baptista and Schranz. Kornelia passed Schranz and moved up to P27, steadily gaining a few tenths per lap.
She advanced to P26 when Edward Robinson was forced to pit with a damaged engine cover.
A major battle for the top ten resulted in a collision between Gino Trappa and Sebastian Bach, triggering a safety car on Lap 14. Olkucka was running in P25 under the safety car, with the race set for a late restart with just over four minutes remaining.
On the restart, there was contact between Schranz and Kornelia at Turn 2, leaving her stranded on track and bringing out the safety car once again. Refusing to give up, she rejoined at the back of the field for a final-lap restart, determined to make up ground.
She pushed to the very end and managed to gain one more position, finishing P25.
"Am I satisfied with this race weekend? Considering the limited test days I’ve had in the car so far, yes, I am satisied", Olkucka explained. "What excites me the most is my progress."
"Unfortunately, in both races, I was pushed off the track (for which my competitors received penalties from the judges), but each time I returned to the race, caught up with the rivals - with a little help from the safety car in the last race - and made additional overtakes", she continued. "Yes, this is what I love the most! Fighting to the end and never giving up."
It was indeed a hard-fought weekend, where she demonstrated significant progress in pace, despite the unlucky incidents.
Nevertheless, it was a very positive step forward for the Polish driver, who will now look to carry these learnings into the third round at Motorland Aragón on March 1-3.
Comments