Rafaela Ferreira made her F4 debut on European soil in the Formula Winter Series at Portimão, gaining 20 positions across three races and securing two top-20 finishes despite challenging qualifying sessions, as she prepares for her F1 Academy rookie season.
Brazilian Red Bull-backed driver Rafaela Ferreira made her first European starts in F4 machinery, debuting in the Formula Winter Series at Portimão, Portugal. Despite a challenging qualifying session, she secured two top-20 finishes, coming close to a top-15 in Race 1 and gaining 20 positions over the weekend.
The Campos Racing driver, a multiple race winner in Brazilian F4, showcased her ability to fight through the field in each race; despite an unfortunate incident in Race 2, she consistently moved forward, gaining valuable mileage and experience as she prepares for her rookie season in F1 Academy.
The Gedlich-promoted Formula Winter Series is now in its third season, featuring one of its usual large grids and continued growth; one of the standout aspects of the 2025 season is the strong female presence, with one-third of the grid consisting of female drivers. The Portimão season opener set a record for the highest number of women competing in a mixed-gender F4 event with nine drivers, surpassing last year’s British F4 round at Zandvoort.
For Ferreira, this was her first European race following an outstanding sophomore season in Brazilian F4, where she made history as the first-ever female race winner in the series. She finished fourth in the standings with 10 podiums, three wins, two pole positions, and two fastest laps.
Her remarkable campaign earned her international recognition and a selection as the next Visa Cash App RB representative in the Red Bull Academy program. Moving to the all-female F1 Academy in 2025, Ferreira is therefore using this part-time Formula Winter Series campaign to prepare for the F1-support category.
Ferreira had previously tested at Portimão and had the opportunity to regain familiarity with the roller-coaster circuit through six test sessions on Thursday and Friday. She immediately showed promise, placing P15 in the first session. Her lap times continued to improve, dropping by nearly a second per session. By the fifth session, she had recorded a best time of 1:46.508, ranking P20 overall.
The two qualifying sessions followed on Saturday morning. At the start of Q1, Ferreira initially clocked a 1:49.5 lap, breaking under the 1:50 barrier. She improved towards the end, posting a 1:48.368 and finishing P27. It was a challenging session for the Campos Racing team.
Shortly after, the second qualifying session began. Ferreira's first lap time was deleted for track limits, but she rebounded with a 1:47.776, finishing P26. Despite the difficult sessions, she was determined to make up ground in the races.
RACE 1
A few hours later, the first race of the Formula Winter Series got underway, with Ferreira starting from P27. The race began under sunny and dry conditions. Gabriel Gomez started from pole, with Edu Robinson alongside him.
Robinson took the early lead, passing the two US Racing cars. Several midfield drivers had to take the escape road at Turn 1 after minor incidents. Ferreira made a strong start, gaining four places to move up to P23 by the end of the first lap.
She was passed by Andrea Dupe on Lap 2 but remained in a tight midfield battle. She ran just behind Mathilda Paatz, engaging in a multi-car fight that included Payton Wetscott and Kabir Anurag. When Anurag pitted with damage, Ferreira gained another position.
By Lap 9, she was defending against Alba Hurup Larsen, who ultimately overtook her for P26. The Campos Racing cars had been struggling with straight-line speed, limiting her ability to advance further.
On Lap 12, an incident between Enea Frey and Thomas Bearman brought out the safety car. The race resumed for a one-lap sprint to the finish. Leo Robinson controlled the restart, with Gomez and Luka Sammalisto closely behind.
Ferreira, in P22 at the restart, capitalized on the battles ahead, overtaking Simon Schranz, Dante Vinci, and Aleksander Ruta in the final lap. She crossed the line in P19 but was later promoted to P16 due to post-race penalties. It was a strong recovery drive from the Brazilian, who made up 11 places from her starting position.
RACE 2
Ferreira lined up in P27 for the second race. With Kirill Kutskov and Kabir Anurag unable to make the starting grid, most drivers gained two positions before the lights went out.
Leo Robinson made the best start but ran deep into Turn 1, allowing Gomez to retake the lead. Ferreira again made an impressive launch, climbing to P21 by the end of Lap 1.
She soon found herself in a battle with Mathilda Paatz. Unfortunately, the two made contact while fighting for a top-20 position, resulting in Paatz’s immediate retirement. Ferreira attempted to return to the pits but was forced to retire due to damage.
The safety car was deployed on Lap 2, and post-race, Ferreira received a three-place grid penalty for the final race due to the collision.
RACE 3
On Sunday morning, the final race of the weekend took place under mixed weather conditions. Most drivers opted for wet tyres. Due to her penalty, Ferreira started from P29.
A starting light malfunction caused only three lights to illuminate before going out, leading to a chaotic launch. Race control quickly reacted and red-flagged the race. During the stoppage, most teams opted to stay on wet tyres before the race resumed behind the safety car.
Once racing resumed, Ferreira had an outstanding start, gaining eight positions on the first lap to move into P21. She kept it clean while many drivers struggled for grip: among them, Andrija Kostic and Maksimilian Popov hit trouble, while Andrea Dupe spun.
Ferreira capitalized on these incidents, making up 10 places in the opening laps. The Campos cars, which had struggled in the dry, looked stronger in the mixed conditions.
As the track dried, the advantage shifted to drivers on slicks, who started posting significantly faster lap times.
Ferreira found herself in P20, but Alba Hurup Larsen, driving for Jenzer, was closing in. On the penultimate lap, Larsen overtook her, dropping Ferreira to P21.
She crossed the line in P21 but was later promoted to P20 after Maxime Rehm was disqualified, securing another top-20 finish.
In her first European racing weekend, Rafaela Ferreira gained a total of 20 positions across the three races, showing strong starts and good racecraft. Despite difficult qualifying sessions that limited her outright results, she demonstrated fighting spirit in the busy midfield.
"It was an intense weekend, with all possible conditions", she commented. "I was able to spend a lot of time in the car, train, learn and evolve. I'm sure we did the best with what we had!"
"Lots of overtaking and lots of fun throughout the weekend!", she continued. "Now, full focus on the next stage in Aragón, Spain, at the end of the month!"
While her raw pace in testing suggested she could have battled further up the order had qualifying gone better, Ferreira showcased her ability to recover from setbacks and make up positions. The Brazilian will return to the Campos Racing Red Bull-liveried Tatuus at Motorland Aragón for the third round of the series, as she will alternate at the wheel with Chloe Chambers in the upcoming race meeting.
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