In a special weekend for Formula 4 Brazil drivers - including Rafaela Ferreira and Cecília Rabelo - changeable weather brought heavy rains and treacherous conditions, resulting in a chaotic round at Interlagos, which hosted the sixth round of the 2024 season and the São Paulo Formula 1 GP.
Last weekend, the Interlagos Circuit, in São Paulo, had a busy schedule with the São Paulo Formula 1 GP and its support series. Among them, the Brazilian Formula 4 - which, just like last year - held its activities on the same weekend as the highest single seater category of motorsport, providing a unique experience for young drivers, including the two female racers on the grid - Rafaela Ferreira and Cecília Rabelo.
Rabelo spoke about her expectations for the weekend: "It's an amazing feeling, the circuit is decorated, with all the stands and a large crowd watching us. It's amazing to be able to be here again, where exactly one year ago I took pole position. It was a historic moment that we hope to repeat this year!"
Before the start of the sixth round of the 2024 season of the single-seater series, Rafaela Ferreira had been announced as a driver for the F1 Academy next year. The young 19-year-old driver, who has stood out throughout her journey in F4 Brazil, will be the new representative of VCARB in the F1-promoted all-female series from 2025.
Sudden changes in weather conditions marked the weekend at Interlagos. In the only free practice session and the qualifying session for races 1 and 3, held on Friday - November 1st, the drivers had a dry track and were able to make better use of the driving time. With the best lap times quite balanced among most of the drivers, Rafaela Ferreira qualified in 8th and 10th. Cecília Rabelo secured a double P12.
Former F4 Brazil driver and currently in the F1 Academy, Aurelia Nobels was present at Interlagos, where she followed the participation of her brother - Ethan, and she spoke about the opportunity to be there:
“Formula 4 Brazil gives us the opportunity to celebrate these achievements in family. I raced here in the first season of the serires and it was very important for my learning and career, just as it is for my brother.”
Races 1 - 2
On Saturday morning, still in a sunny setting with a dry track, 13 drivers formed the starting grid for race 1 and the first laps were marked by the fight for the lead. Ethan Nobels - who was in pole position, momentarily lost P1 to Pepê Souza. Still on lap 1 Nobels recovered his starting position, but in the following laps he was caught by Álvaro Cho.
Both fought for a few laps, until they collided and Ethan's car was damaged, being forced to retire. The safety car was deployed and after the restart, Rafaela Ferreira, who had started in eighth place, was fighting to gain positions in the midfield. She ran as high as sixth, but was then overtaken by Filippo Fiorentino.
Pepê Souza took the lead after the restart, but was passed by the championship leader - Matheus Comparatto, who took the victory. Rafa Ferreira crossed the finish line in seventh place and Cecília Rabelo in eleventh. With the result of race 1 determining the starting grid for the following races, Ferreira would occupy P2, certainly having a great chance of fighting for another victory this year.
But a few hours later, conditions had changed completely, disrupting the schedule of all the series present. Race 2 of F4 Brazil was scheduled to take place right after qualifying for the main Formula 1 race, but due to heavy rain - in addition to the loss of natural light, it was impossible to start the session and both were postponed.
Race 3
On Sunday morning - November 3rd, the weather conditions were still rainy, but lighter than the previous day. With little time available to hold the two remaining races over the weekend, the F4 Brazil organization opted to cancel the second race - but there is still a possibility that it will be rescheduled for the final round, which will also be held in Interlagos, in December. A new official statement on this is expected to be made soon.
However, race 3 was maintained and the drivers had to deal with the challenges of a wet track - which had recently been resurfaced, making grip conditions even more difficult. For safety reasons, the start took place behind the safety car, but after the pace car soon pulled back in, although the green flag period lasted a short time.
Still in the first corner, Cecília Rabelo went off and collided with the barriers. Then, Ciro Sobral and Gino Trappa also lost control at the end of the opposite straight, getting stuck in the gravel trap - and so the safefy-car returned to action. Rafaela Ferreira - who had started in eighth place, also went off the track at turn 4, but managed to get back on track, albeit losing one position.
More than half of the race took place under yellow flags and Ferreira had only 7 minutes to recover. She struggled to make up ground, reaching as high as seventh, but a mistake on the last lap due to the slippery track eventually saw the newly-signed Red Bull Academy Programme driver crossing the finish line in 8th.
Álvaro Cho took the lead from pole-sitter Ethan Nobels in the first moments of the race under green flag and remained ahead of the grid until the end, despite also running off the track on the final lap and almost losing the position. After the race, Matheus Comparatto - who finished third, was disqualified by the stewards due to technical irregularities, and thus Rafaela Ferreira was promoted to seventh place.
Ferreira lamented the unforeseen events caused by the rains, but celebrated the special opportunity she had in Interlagos: "Sharing the weekend with F1 is a real dream!", she commented. "It was a challenging week for me, unfortunately, I couldn't put in my best lap in qualifying, which made me start from the back in all the races. On Saturday, in race 2, I was confident of getting a podium starting from P2, but the race was cancelled due to rain..."
"I leave with my head held high, knowing our potential and certain that we will continue fighting for the top positions on the grid! Many thanks to everyone who supported us and was part of this unforgettable week!" - she concluded.
With the results of 2 of the 3 scheduled races carried out, Matheus Comparatto remained in the lead of the drivers' championship, with 220 points - but the runner-up, Álvaro Cho, closed the gap to just 9 points. Rafaela Ferreira remains strong in fourth place, now with 158 points - however, the gap to third place, Ethan Nobels, has increased to 26 points. The retirement in race 2 harmed Cecília Rabelo, who lost the chance to collect points and dropped two positions, now sitting in 13th.
Formula 4 Brazil will return to the Ayrton Senna Circuit, in Goiânia, which will host the 7th round of the 2024 season, between November 22nd and 24th.
Comments