Nerea Martí returns to the F4 Spanish Championship at Aragon

F1 Academy race winner Nerea Martí faced a challenging return to Spanish F4 at Motorland Aragon, competing with the GRS Team after a five-year hiatus; despite showing promising speed in practice in a highly competitive field, Martí had unfortunate races with a best finish of 26th, however the experience provided valuable track time ahead of her next F1 Academy commitments.

Nerea Martí faced a challenging round at Motorland Aragon, as the F1 Academy driver made a one-off appearance in the Spanish F4 – her first in five years – having joined the ranks of GRS Team. Despite showing promising speed in practice as she raced in a highly competitive field of drivers, Martí had unfortunate races, finishing 26th and 27th in race one and three, with a track limit penalty hampering her recovery drive in race 2.

Nerea returned to Spanish F4 after last competing in 2019, a season where she came close to claiming the Female Trophy in a highly competitive field. During that season, she collected a podium and seven point-scoring finishes in a championship ultimately won by current F2 driver Franco Colapinto.

Following her initial stint in Spanish F4, Martí advanced to the W Series and then to the F1 Academy, where she achieved six podiums and a race win in the inaugural year of the series.

Martí then returned to the all-female championship for her sophomore campaign in 2024, again driving for Campos Racing with sponsorship from global fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger. In the current season, she is fourth in the drivers' standings, with a third-place finish at Jeddah and a second place at Circuit de Catalunya.

Using the gap in the F1 Academy calendar, Martí seized the opportunity to gain additional track time by joining the Spanish F4 series with the GRS Team, where fellow F1 Academy driver Lia Block had competed in previous rounds. Although Block was not present at Aragon, having completed her part-time campaign, Martí joined the grid for round 4 at the 5.344 km circuit.

In the first practice session, Martí aimed to readapt to the championship after the five-year hiatus. However, the session was immediately halted by a red flag. Once the session resumed, Martí positioned herself within the top 20 in a massive 36-car field for the weekend. She improved her sectors on her final run, setting a time of 1:59.685, which placed her P25 for the first official practice session. In FP2, the Valencian had a strong run, reaching P18 midway through the session. Despite a red flag towards the end, she improved her time to 1:59.181, finishing P21.

In the first qualifying session on Saturday morning, Nerea started strong with her initial run placing her in P15. A red flag then interrupted the session with ten minutes remaining; when the session resumed, several drivers improved their times in the final minutes. Despite her efforts to find a clean lap, she ended up in P25 – and the highest placed among the GRS Team cars.

Starting from P25, Nerea Martí encountered immediate difficulties as she stalled at the start, causing her to drop to the back of the pack. As the race unfolded, several incidents brought out the safety car, including Przyrowski stopping on track and Castillo sustaining damage.

Marti found herself in P32 when the race was neutralized. Upon the restart, she held her position.

She managed to pass Hakim for P31, although he fought back and retook the position a few corners later. The midfield battles were intense, with notable action also among the front runners involving Lammers and Al Azhari. Another safety car period occurred when Jacoby crashed; Martí held P32 at the restart, but slowly climbed up the order. She overtook Hakim and Dobrzanski, moving up to P30, then passed Ryba to reach P29.

Further gains were made when Rivera pitted, allowing Martí to advance to P28. She then overtook Cantú for P27 on lap 12 but had to defend the position fiercely. Ultimately, Nerea Martí finished P27 after a penalty for Fluxá gained her one further position. Gladysz secured the first race win of the weekend ahead of Colnaghi and Al Azhari.

In Race 2, Nerea started from P29 based on her second fastest time from Saturday's qualifying. The race began with immediate chaos as Yamakoshi and Quintarelli made contact, triggering a safety car. Martí, cautious through turn 1, successfully navigated the chaos and made up positions at the restart, climbing to P28. She then lost ground to Lambert and Ryba but continued to battle hard in a group of four cars just outside of the top-20, continuously improving on her best laps.

Throughout the race, the Spaniard maintained an improved pace, engaging in several close battles. She overtook Dobrzanski and gained another position when Fiorentino fell down the order. Despite her efforts, a track limit penalty dropped her from 26th to P32 by the end of the race. Gladysz took another dominant win, with Tye in second and Lammers securing third place.

In the final race of the weekend, Martí aimed to make up for the challenging previous races. Starting from P32, she lost a few positions off the line but benefitted from accidents ahead involving Gladysz, Gerhards, and Hideg, which brought out the safety car. As the race resumed, Marti was in P31, but she initially struggled to move forward once the race resumed.

Despite running competitive lap times, Martí couldn't quite find a gap to overtake. She battled closely with Cantù, eventually making a move stick on lap 9. She then overtook her GRS teammate Jacoby, climbing to P29. Martí continued to push, closing the gap to Restrepo and eventually passing him, reaching P28. On the final lap, she gained another position when Nathan Tye spun out in the gravel, finishing P27.

Keanu Al Azhari won the final race, with Peebles and Mattia Colnaghi rounding out the podium. Despite the tough races, Martí showcased stronger pace in race 3, gaining five positions from the start.

Although she faced challenges at Motorland Aragon, Nerea Martí's return to Spanish F4 provided valuable track time and experience. She will now turn her attention back to F1 Academy, where she is set to compete at Zandvoort, Netherlands, on the weekend of 24-25 August.