- Rahim Alibhai scores the team’s first points at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo (Valencia) after finishing ninth on Sunday (sixth
rookie ), despite missing Saturday’s session due to illness. - Miki Blascos just missed out on the top 10 in both races on Saturday, while Fausto Arnaudo and Alexander Chartier staged great comebacks.
- “We had the pace to be much higher up, but the qualifying conditions affected our final result. Despite this, the team showed that it has the potential to fight among the top 10,” says David Simón, team manager of Monlau Motul Technical School.
- “The level is very high and any small detail can make you gain or lose many positions. We leave Valencia with the confirmation that we have a technical base and riders capable of competing at the front,” says Jaime Serrano, CEO of Monlau Motul.
Monlau Motul Technical School completed the first round of the 2026 Spanish Formula 4 Championship this past weekend at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo (Valencia), where the team demonstrated competitive pace and was able to run at the front of the field. However, qualifying sessions in which they failed to capitalize on that potential hampered their performance throughout the weekend. The highlight was Rahim Alibhai, who, after missing Saturday’s sessions due to illness, returned on Sunday to secure a commendable ninth place – sixth among the rookies – earning the team’s first two points of the season.
The driver lineup for this race consisted of regulars Miki Blascos, Fausto Arnaudo, and Alibhai himself, joined by Italian driver Alexander Chartier. From the outset, drivers, engineers, and mechanics demonstrated a high level of skill, which was evident in the early practice sessions. The action kicked off on Friday with the official pre-season test, where Blascos set the fastest time with a lap of 1:34.000. In free practice, the Mallorcan driver was again among the fastest; he was fifth in the first session, just 0.117 seconds off the pace, and sixth in the second, 0.232 seconds back, confirming a solid rhythm to fight for a top-five finish. This extreme parity was the theme of the weekend in Valencia, with up to 35 cars on track, making the Spanish F4 Championship an ideal environment for the development of young motorsport talent, both on and off the track.
Saturday began with a challenging Q1 session. The Balearic driver set the 17th fastest time, just over half a second off pole , while Arnaudo and Chartier had their best times deleted for exceeding track limits, relegating them to the back of the grid (28th and 31st, respectively). From then on, the first two races of the weekend were marked by comebacks.
In the first race, the Mallorcan rider made a great start, gaining several positions in the early stages and putting himself in contention for a top-ten finish. After a hard-fought race, he crossed the finish line in eleventh place, seventh among the rookies , just missing out on points. Arnaudo, meanwhile, climbed eight positions to finish 20th, while Chartier also moved up several places to 25th.
The second race was affected by a multi-car incident on the first lap, which forced a red flag. After the restart, the three Monlau Motul riders maintained a steady progression. Blascos again came close to the top ten with another eleventh-place finish, and Arnaudo, for his part, delivered a brilliant performance, advancing 15 positions to finish 14th. Chartier finished the race in 24th place.
On Sunday, the rain added a new challenge. The second qualifying session was held on a wet track, where Blascos once again stood out with the tenth fastest time (1:48.655), a second and a half behind the pole sitter in a session heavily influenced by track conditions. Alibhai, in his return to competition, was 15th (1:49.097), Chartier 21st (1:49.516), and Arnaudo 26th (1:49.836).
In the third and final race, with the track still damp, the team once again demonstrated its competitiveness. Alibhai had a very good race, crossing the finish line in eleventh position, although after several penalties were given to rivals, he climbed to ninth (sixth rookie ) and secured the team’s first 2 points. Arnaudo once again made a remarkable comeback to 14th place, and Chartier maintained his starting position (21st). Blascos, for his part, was unable to start due to a technical issue on the formation lap.
David Simón , team manager of Monlau Motul Technical School, assessed the first weekend of the season: “In free practice we were always at the front, but qualifying penalized us and forced us to struggle, fighting our way back from the back. It’s a shame because the pace was good enough to be much higher up. Despite this, we are very happy with Rahim’s points, who made a great effort after being ill. Miki was very consistent, and Fausto and Alexander made good comebacks. All the mechanics, engineers, and riders did a great job and showed that we have the potential to be among the top 10. We will keep fighting.”
Jaime Serrano , CEO of Monlau Motul Technical School, highlighted the structure’s potential: “The level is very high, and any small detail can make the difference between gaining or losing positions. We leave Valencia with the confirmation that we have a technical staff and drivers capable of competing at the front. Earning our first points is a step forward, but above all, we’re left with the foundation we have to continue growing throughout the season.”
The next round of the Spanish F4 Championship will be held from June 5th to 7th at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal – the only stop on the calendar outside of Spain – where Monlau Motul will look to continue its growth and consolidate its position in the fight for a top-10 finish.
2026 Spanish F4 Championship standings:
https://f4spain.org/standings/standings-2026/
