Asia Racing Team RFN and Blackjack Racing RFN returned to winning ways in the third round of the F4 Chinese Championship, with Timur Shagaliev claiming the team’s third overall victory of the season and his second in the series during his rookie campaign at the FIA Grade 2 Ningbo International Speedpark.
Zhuyuan Chen and Josh Feng continued their encouraging progress, with the latter securing an impressive second-place overall finish in the second of the weekend’s four races.
Friday: Positive start
Friday’s qualifying sessions proved challenging, as wet conditions from the previous days left limited opportunities to fine-tune the car set-ups. It is worth remembering that the team is fielding an all-rookie, three-car line-up, making the progress shown by all three drivers even more encouraging.
Timur Shagaliev secured a front-row start for Race 3 at Ningbo after qualifying fourth in Q1 before delivering an excellent second place in Q2. Zhuyuan Chen continued his steady improvement, qualifying fifth and fourth across the two sessions. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Josh Feng once again demonstrated his rapid development, moving within striking distance of the front of the field with eighth and fifth places in qualifying.
Mixed fortunes on Saturday
Unpredictable weather conditions made Saturday’s races even more demanding. Timur Shagaliev made an excellent start in the opening race and immediately joined the fight for the podium. The Asia Racing Team RFN driver crossed the finish line second overall while also taking victory in the F4 class. Zhuyuan Chen and Josh Feng each gained one position during the race to finish fourth and seventh respectively.
In the second race, Josh Feng lined up fifth on the grid but quickly surged into the lead. The Anglo-Chinese driver controlled the race until the closing stages before eventually finishing an impressive second overall. Teammate Zhuyuan Chen took the chequered flag in seventh, but a post-race penalty for contact with another driver dropped him to eighth.
Timur Shagaliev’s second race came to an early end after being hit by another car at the start, forcing him to retire before completing a lap.
Sunday glory
Starting Sunday morning’s race from the front row, Timur Shagaliev knew he had an excellent opportunity to repeat his Tianjin victory. The No. 27 Asia Racing Team RFN driver seized the initiative, taking the lead after just three corners. Not even a late Safety Car period could deny him his second overall victory of his rookie season in China.
Starting from the second row, Zhuyuan Chen pushed hard in pursuit of a podium finish but ultimately had to settle for fourth place. Josh Feng completed another strong team performance by finishing sixth, ensuring all three cars ended the race inside the top six.
The second race on Sunday at the Zhejiang Province circuit proved far more eventful. Zhuyuan Chen was unable to avoid an incident ahead of him at the start, bringing his race to an end before the completion of the opening lap. Josh Feng enjoyed another consistent drive, climbing from seventh on the grid to finish fifth.
Timur Shagaliev once again delivered an outstanding recovery drive, charging from 12th on the grid to cross the finish line in third place. However, the effort required him to push beyond the track limits on several occasions, resulting in a 15-second penalty that relegated him to sixth in the final classification.
Team Manager Rodolfo Ávila said: “It was another strong performance from our drivers, with another overall victory and more silverware collected at a particularly demanding circuit. The team did a great job and, overall, we are pleased with how the weekend unfolded. It is encouraging to be in the title fight, but we must not forget that we have three rookie drivers competing on circuits that are all new to them, while at the same time learning the demands of single-seater racing against much more experienced opposition.”
The second half of the F4 Chinese Championship season resumes at Chengdu Tianfu International Circuit from 28 to 30 August.
