Asia Racing Team RFN and Blackjack Racing RFN launched their 2026 F4 Chinese Championship campaigns in emphatic fashion, securing an overall race victory at the opening round.
At the Shanghai International Circuit, in front of a crowd exceeding 50,000 spectators across the weekend, series newcomer Timur Shagaliev delivered a standout performance to claim the team’s first overall win in the championship on Sunday.
There were further positives to take from the weekend. Blackjack Racing RFN’s Cheng Zhu Yuan enjoyed a strong debut, narrowly missing out on the podium on three consecutive occasions. Teammate Josh Feng demonstrated impressive pace throughout, even leading the final race of the weekend, while Huang Chujian underlined his progress with a markedly improved performance.
Intense Friday
Following encouraging signs in Thursday’s private testing, the opening qualifying sessions of the 2026 season proved demanding. For three of the four drivers, it marked their first experience in qualifying trim on the Sailun control tyres, exclusive to the Formula 4 Chinese Championship.
With grandstands already well populated, Shagaliev delivered a strong performance in the first qualifying session. However, misfortune struck in Q2, where a fuel pump issue prevented him from setting a representative lap time. Despite limited pre-season mileage, Chen produced two solid sessions, securing sixth in Q1 and improving to fifth in Q2.
Feng was unable to convert his pace into competitive lap times, potentially compromised by excessive tyre marbles left offline by the GT field, which hindered his overall performance. He classified 12th in Q1 and eighth in Q2. Meanwhile, Huang, approaching the weekend with more modest expectations but clear intent to develop, qualified 18th in both sessions.
A rollercoaster Saturday
The season got underway on Sunday morning, with Shagaliev firmly in contention for victory. Following an early Safety Car intervention, he made a decisive move at the restart to take the lead, and by mid-race appeared on course for the win. Unfortunately, a broken gearbox selector spring forced his retirement.
Rookie Feng emerged as the team’s leading finisher, delivering a clean and composed drive to climb through the order and secure sixth place on track. Chen Zhu Yan also showed strong pace within the top-five battle, but contact with a rival damaged his front wing. Lacking front-end downforce, he managed the car to the finish in 11th place, just behind Huang, who impressed with a top-ten finish and a consistent drive given his limited experience.
For the afternoon race, Chen lined up second on the grid, with Huang starting third. Huang’s race, however, was cut short after being taken out by a competitor alongside him on the grid.
Both Feng and Shagaliev produced strong recovery drives, with particular emphasis on the latter, who charged from 17th on the grid to finish fourth on the road, overtaking Chen in the process. Feng crossed the line in third position. However, hours later, his car was disqualified due to technical infringement which offering no competitive gain.
Feng’s disqualification subsequently promoted Shagaliev and Chen to third and fourth places, respectively.
Winning Sunday
For Sunday morning’s race, Chen lined up fifth on the grid, with Feng in eighth, while Huang (P18) and Shagaliev (P20) faced a far more demanding task from the back.
Shagaliev was a man on a mission. Over the course of the 30 minutes plus one lap encounter, the youngster carved his way through the field, climbing from P20 to third overall in one of the most remarkable recovery drives in the history of the Chinese F4 Championship. Teammate Chen also delivered a strong performance, narrowly missing out on a podium finish in fourth place.
Feng crossed the line in eighth, despite carrying steering damage for much of the race, which inevitably compromised his pace. Huang Chujian was caught up in an opening-lap incident, hampering his day progress from the outset.
Sunday afternoon’s final race was anything but uneventful. At the start, a car stalled on the grid, triggering a near-miss scenario that, fortunately, all drivers managed to avoid. Feng and Shagaliev initially moved into second and third respectively, but the Safety Car was deployed on the opening lap to clear a stranded car.
At the restart, both Asia Racing Team RFN drivers overtook the car ahead, and by one-third distance Shagaliev had assumed the race lead. Feng, however, was handed a drive-through penalty after stalling on the formation lap and, in his attempt to recover positions, making contact with a rival who was weaving to warm up the tyres.
With a four-second advantage over the chasing pack, Shagaliev appeared in control, but was forced to defend hard in the closing stages as his rival mounted a sustained challenge. The rookie held firm under pressure, securing his maiden victory in Formula 4 and the first win of the season for his team.
Chen, meanwhile, endured an early scare on the opening lap that cost him several positions. Remaining composed, the former CKC driver methodically worked his way back through the field to claim another fourth-place finish.
After briefly leading in the early stages, Feng recovered from P19 to finish 12th. Huang once again delivered a consistent performance within the group battling for the top ten, ultimately taking the chequered flag in 13th position.
Commenting about the weekend, Team Manager Rodolfo Ávila said: “The opening round gave us a solid baseline to build from, and there is a long championship ahead as we continue to develop and improve. We will come back stronger. I am very proud of the effort shown by all the drivers this weekend, without exception. The pace is clearly there, the execution was solid, and the potential is undeniable. We now need to refine the details, stay focused, and build on this foundation as we move forward.”
The F4 Chinese Championship resumes at the Tianjin V1 International Circuit from 22 to 24 May.
