15 and 16 February 2025, Abu Dhabi – The penultimate round of the F4 Middle East Championship was a hectic one, but it once again highlighted the performances of R-ace GP. The French team brilliantly secured a double pole position, as well as a win and four podiums, confirming its excellent level despite the challenges encountered over the weekend.
On Friday 13 February, Alex Powell (#41) topped free practice ahead of team-mate Emanuele Olivieri (#68). The following day, both drivers took pole position. Emanuele Olivieri set the fastest time in the first qualifying session at 1:55.571, while Alex Powell was fastest in the second session at 1:55.330.
R-ace GP is the only team to have clocked the fastest times in every qualifying session since the start of the championship
Race 1
Emanuele Olivieri dominated the race from start to finish, but a 10-second jump-start penalty dropped him to third on the podium. Alex Powell, initially third, was promoted to second following his team-mate’s penalty. Emily Cotty (#42) finished 16th and Oleksander Savinkov (#52) 23rd.
Race 2
Alex Powell qualified eighth according to the reverse grid system* and made a fine comeback to finish third. Emily Cotty finished 11th, her best result since the start of the championship, while Oleksander Savinkov finished 23rd. Championship leader Emanuele Olivieri was forced to retire after suffering a puncture at the start of the race following contact.
Race 3
Starting from pole, Alex Powell never lost the lead to his rivals and took his third victory of the season. His Italian team-mate, Emanuele Olivieri, took third place. Oleksander Savinkov finished 17th and Emily Cotty 21st.
R-ace GP still leads the team standings by a large margin of 64 points, as well as the drivers’ standings (with Emanuele Olivieri) with a 48-point lead over its nearest rival. The final will be held in Qatar on 27 and 28 February.
You can follow the races on the championship’s Youtube channel.
* The starting grid is determined by the classification of race 1, according to the reverse grid principle. This principle applies to the top 10 only. The winner therefore starts from 10th place, and the 10th from pole position.