Max Karhan was one of sixteen Czech representatives at the FIA Motorsport Games in Valencia. He competed in the Formula 4 race and certainly did not lose his way in the strong field. Only the final sprint didn’t go as expected and Max Karhan had to unfortunately retire.
Max Karhan completed a full season of F4 CEZ championship with Jenzer Motorsport this year. He finished third in the championship and then headed to Valencia, which was the last stop of his 2024 season.
“Valencia is a great opportunity to end my successful season,“ Max said at the start of the weekend.
First, he completed two 45-minute practice sessions in which he finished 17th and 16th. First experience with a different formula 4 car than he’s been used to over the year was positive.
„We had to make a new seat and because the formula had a different brake manufacturer, I had to get used to different pedal power. Of course it was no problem and after a few laps I got used to the car,“ Max explained.
The system of practice sessions was also different. In F4 CEZ there are more shorter practice sessions on the schedule, in FIA Motorsport Games, the drivers had 2×45 minutes.
„More shorter practice sessions means you get to test the car more often in different weather, more levels of more grip and you get more time to work on the set-up. On the other hand, longer practice sessions work everywhere in the world, so again it was just a matter of habit,“ says Max, who has been getting faster and finished 14th in qualifying. He also left behind this year’s champion and teammate in F4 CEZ Oscar Wurz.
The morning qualifying on the wet track was followed by the afternoon qualifying race on the dry track. He moved up to 9th position in the 20-minute sprint and started from the same position in Sunday’s final race. Wurz finished two places behind him.
„I take it as some kind of reference point,“ Max said when asked if he was also following the young Wurz’s performance. „I stopped by and we talked. It’s good when you know someone very well in the starting field.“
Sunday’s decisive F4 race at the FIA Motorsport Games got underway around noon. Max Karhan dropped a few positions after the start, but it was clear he was quicker than the drivers ahead of him. Jean Paul Karras knew this all too well and decided to block Max’s attack, braking before he had to at Turn 11. Max Karhan didn’t stand a chance, he hit Karras from behind and by the second lap the race was over. The stewards called the Czech driver in and, after watching the onboard, admitted that Karras had braked unusually early.
Max Karhan left the Ricardo Tormo circuit disappointed, but with valuable experience.
„It was an honour for me to defend the Czech Republic as a representative. The FIA Motorsport Games is a good opportunity to show my skills and a perfect end to the motorsport season,“ Max Karhan summed up his competition.
